UCLA's Foster puts his jitters aside

A year ago, UCLA was on the verge of Hawaiian humiliation in its season opener.

- BY BEN BOLCH

UCLA COACH DeShaun Foster has a second chance to make a first impression.

The offense plodded. The defense was a blooper reel, committing three penalties on the same play. The special teams failed to put enough players on the field, leading to a busted punt coverage.

Shakiest of all might have been the coach.

Having starred as a running back and assistant coach, DeShaun Foster stumbled in his head-coaching debut. Appearing as disorganized and unprepared as his team, Foster didn’t know the proper way to address reporters after his team rallied to beat Hawaii, asking a media relations staff member for help.

Yeah, you could say he was a mess.

A year later, on the verge of his second season, Foster acknowledged as much.

"Oh, I was scared, you know?" Foster said this week. "And I've never been scared on the football field.

It was a nervous feeling just because it was brand new and I'd never been in that position." And now? "I'm not nowhere near where we were last year," Foster said, "so I feel pretty good." The coach and his team will need to be at their best Saturday night at the Rose Bowl when they open the season against Utah, a trendy pick to become a College Football Playoff contender.

UCLA's roster features 57 new players including two who arrived after the start of training camp - and eight new assistant coaches, including offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri.

How will Foster fare in this second chance to make a first impression after his team went 5-7 in 2024? Here are five things to watch when the Bruins face the Utes: