UCLA paid $1.2 million to play New Mexico in upset loss

On Saturday, New Mexico defeated UCLA 35-10 to secure its first win over a Power Four opponent since 2008. UCLA paid New Mexico $1.2 million to travel to Los Angeles for the game, per On3’s Brett McMurphy.

With the loss, the Bruins record fell to 0-3 this season. They’ve also lost to Utah and UNLV. However, neither of those defeats were as demoralizing for UCLA as their loss against New Mexico.

In the loss, UCLA’s defense couldn’t find stops. New Mexico finished the game with 450 total yards of offense. The Lobos were particularly dominant in the ground game, amassing 298 rushing yards.

On the flip side, UCLA’s backfield could never find a rhythm. The Bruins only tallied 109 total rushing yards. In fairness to the Bruins’ defense, they did squeeze two turnovers out of the Lobos. Alas, they weren’t able to convert on New Mexico’s mistakes nearly often enough.

UCLA was successful on just 3-of-its-11 third-down conversion attempts. New Mexico poured salt in UCLA’s wounds, punching in a touchdown with less than two minutes remaining in the game.

Perhaps the most concerning trend for UCLA in the loss was the team’s penalties. The Bruins committed 13 penalties in the loss for a total loss of 116 yards. It’s nothing new for the Bruins, who committed a combined 17 penalties through their first two games.

It’s not a promising sign for head coach DeShaun Foster, who posted a 5-7 record in his debut campaign at the helm of UCLA last season. Foster is being paid $3.1 million this year and is signed through 2029, with his salary increasing by $100,000 each year. He also can receive retention bonuses for staying with the program.

If UCLA were to fire Foster this season, it would owe him 60% of his remaining salary in Year 3 and 50% of his remaining salary in Years 4 and 5 — a total of roughly $5.27 million. This figure would drop to $3.35 million if the Bruins waited until the end of Foster’s third season to fire him.

Things aren’t about to get any easier for UCLA. The Bruins have a bye in Week 4, but kick off Big Ten play after their short break.

UCLA has three teams that are currently ranked ahead on its schedule. Additionally, teams like Michigan State, Nebraska and USC lie in wait, hungry to make a point against the Bruins. The team will have no choice but to continue to push forward as it attempts to recompose itself during the bye week.