Year 2 of the DeShaun Foster era began at UCLA late Saturday night with tarped seats, yawning fans and a frightening question.
What if this guy really can’t coach?
Having endured Foster’s numerous growing pains in a 5-7 debut season, the Bruin faithful were hopeful this second go-around would reveal him as the inspirational leader that athletic director Martin Jarmond promised when he surprisingly picked him to replace Chip Kelly.
Still waiting. Getting uglier. Seriously worried.
UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) scrambles as he is tripped up by Utah safety Tao Johnson (5) Saturday at the Rose Bowl.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
In a season opener that was completely devoid of the “energy and passion,” that Jarmond once claimed Foster possessed, the Bruins lost 43-10 to Utah in a game that ended with the Rose Bowl showing only one sign of life.
That came from the other team’s fans, who filled the Pasadena night with the taunting chant of, “Let’s Go Utah.”
The Bruins were never in it. The Bruins never had a chance. This was dreadful. This was embarrassing.
“Lot of stuff to learn from … it’s not going to be easy,” said Foster.
Seemed pretty simple for the Utes, who scored on their first three possessions with drives of 75, 60 and 49 yards, making it 20-0 before the second quarter was three minutes old.
“We went out there and got punched in the mouth,” said quarterback Nico Iamaleava.
One might think that $2 million would be enough to buy a comeback, the pricey Iamaleava making his first appearance after storming out of Tennessee last spring when the Volunteers wouldn’t pay up.
Wrong again. On this first night, Iamaleave was grossly overpaid, overthrowing countless receivers and completely really one pretty pass all night, a touchdown strike worth 19 yards to Anthony Woods late in the second quarter that made it 20-7.
The Bruins never got any closer, allowing second-half touchdown drives of 21 plays — 21 plays! — and 10 plays amid a flurry of missed tackles and blown assignments.
By the fourth quarter, the sparsely populated Rose Bowl had grown even more somber and morose, and you have to wonder: How hopeless must a program be if it can only attract only 35,032 to the nation’s most beautiful football stadium on a holiday weekend?
This hopeless: The Bruins were more than doubled in total yardage, outgained 482-220. This included allowing 286 yards rushing to the former Pac-12 Utes who, it turns out, probably should have gone to the Big Ten instead of these withering Bruins.
“We just played a good team, that’s it,” said Foster — and when is the last time somebody said that about his team?
UCLA coach DeShaun Foster, left, and fellow coaches shout instructs during the Bruins’ loss to Utah at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
One game down, and UCLA already looks and feels cooked. All momentum from Kelly’s final 8-5 season — remember that bowl win over Boise State? — has been lost. All hope that Foster can actually turn this around is slowly disappearing beneath a bevy of humiliations.
Foster began his debut season last fall going 1-5 and this season’s schedule is even tougher, with the potential of things to get even messier. They have games at Indiana, Michigan State and Ohio State. They have home games against Penn State, Washington and Nebraska. And they finish at USC.
At this rate, they’ll be lucky to finish 5-7, at which point the expected three-year clock on Foster’s tenure will begin to loudly tick.
But give Foster credit for one thing — he may have seen this coming. Recently he installed a litany of new media restrictions that basically prohibited journalists from getting a closer look at his program.
Foster must have known what that closer look would reveal. Indeed, this could be a team worth hiding.
And the darn thing is, it was supposed to all be so different. The defense had all new starters. The offense was being coordinated by new Indiana whiz Tino Sunseri.
And then there was Imaleava, who last spring made NIL history by being college football’s unofficial first holdout before being part of college football’s unofficial first trade.
After overlooking the fact that they were hiring a reputed leader who had walked out on his former team, the Bruins hired Imaleava and turned their backs on quarterback Joey Aguilera, a move which ended up with him going to Tennessee.
In the Volunteers season-opening win against Syracuse Saturday, Aguilera was 16-for-28 passing with three touchdowns and no interceptions plus 34 yards rushing.
Iamaleava was 11-for-22 passing with one touchdown and one interception plus 47 yards rushing.
“Me, personally, I’ve got to be better,” said Iamaleava.
His first throw was behind an open receiver. His third throw sailed over the head of a receiver who was sprinting downfield for what would have been a sure touchdown. He ended UCLA’s first possession with a bad fourth-down decision to throw to a covered receiver instead of opting for an open receiver on the other side of the field.
The quarterback seemed to find his groove in the second quarter, leading the Bruins to the season’s first touchdown that perfect pass to Woods. But his momentum didn’t last, and he ended his night by admitting, “Taking myself back to the drawing board.”
Here’s hoping he is joined there by Foster, who needs to scribble out a different script. Something. Anything. And soon.
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