LOS ANGELES — UCLA football coach DeShaun Foster jogged over to reporters during Monday evening’s media availability and sent an immediate, clear message:
“I know you guys aren’t gonna agree with this,” Foster said, “but Imma leave this weekend at this weekend. Let’s get on to SC.”
He still fielded a handful of questions from reporters about Saturday’s loss to Washington, but it was clear that the first-year head coach is rushing head-on into rivalry week.
It’s the first time that Foster will be facing USC as a head coach, but he said he has the same fire that he had when he played for the Bruins and when he was an assistant coach. The intrinsic motivation needs to come out in the players, too.
“When you get tired, you’ve still got to be able to function,” Foster said. “When you’re getting out there and you get fatigued a little bit, you can’t have false starts, you can’t not wrap up, you can’t miss reads or miss holds.”
Players were not dressed in pads or helmets for Monday’s practice, which featured a teaching period and a special teams period during the portion open to the media. There was no apparent drop in enthusiasm as players dressed in sweatshirts and beanies approached drills with energy after the sun went down.
“I don’t think we have to do a lot of motivation this week,” Foster said. “We just wanted to come in here on the win streak. But we still have an opportunity to become bowl-eligible so I think that’s playing in it too, but it’s one week at a time and it’s a big week. These guys are fired up for this opportunity.”
UCLA (4-6 overall, 3-5 Big Ten) and USC (5-5, 3-5) have split the last 12 meetings in their 94-year rivalry and the home team hasn’t won since 2019 when the Trojans beat the Bruins, 52-35.
Foster said the team is adhering to the same travel schedule that was used against Iowa. Meetings will be held off campus at a hotel in order to replicate a road game schedule, since the team has won more away games (three) than home games this season (one).
“I want to send my seniors off the right way,” he said. “I want them to win their last big game against this rival that we have and then break the streak of the home team not winning this game.
“It’s a big game for us at the Rose Bowl. We need all the fans to come out. Bruin fans, do not sell your tickets to those other people.”
INJURY UPDATES
Receivers Rico Flores and J.Michael Sturdivant appeared to be full participants in practice during the media viewing period on Monday. Foster said Flores, who hasn’t played since Sept. 28 against Oregon, should be back on the field this week.
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Receiver Carter Shaw and offensive lineman Jaylan Jeffers are both out for the season. Jeffers came in to replace an injured Niki Prongos at left tackle in the Nov. 8 game against Iowa and was injured the following week against Washington. Yutaka Mahe came in for Jeffers after his injury.
Foster added that they are still monitoring how Prongos is feeling before deciding whether or not he will play on Saturday.
GAME TIME ANNOUNCEMENT
Kickoff for UCLA’s Nov. 30 regular-season finale against Fresno State will be at 12:30 p.m. at the Rose Bowl. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Network and will also be the Veteran and Armed Forces Appreciation game.