The UCLA football team remains the most-penalized team in the Big Ten Conference – and the Bruins are being cognizant of any traps that might happen in Saturday night’s rivalry game against USC.
“It takes a man to turn around and walk the other way and not say something,” Bruins senior linebacker Kain Medrano said. “Coach (DeShaun Foster) said that on Monday. It’s just that discipline aspect of they always catch the second person. So if you get pushed, don’t push back. It’s a rivalry game – they’re going to be looking for that.”
UCLA (4-6 overall, 3-5 Big Ten) receives an average of 8.2 penalties per game for an average of 69.2 yards per game.
“It’s just giving them the ball and that hidden yardage,” Medrano said. “We’ve got to be very disciplined because they can take advantage of that.”
The Bruins will have to balance discipline with their own fire as well as the fire that Foster has brought to practice this week. He’s entrenched in the rivalry and has experienced it as a player and assistant coach and now as a head coach.
Foster quickly turned the page from Friday’s 31-19 loss to Washington and even offered some playful trash talk on Monday night.
“A lot of families, the smarter one usually comes over here and the other one goes to the other school and the family is torn,” Foster said. “This is proven. This is the number one (public institution). I’m not making up anything. These are proven facts.”
Everything UCLA football head coach DeShaun Foster said about the USC rivalry before practice on Monday. #football #sports #sportsreporter #reporter #journalism #collegefootball #bigtenfootball #usc #uscfootball #ucla #uclafootball #rivalry
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Other crossovers between UCLA and USC (5-5, 3-5 Big Ten) include Trojans receiver Kyle Ford, who transferred to UCLA and then back again to USC ahead of this season, and defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, who coached at UCLA last season.
Linebacker Carson Schwesinger has a sister who goes to USC, but he says she’s been supportive of him at UCLA all season.
“She’ll be there and she’ll be in my jersey,” the redshirt junior said. “We’re a football family.”
There is a list of motivations for UCLA ahead of this weekend’s game. There are bowl-game implications and winning for the seniors and Foster in addition to the usual “Beat SC” talk.
Players are keeping their approach as simple as possible.
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“When the game starts, it really comes down to when you’re out there, playing it like it’s your last play,” Schwesinger said. “You never know what it’s going to be. But for the guy next to you, for the seniors, for all that’s at stake – it’s making sure when you’re on the field you’re giving it your all.”
Injury updates
Receivers Rico Flores, Jr. and J.Michael Sturdivant appeared to be full participants in Tuesday morning’s practice, which was roughly 20 minutes longer than usual.
Offensive lineman Niki Prongos was not seen at practice. Foster said Monday that the staff will be monitoring his health to determine if he is able to return in time for Saturday’s game. Prongos was seen doing conditioning work outside of the weight room Monday evening at Wasserman Football Center.