It’s no secret that UCLA has had a rough start to 2024, to say the least, and things aren’t likely to get better against Penn State this afternoon.
The four-touchdown spread exists for a reason.
But could UCLA keep it close?
NSN chatted with LA Times Columnist Ben Bloch to find out more about the Bruins.
Nittany Sports Now: Can you confirm whether or not UCLA is still in LA?
Ben Bolch: Laughs Yeah, that’s going to be a big part of DeShaun Foster’s legacy no matter what happens, right?
UCLA coach DeShaun Foster with a really awkward Big Ten media day opening statement pic.twitter.com/dHX5ayP7K3
— Heavens! (@HeavensFX) July 24, 2024
If he turns it around, it will be something that people can laugh about someday, and if he doesn’t, people will say this was a sign of things to come, that he was unprepared and that (moment) was kind of a harbinger of the situation that UCLA was getting itself into by hiring DeShaun Foster.”
NSN: Is any of this 1-3 start DeShaun Foster’s fault as a coach, or is he just a guy doing the best he can in what obviously isn’t an ideal situation for any head coach to walk into?
BB: I think a big chunk of it is DeShaun Foster’s fault. He hired this coaching staff, and I think the No. 1 problem is the offense. I think Eric Bieniemy West Coast offense, which is a pro-style offense, is very hard to grasp, especially for college players. The thing that’s the most head-scratching to me about this, I talked to Ron Rivera, the former Commanders coach who worked with Bieniemy and hired him (for the Commanders), he said it is a thing that you need multiple years to grasp. Well, Ethan Garbers, the quarterback, is going to be gone next year and so is a bunch of this offense. So, I think that was a strategic mistake to hire somebody who was going to install an offense that takes multiple years to master. We’ve seen that in an offense with eight returning starters, production has basically been cut in half from last year with Chip Kelly. So, yeah, I think DeShaun Foster needs to own up to a big part of that. And then another quick aspect that I’ll mention quickly, Juan Castillo, the offensive line coach, came in and asked the linemen to bulk up for the Big Ten, and that’s been kind of a disaster, too. Because we’ve seen the offensive line has failed to open holes for the run game, it’s failed to protect the quarterback, and a big part of that’s that these guys are kind of just slow and plodding out there with this extra weight. So, I think there’s been a lot of miscalculations and I think a huge part of that falls on DeShaun Foster.
NSN: If Chip Kelly had stayed at UCLA, what do you think the vibe would be around this program and going into the Penn State game?
BB: I think instead of a 28-point underdog, with Chip Kelly as the coach, maybe they’re a 10-14-point underdog. I just think that with the level of competence with Chip Kelly and his team and knowing that they were going to get the best out of what they had, even if that talent was limited, I’m not sure that that’s there right now.
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NSN: With Ethan Garbers, what do you think the problem has been? How much of it is Eric Bieniemy offense, and how much of it is just him making the wrong decisions, regressing, whatever else it may be?
BB: I think it’s three-fold. I think, number one, the offense with Bieniemy has been something that’s been a struggle for him. He mentioned he had seven or eight notebooks of different plays and different verbiage and different things to learn. That seems like a lot for anybody. Some of the plays are very long, very wordy and I think he’s struggled with that. I mentioned the offensive line, they’ve struggled to protect him. He’s been pressured and hurt and hurried and knocked down.
One of the other interesting things is he has a pretty talented receiver corps. That should be the strength of this offense. They have guys like Rico Flores Jr (12 rec, 187 yards, TD), a transfer from Notre Dame. They have J. Michael Sturdivant (5 rec, 62 yards), very physical, fast receiver who transferred from Cal two years ago. So, there’s talent there. They just have not been able to connect and get on the same page. So that’s the third factor.
NSN: Do you feel that Garbers will play if you had to guess, and do you think he should play?
BB: I think that he will play but they’re 28-point underdogs. What are the chances they win if he does play, and if he does play, he risks being beaten up further and set back further and missing who knows how long. So, I thinkif I wascoaching this team, I would say “Hey, Ethan, look, I appreciate your willingness to go out there. We’re going togive you this week to just kind of reset, rebound and reciporate, and we’ll see you next week against Minnesota, a very winnable at home at the Rose Bowl. A game that, if they’re going to turn around their season, that’s the place to do it. So I think that they do need to kind oftake the long viewhere. With that being said, I do expect Ethan Garbers to play against the Nittany Lions.
NSN: What do you think the final score is?
BB: Yeah, I think this one’s going toget ugly, to be honest. I think, even if Garbers plays, I don’t think it’s going to be a difference-maker. I thinkthis is one of those ones that’s really going to snowball.
Penn State 52, UCLA 13
