Tag: ucla bruins

Nov 12, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy returns to the locker room following pregame warmups against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

UCLA, OC Eric Bieniemy part ways after one season

Posted on | by Field Level Media

UCLA and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy parted ways after one season on Thursday.

The Bruins (5-7) ranked 126th out of 134 FBS teams with 18.4 points per game in their first season in the Big Ten and first under head coach Deshaun Foster.

Bieniemy, 55, won two Super Bowls as the Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive coordinator from 2018-22 and interviewed for multiple NFL head coaching vacancies across multiple offseasons.

He made a lateral move in 2023 to become the offensive coordinator with the Washington Commanders before joining the Bruins this season.

Multiple outlets reported UCLA fired Bieniemy. However, his agent, Jason Fletcher, called it a planned, mutual separation that will allow his client to return to the NFL coaching ranks.

“Eric and UCLA mutually parted ways today as previously planned,” Fletcher said in a statement, per NFL Network. “He’s still getting paid by the Commanders. After interviewing for head coaching jobs last year, he wanted to stay active and busy. So, he decided to go help out Deshaun Foster, who is like his little brother, at UCLA as opposed to sitting out a year. The plan was always to return to the NFL in 2025, and he’s looking forward to the opportunities ahead.”

–Field Level Media

Nov 8, 2024; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach DeShaun Foster leaves the field with the game ball after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

UCLA bids to bounce back in finale vs. Fresno State

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UCLA was hoping its season would last until at least December.

Unfortunately for the Bruins, they weren’t able to secure a bowl berth and their 2024 campaign will conclude on Saturday afternoon with a nonconference game against visiting Fresno State.

UCLA (4-7) needed to win its final two games to qualify for a bowl, however those hopes were dashed with a 19-13 loss to crosstown rival Southern Cal last Saturday at the Rose Bowl.

“They kept rebounding this whole season, so they will continue to be resilient and be the type of football players that I know they are,” UCLA first-year coach DeShaun Foster said. “The season is not over. They signed up to play ball, and we are going to finish the season on a good note. Our guys will get out there, and I am going to try to send the seniors off the right way.”

UCLA recovered from a five-game losing streak by winning three in a row, but a 31-19 loss at Washington on Nov. 15 put the Bruins into a must-win situation against the Trojans.

UCLA held a 13-9 lead entering the fourth quarter versus Southern Cal but only managed one first down on its final three possessions.

“We let one slip through our hands,” Foster said. “All of these losses have come to, pretty much, us just letting it slip through our hands. We have to find a way to finish games and just keep coming out after the half and play better and finish a game. We have to really put our stamp on the end of it. We’ve just got to learn from this.”

Fresno State (6-5) secured a bowl bid with a 28-22 win against visiting Colorado State on Saturday.

Bulldogs running back Bryson Donelson rushed for 140 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, but the true freshman sustained a leg injury late in the game. He will be a game-time decision against UCLA.

“Hopefully, he can go,” Fresno State coach Tim Skipper said.

–Field Level Media

Nov 18, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Ethan Garbers (4) drops to throw during the first quarter against the USC Trojans at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

Rivals UCLA, USC to clash, this time as Big Ten squads

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Crosstown rivals Southern California and UCLA meet for the 94th time and the first as Big Ten Conference counterparts when the Bruins host the Trojans on Saturday at Pasadena, Calif.

Both USC (5-5, 3-5 Big Ten) and UCLA (4-6, 3-5) are playing for their bowl-game lives.

A loss eliminates the Bruins from bowl participation in their first year of Big Ten membership, while falling at UCLA would send the Trojans into their regular-season finale against top 10-ranked Notre Dame needing a victory to land a bowl bid.

The winner of the Victory Bowl this year also takes the lead in what has been one of the most competitive stretches in the rivalry’s history. The teams are 6-6 over the last 12 meetings dating back to 2012 and have exchanged wins in the last four encounters.

The home team has not won since a 52-35 decision for USC in 2019. UCLA continued the run of road wins last season with a 38-20 victory at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, sparked by quarterback Ethan Garbers’ three passing touchdowns and a 142-yard rushing effort from running back T.J. Harden.

Garbers heads into Saturday’s matchup on a run of four consecutive games passing for multiple touchdowns, but his two last week came in UCLA’s first loss of that stretch in a 31-19 setback vs. Washington.

The Bruins’ rushing offense is among the nation’s least productive at 85.4 yards per game and regressed to 52 yards last week after posting season-highs of 139 and 211 at Nebraska and vs. Iowa, respectively.

“I would like to see us deal with adverse situations better,” said Bruins coach DeShaun Foster on Tuesday when asked about injuries on the offensive line. “We’re not going to make excuses.

Foster was a UCLA running back from 1998-2001, after he was recruited as a defensive back by USC, and knows all about the cross-town rivalry.

“I’m just glad we have another opportunity to play,” Foster added. “This type of game is one that can get us back on track.”

A prominent figure on Saturday, who switched sidelines from a season ago, is USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, who held the same post at UCLA in 2023.

“The culture defensively within our program has shifted in a lot of ways,” said Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley, who is 1-1 against the Bruins. “I’m really proud of how we’ve progressed schematically. I’m really proud of how we’ve progressed fundamentally.”

The Trojans’ defense is allowing 22 points per game this season under Lynn after surrendering 34.4 per game in 2023.

USC is looking for back-to-back wins for the first time since Weeks 1 and 2 against LSU and Utah State. The Trojans ended their streak of one-possession losses in conference play, having dropped each of the previous five games decided by one score before last week’s 28-20 victory over Nebraska.

Quarterback Jayden Maiava recovered from an early pick-six in his first career start to go 25-of-35 passing for 259 yards and three touchdowns. He spread the ball to six pass-catchers who had at least receptions, while Woody Marks rushed for 146 yards on 19 carries.

–Field Level Media

Oct 19, 2024; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; UCLA Bruins linebacker Kain Medrano (20) celebrates during the second half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

UCLA has uphill climb in bid to ‘keep building’ vs. Nebraska

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UCLA is carrying some momentum for the first time in its inaugural Big Ten Conference season.

The Bruins will look to ride that steam into Saturday afternoon’s game against Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb.

UCLA (2-5, 1-4) posted a season high in points and notched its first-ever league win as a Big Ten member with a 35-32 victory at Rutgers on Oct. 19. The victory, highlighted by Ethan Garbers completing 32 of 38 passes for 383 yards and four touchdowns, sent the Bruins into their bye week on a high note.

“We’ve got to keep building on each week,” offensive lineman Garrett DiGiorgio said. “We’re starting to gain confidence (along the offensive line), and I think it became a personal matter of … we’re tired of letting (the quarterback) get hit.”

UCLA has allowed 20 sacks this season. Keeping the defense away from the quarterback is still a work-in-progress for the Bruins, who yielded three sacks to Rutgers.

Nebraska (5-3, 2-3), which has 23 sacks for the season, will look to leverage its pass-rush and get back on the winning track amid a two-game losing streak.

Since running to a 5-1 start, the Cornhuskers absorbed an ugly 56-7 loss at then-No. 16 Indiana on Oct. 19. They regrouped to give preseason Big Ten favorite Ohio State a tough game last week before dropping a 21-17 decision to the No. 4 Buckeyes.

Last Saturday’s loss was closer to Nebraska’s style, however. The Cornhuskers have thrived when setting the tone defensively, limiting opponents to an average of 7.4 points per game in their wins.

Teams have averaged 36 points a game in Nebraska’s three losses, with Ohio State’s 21 falling on the low end.

“The standard was set even higher on Saturday (vs. Ohio State),” Huskers defensive lineman Ty Robinson said at Tuesday’s press conference. “What’s great is that everyone now gets to see that standard, and everyone knows what it practices during the week in practice.”

–Field Level Media

Oct 12, 2024; Pasadena, California, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback Max Brosmer (16) stiff arms UCLA Bruins defensive lineman Siale Taupaki (92) during the second quarter at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Max Brosmer’s TD pass late in 4th rallies Minnesota past UCLA

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Max Brosmer threw a go-ahead, 4-yard touchdown pass to Darius Taylor with 27 seconds to go, and visiting Minnesota held on for a 21-17 win over UCLA in a Big Ten Conference matchup on Saturday night.

Taylor also scored a rushing touchdown for Minnesota (4-3, 2-2), which earned a victory at the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1962. Brosmer completed 26 of 37 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns.

Ethan Garbers completed 25 of 36 passes for 293 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions for UCLA (1-5, 0-4). J.Michael Sturdivant was the Garbers’ top target with seven catches for 107 yards and a touchdown.

The Golden Gophers trailed 17-14 when they got the ball at their 39-yard line with 2:20 remaining. Brosmer guided a seven-play, 61-yard scoring drive that culminated with a quick pass to Taylor as he found an opening and sprinted untouched into the end zone.

The Bruins tried a Hail Mary pass as time expired, but Garbers’ desperate heave was picked off in front of the goal line by Golden Gophers defensive back Koi Perich.

UCLA established a 10-0 lead at the half.

Keegan Jones put the Bruins on the scoreboard with a 1-yard rushing touchdown with 8:49 to go in the first quarter. He took a snap in the wildcat formation and followed some big blockers on his way to the end zone for his first touchdown this season.

Mateen Bhaghani added a 34-yard field goal as time expired at the end of the half.

Minnesota pulled within 10-7 when Brosmer connected with Elijah Spencer for a 12-yard touchdown with 10:33 to go in the third quarter. Spencer caught the ball near the Bruins’ 5-yard line and scampered along the left sideline for the score.

Taylor put the Golden Gophers on top 14-10 with 7:16 left in the third quarter. He took a handoff and shoved past the goal line for his sixth rushing touchdown of the season.

UCLA grabbed a 17-14 lead on a 42-yard touchdown pass from Garbers to Sturdivant with 6:54 remaining. Sturdivant got a couple of steps behind the Golden Gophers’ secondary and caught a pass in stride.

–Field Level Media

Oct 5, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers wide receiver Donielle Hayes (18) celebrates his teams win after the game against the USC Trojans at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Minnesota looks to avoid letdown in encounter vs. skidding UCLA

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Minnesota is coming off one of its biggest victories in years after it knocked off then-No. 11 Southern California a week ago in Minneapolis.

Now, the challenge for Minnesota (3-3, 1-2 Big Ten) will be to avoid a letdown after a big win. The Golden Gophers will visit UCLA (1-4, 0-3) on Saturday evening in their first meeting since 1978.

Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck said he was proud of his players for toppling USC on a night he called “electric,” but that the mood had shifted from festive to focused.

The Golden Gophers’ 24-17 victory followed back-to-back losses against Iowa and then-No. 12 Michigan. The team did not quit, Fleck said, which gave him hope going forward.

“We play in a very, very competitive league where every week is going to be a dogfight,” Fleck said. “We’ve been close on a lot of games, and those (losses) sometimes can take a team and turn them into a downward spiral. This team’s never done that. They just continue to come back and work throughout the week.”

The next test will come on the road against the Bruins, who hope to snap a four-game losing streak. UCLA is coming off setbacks to three straight ranked opponents — 34-17 against then-No. 16 LSU, 34-13 vs. then-No. 8 Oregon, and 27-11 against then-No. 7 Penn State last week.

First-year Bruins coach DeShaun Foster said his team showed flashes of positive play, particularly against Penn State, but it needed to execute on a more consistent basis.

“We’re just trying to put together a full game,” Foster said, “and hopefully it will be this week that we do that.”

Minnesota quarterback Max Brosmer has passed for 1,263 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions for the season. Top running back Darius Taylor has 402 yards and five touchdowns on 73 carries.

UCLA is led by quarterback Ethan Garbers, who has passed for 808 yards and three touchdowns, with six interceptions. T.J. Harden leads the team with 151 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground.

–Field Level Media

Oct 5, 2024; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) runs with the ball during the second quarter against the UCLA Bruins at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

QB Drew Aller, No. 7 Penn State handle UCLA

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Drew Allar passed for a touchdown and ran for another, and No. 7 Penn State cruised to a 27-11 win over visiting UCLA on Saturday in State College, Pa.

The Nittany Lions (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten Conference) started slow offensively for the second consecutive week of league play. But after almost 25 minutes of a scoreless stalemate, Allar broke through with a goal-line touchdown carry in the second quarter.

His score capped a 16-play, 82-yard drive that consumed 8:36. Penn State tacked on another touchdown just before halftime. Allar connected with Tyler Warren on a 5-yard TD catch with 20 seconds on the clock.

The Nittany Lions’ score answered Mateen Bhaghani’s 25-yard field goal that got UCLA (1-4, 0-3) on the board with a drive of eight plays and 75 yards in 2:31.

The floodgates opened from there. Ryan Barker’s field goals of 25 and 40 yards bookended a goal-line touchdown carry from Kaytron Allen to cap a 58-yard drive.

Allen’s 78 yards paced Penn State on the ground, though the rest of the Nittany Lions combined for just seven rushing yards. Allar’s 237 yards on 17-of-24 passing buoyed the offense.

He completed three straight passes of 24, 12 and 25 yards on the pivotal touchdown drive before intermission, hitting three different receivers: Liam Clifford, Julian Fleming and Harrison Wallace.

Clifford caught three passes for 107 yards in the win.

Penn State’s defense, meanwhile, held UCLA to just 260 yards of offense. Nittany Lion tacklers got into the backfield for seven hits for loss, contributing to Penn State limiting UCLA to 93 yards on 29 carries, a 3.2 average.

The Bruins did not cross into Nittany Lions territory on their first three possessions of the second half. Their fourth drive stalled on downs in the red zone.

UCLA quarterback Justyn Martin, making his first college start in place of an injured Ethan Garbers, went 22-of-30 passing for 167 yards and threw a 1-yard touchdown to Logan Loya in the final 16 seconds.

T.J. Harden caught five passes for 59 yards. Keegan Jones led the Bruins with 38 yards rushing on five carries, with Jalen Berger matching that total on nine attempts.

–Field Level Media

Louisiana State University safety Major Burns (8) and linebacker Greg Penn III (18) react after sacking South Carolina quarterback Robby Ashford (1) during the fourth quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C. Saturday, September 14, 2024.

No. 16 LSU vows self-scout, improvement against UCLA

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No. 16 LSU and UCLA had problems in their conference openers last week.

The Tigers gave up touchdown runs of 75 and 66 yards and allowed a blocked punt. They trailed by 17 points to South Carolina before a rally to escape with a 36-33 victory.

LSU (2-1) faces UCLA (1-1) in Baton Rouge, La., on Saturday, one week after the Bruins made their debut as a member of the Big Ten in a 42-13 drubbing at Indiana.

Tigers coach Brian Kelly said he was pleased with his team’s resiliency in coming back, but admitted it has a lot of work to do.

“The reality of it is it’s hard to win on the road,” Kelly said. “And given the fact that we made a lot of mistakes, we still found a way to win that football game. That’s incredible resolve and resilience amidst your group.”

Kelly said he and his staff will continue to evaluate scheme and personnel for potential changes.

“I’m not saying we’re making wholesale changes,” Kelly said. “The big takeaway is when you’re making mistakes, are you putting your guys in the right position? Do you have the right guys there? And are you preparing them for those scenarios? Do we need to do things differently, relative to particular schemes?”

The Tigers opened the season against another Big Ten newcomer from Los Angeles, losing to USC, 27-20, in Las Vegas. They also had a more difficult time than expected in its home opener, leading FCS opponent Nicholls just 23-21 in the third quarter before scoring the final 21 points of the game.

“This is a lot about us and how we clean up the things we need to clean up to be a better football team playing now against a Big 10 opponent,” Kelly said. “As we’ve seen, everyone’s going to play their best against LSU.”

The Bruins will play marquee games against new conference opponents such as Penn State, Nebraska and Iowa, but it was a long-time Big Ten school known for its basketball program that handed UCLA its worst loss in a home opener since 2010.

“I just told them to keep that feeling that you had as soon as the game was over,” UCLA coach DeShaun Foster said Monday. “Bottle it up and have it out here every day this week and find a way to just not have that feeling.”

The Bruins, who struggled to a 16-13 victory at Hawaii in their season opener, is averaging just 14.5 points while struggling to run the ball with any consistency, averaging just 83.5 yards.

“The run game’s going to be fixed,” Foster said.

Foster added that he has “the right type of kids” to make the necessary improvement.

“We’ve got a big game this week on the road, so we can’t just hang our heads low about last game,” running back T.J. Harden said. “We just have to move on. It’s still early in the season, we still have a chance to redeem ourselves and move forward.”

–Field Level Media

Sep 6, 2024; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Kurtis Rourke (9) looks to pass the ball in the second quarter against the Western Illinois Leathernecks at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

In Big Ten debut, UCLA out to contain Indiana’s offense

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For the first time in school history, UCLA plays a conference game in a league other than any of the iterations of the Pac-12 when it welcomes Indiana to Pasadena, Calif., in both teams’ Big Ten Conference opener on Saturday.

UCLA (1-0) has been idle since escaping its visit to Hawaii with a 16-13 win on Aug. 31. The victory made for a shaky first impression of the offense under first-year coach DeShaun Foster, with the Bruins failing to score a touchdown on four red-zone opportunities.

However, the defense limited Hawaii to 1.8 yards per rush and the Bruins racked up five sacks.

UCLA needs a similar defensive effort to slow what has been an explosive Indiana offense through its first two games.

Indiana (2-0) pays its first visit to Pasadena since playing in the 1968 Rose Bowl. The Hoosiers have never faced UCLA.

“The Rose Bowl has a lot of tradition,” Hoosiers first-year coach Curt Cignetti said. “For me and the team, it’s more of a business trip. Whether we’re playing in the Rose Bowl or a parking lot, it’s all the same.”

Indiana has yet to play on the road this season. Through two home games, the Hoosiers have been dominant.

Indiana has allowed 10 total points, steamrolling nonconference opponents FIU 31-7 and FCS counterpart Western Illinois 77-3. The 74-point deconstruction of the Leathernecks last Friday did not quite reach the program record for margin of victory, which came in a 76-0 win over Franklin College in 1901.

The Hoosiers did, however, eclipse the school record for points scored in that 1901 contest.

It was quite the initial stamp for Cignetti to put on the program. Coming from James Madison, where he oversaw a successful transition from FCS national championship contention to an 11-win finish in its second FBS campaign, Cignetti dramatically overhauled the Hoosiers’ roster.

Among the experienced Indiana players who have UCLA’s attention is quarterback Kurtis Rourke, a transfer from Ohio University. Rourke was the MAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2022 and is 30-of-41 passing for 448 yards with three touchdowns this season.

–Field Level Media

Jul 29, 2022; Los Angeles, CA, USA; A detailed view of UCLA Bruins helmet during Pac-12 Media Day at Novo Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

UCLA names former RB DeShaun Foster head coach

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UCLA named former Bruins running back DeShaun Foster as the program’s 19th head coach on Monday.

Foster, 44, replaces Chip Kelly, who departed last week to become the offensive coordinator at Ohio State.

Foster has 11 years of coaching experience following a six-season playing career in the NFL from 2003-08.

He has spent the past 10 seasons at his alma mater, including the past seven as running backs coach. He was the Bruins’ associate head coach in 2023.

“This is a dream come true,” Foster said. “I always envisioned being a Bruin ever since I was young, and now being the head coach at my alma mater is such a surreal feeling, and I’m grateful for this opportunity. The foundation of this program will be built on discipline, respect and enthusiasm. These are phenomenal young men, and I’m excited to hit the ground running.”

Foster played at UCLA from 1998-2001, rushing for 3,194 yards and 44 touchdowns and earning second-team All-American honors as a senior.

Drafted in the second round by Carolina in 2002, he rushed for 3,570 yards and 11 touchdowns in 79 games (42 starts) with the Panthers (2003-07) and San Francisco 49ers (2008).

“While undergoing a comprehensive search for our new head coach, DeShaun resonated from the start and throughout the whole process,” UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond said. “We are looking for a coach with integrity, energy and passion; someone who is a great teacher, who develops young men, is a great recruiter and fully embraces the NIL landscape to help our student-athletes. DeShaun checks all of those boxes and then some. He is a leader of men and a true Bruin. I am excited to partner with him as we usher UCLA Football into an exciting new era.”

Foster takes over a program that finished 8-5 last season under Kelly, including 4-5 in the Pac-12. The Bruins move into the Big Ten Conference in 2024.

–Field Level Media