Bruins Can Carry These 2024 Positives Into 2025

Last season was the first year of DeShaun Foster's UCLA coaching tenure. His first year, they weren't expected to win the Big Ten Conference, let alone make a run for it towards the end. In his first year, Foster didn't set any recruiting records for the school or anything close to it, but he gave himself a solid starting foundation. Foster's first class from UCLA wasn't anything bad, just not top of the Big Ten.

Heading into the season, Foster and the team had one objective, and that was to adapt to the Big Ten. Coming from the PAC-12 to the Big Ten is a significant change. Other than Oregon and sometimes USC, PAC-12 teams don't get the cream of the crop when it comes to football recruits. These teams rely more on tradition and development to win and build solid rosters.

UCLA's roster was solid; they had a proven quarterback in Ethan Garbers, who was reliable, and they knew what they were going to get out of him every game. UCLA wanted to prove that they weren't just a PAC-12 team and that they could compete with anybody, and show why they belong in the Big Ten.

Season Results

Nov 30, 2024; Pasadena, California, USA; Fresno State Bulldogs defensive lineman Devo Bridges (5) and defensive lineman Jacob Holmes (23) sack UCLA Bruins quarterback Ethan Garbers (4) during the second quarter at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The Optimistic Bruins opened their season with a game against Hawaii. They were able to edge out a victory 16-13 and start the season 1-0 with an out-of-conference win. Garbers ended this game with 273 passing yards and 47 rushing yards, leading in both categories.

Coming off a win against a solid Hawaii squad, the Bruins were pumped for the rest of the season and ready to carry their momentum through the next couple of games. But UCLA would end up going on a 5-game losing streak to 4 conference opponents. To be fair to the Bruins, they faced three ranked teams, two of which later played for the Big Ten Title.

After this losing streak, Ethan Garbers and the offense would get back into a rhythm and win three conference games in a row. Big connections to Keegan Jones in the Rutgers game helped them pull off a win. These three wins set them up for a bowl game if they could win two out of the next three games.

Unfortunately, UCLA would lose its next two conference games, killing any hope for a bowl game. The Bruins would finish with a 5-7 record, which, for Foster, is not something to be proud of but a learning experience he will undoubtedly take into this year and try again to get a bowl game.