Habermehl: UCLA Flushed Utah Loss, Ready for UNLV

The benefit of suffering a loss as brutal as the one UCLA endured against Utah in Week 1? The Bruins have all season to go nowhere but up.

Despite all the criticism that rose from their 43-10 shellacking at the hands of Devon Dampier and the Utes, DeShaun Foster has his locker room ready for battle again.

Bruins redshirt senior tight end Hudson Habermehl appeared on the Bruin Insider Show, co-hosted by Nick Koop and Wayne Cook, and discussed what the team took from the loss and how Foster assured them that they were always just one play away, regardless of how lopsided the result was.

Nov 12, 2022; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins tight end Hudson Habermehl (81) completes a 51 yard pass play and runs into the end zone for a touchdown in the first half against the Arizona Wildcats at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

"After the game, everyone's down," said Habermehl, who finished the season opener with just one reception for nine yards. "Coach Foster made it clear, 'It's game one. It's a long season.' Like I said, it's not the outcome we wanted or intended.

"Sunday, we got a chance to break down the film, see where we made the mistakes, where we can get better. And the cool thing about watching that... there was a lot of meat left on the bone. I think the biggest thing for us is just execution...

Aug 30, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; Utah Utes quarterback Devon Dampier (4) is brought down by the against the UCLA Bruins defense during the first half at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

"Knowing that, watching the film, correcting it, getting back on track this week during practice, it kind of gave everyone a confidence boost. That we're just one play away on certain drives... It was a really good way of us, as a team, flushing the outcome and moving on."

Call it what you want. Delusion, being too in over his head. But Foster truly believes his Bruins were a step or two away from the outcome being different from what it was on Saturday.

Foster's Worries Eased Upon Watching Film

During Monday's media availability, Foster detailed his first takeaways upon re-watching the blunder just two days prior.

Aug 30, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach DeShaun Foster watches game action against the Utah Utes during the second half at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

"The we were close," Foster said. "Like it wasn't exactly what I thought, you know, I was a little more disappointed right after the game, and then, seeing the film, it brought a little more life into me. Just because if we can execute, and there's a lot of things that we can actually fix. So, that's a bright spot that I saw in that.

"Talking to the team, I can tell that they were ready to hear those things and they saw the same thing, too."

Turning around and having to play UNLV on Saturday is a great opportunity to work out those kinks, but it's not necessarily going to be easy. The Rebels have two wins under their belts and are carrying momentum into Saturday's matchup.

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Foster's Worries Eased Upon Watching Film

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