UCLA vs. Fresno State: Five things to watch in the season finale

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Kelly Skipper coached DeShaun Foster at UCLA.

Jim Skipper coached Foster with the Carolina Panthers.

Tim Skipper would like to teach Foster a thing or two at the Rose Bowl.

It’s nothing personal, it’s just that being considered part of the family only goes so far in circumstances like these. A victory over Foster’s Bruins on Saturday afternoon just might land Tim Skipper a permanent job.

After being made the interim coach before the season when Jeff Tedford stepped away for health reasons, Skipper has guided the Bulldogs to a 6-5 record and bowl eligibility. Fresno State posted its best victory of the season last weekend when it handed Colorado State its first Mountain West Conference loss.

The last time Skipper faced Foster on this field, the latter prevailed. Foster ran for 140 yards and two touchdowns during UCLA’s 24-21 victory over Fresno State in September 2000. Skipper, a middle linebacker for the Bulldogs, made one tackle for loss that day.

There’s been nothing but handshakes and hugs ever since given their family ties. Kelly Skipper, who was Foster’s running backs coach with the Bruins, said he still calls Foster to get his evaluations on West Coast running backs. Jim Skipper, who was Foster’s running backs coach with the Panthers, has a photo of Foster diving into the end zone in Super Bowl XXXVIII in what he described as “my little man cave” inside his home in Gilbert, Ariz.

Jim Skipper called this week to deliver some bad news: He’s not coming to the game.

“I think it’s just a little too emotional, you know, you got his son and then his godson on the other side,” Foster said with a laugh. “He wished me luck and I’m sure he told Tim the same thing.”

Before the season, Jim Skipper called the matchup “a win-win. … It’s going to be a nail-biter, I know that.”

Here are five things to watch when the Bruins (4-7) face the Bulldogs at 12:30 p.m. PST in a game televised by the Big Ten Network:

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Streak stoppers?

UCLA coach DeShaun Foster stands on the sideline and encourages his team as the Bruins played Iowa on Nov. 8 in Pasadena

It’s been all Bulldogs in the series since Foster departed as a player.

Fresno State has won the last four games between the teams, including victories over first-year UCLA coaches Karl Dorrell in 2003, Rick Neuheisel in 2008 and Chip Kelly in 2018.

The Bulldogs also handed the Bruins a crushing 40-37 loss in September 2021 at the Rose Bowl, two weeks after UCLA had toppled Louisiana State.

“It’s a streak to break, but we just want to win at home,” Foster said. “We want to defend our turf and we know this is going to be a big game, we know how they’re going to come in and play — they’re going to be excited to play this game.”

A breakthrough for the Bruins will likely entail stopping Fresno State freshman running back Bryson Donelson, who ran for 140 yards and a touchdown in only 12 carries against Colorado State.

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Staying hungry

UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers looks to throw against Washington on Nov. 15 in Seattle.

With a victory in its final game of 2024, UCLA could finish what once appeared to be a lost season on a strong upward trajectory.

After losing five of their first six games, the Bruins could win four of their final six games to end Foster’s first season.

“One and five,” Foster said, referencing his team’s midseason record, “that was a lot of dark moments. But that really shows you the character of your team. One thing that most of these [opposing] coaches have told me after games is, ‘I commend you for how hard your team plays. It’s amazing that they are still out here and still trying to play — no matter what the score reflects.’ ”

The Bruins displayed their usual high energy in practice this week, breaking out a conga line. They will need that same enthusiasm to avoid a letdown after having gone 3-7 the week after facing USC since 2012.

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Paging Dr. D.R.E.

UCLA coach DeShaun Foster stands near referees after the Bruins and USC players got into a halftime altercation

Discipline, respect and enthusiasm are the pillars of Foster’s culture, though the first of the three hasn’t quite taken hold.

UCLA is the most-penalized team in the Big Ten and reached a new low last week when two players and the team’s head performance coach were assessed unsportsmanlike conduct penalties for their role in a fracas before halftime.

Playing Fresno State presents one final chance for the Bruins to change the narrative that they’re undisciplined.

“We need a clean game,” edge rusher Oluwafemi Oladejo said.

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Reflections

UCLA coach DeShaun Foster walks the sideline a game against LSU on Sept. 21 in Baton Rouge, La.

Foster indulged a question about how he had grown in his first season as a head coach.

Asked about one of his strengths, Foster said it was staying calm amid turmoil.

“You know, you gotta be positive,” he said. “These kids have to see somebody positive on the sideline. They have to see that somebody completely has their back and is always there for them.”

What about a weakness?

“I would just say me being a sore loser is probably something that’s not my best attribute,” Foster said, “but, you know, I’m a competitor so it comes with that.”

If all goes well Saturday, that weakness won’t be tested until next fall.

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A fond farewell?

UCLA's Keegan Jones celebrates after scoring a touchdown against Rutgers in on Oct. 19 in Piscataway, New Jersey.

This will mark the final game for 13 starters — including nine on defense — among the 26 players on the roster exhausting eligibility.

The players bidding farewell are quarterbacks Ethan Garbers and Chase Griffin; offensive linemen Josh Carlin and Spencer Holstege; tailback Keegan Jones; fullback Anthony Adkins; tight ends Moliki Matavao, Michael Churich and Bryce Pierre; long snapper Travis Drosos; defensive linemen Jay Toia, Sitiveni Havili Kaufusi and Siale Taupaki; linebackers Kain Medrano, Ale Kaho and Joseph Vaughn; cornerbacks Kaylin Moore and Devin Kirkwood; safeties Bryan Addison, K.J. Wallace, Ramon Henderson and Zeke Thomas; and edge rushers Oladejo, Cherif Seye, Luke Schuermann and Drew Tuazama.

This could also be the last game for linebacker Carson Schwesinger, who has risen from a walk-on to a finalist for the Butkus Award and an NFL prospect. Schwesinger, who has one more season of eligibility remaining, said he has not made a decision about his future.