LOS ANGELES — The UCLA football team got the opportunity to see its season-opening opponent Hawai’i already play a game this year.
The Rainbow Warriors defeated Delaware State, 35-14, last weekend, giving the Bruins additional film to better prepare for their Saturday matchup.
UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers has been studying that game film and tape from previous seasons, focusing on how he can attack a high-intensity Hawai’i defense that loves to fly around the field.
“They got a lot of playmakers on that defense. They are very well-coached by a coach who’s been in the NFL and then with Deion Sanders for the last couple years,” Garbers said. “They play hard, they play fast and they’re physical. We’re looking forward to it, it’s going to be a good matchup.”
Former NFL player and coach Dennis Thurman is in his first season as the Warriors’ defensive coordinator. He was the defensive coordinator for Jackson State from 2020-22 before joining Colorado last year.
Hawai’i’s defense logged 11 tackles for loss against Delaware State, including five sacks. Sophomore linebacker Jamih Otis had 11 tackles and safeties Peter Manuma and Kilinahe Mendiola-Jensen had four tackles apiece.
Garbers specifically highlighted the secondary and linebackers as the Warriors’ focal points of the defense.
“Their linebackers do a great job, their safeties do a great job and I think those two kind of working together are a good thing for their defense,” he said.
UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster echoed his quarterback’s sentiment, spotlighting the energy the safeties bring to the table. He also mentioned the defensive line as a unit that needs to be stopped.
But Foster reiterated what he said before practice Monday: As long as UCLA plays its style of football and matches Hawai’i’s intensity, he likes his chances of earning his first head-coaching victory.
“They’re going to be fired up. This is a big game for them and they’re looking forward to it and hopefully my team gets out there and matches their intensity or they have to match our intensity,” he said. “But we’re not looking past this and we know that this is a huge game for them. I just feel like my players know how bad I want to win this game, so I think it evens out.”
Karson Gordon qualifies for U20 World Athletics
Freshman quarterback Karson Gordon scored a 16.19 in the triple jump at the U20 World Athletics Championships qualifier Tuesday in Lima, Peru. The mark is his personal best.
Gordon, who was named the 2022-23 Gatorade Texas Boys Track and Field Player of the Year, won’t be making the trip to Honolulu with the Bruins as he is set to compete in the U20 championships Thursday.
“I don’t think we’ll have this situation again. I think it was because of the Olympics, so the timing of it is right now,” Foster said of Gordon. “So, maybe in ’28 again we should have that problem, but he’s going to jump here at UCLA and you can’t stop a big-time athlete like that from competing.”
