DeShaun Foster was left with even more questions than he had entering Week 1 following the Bruins’ matchup with Utah. Nothing seemed to go right for the Bruins on Saturday night at the Rose Bowl. The Utes jumped on the Bruins early going up 20-0 with 12:44 left to play in the first half.

UCLA eventually was able to get on the board with a touchdown from Nico Iamaleava to Anthony Woods. However, that would be one of the few highlights in a dismal showing for the Bruins.

“Lotta stuff to learn from,” Foster said. “Not the outcome that we wanted in the first game. But, we just gotta learn from this. That’s not gonna be easy. But, the one positive thing I can take from this is the way they’re sounding in the locker room right now. They understand that we didn’t do enough, and they’re ready to put in some more work. They’re ready to go on Monday.”

Iamaleava’s highly anticipated debut did not go as planned. The Tennessee transfer’s move was one of the top storylines of the offseason. His first game for the Bruins played out with its share of issues.

The California native passed for just 136 yards on 11 completions with a touchdown and interception. Foster sees room for improvement across the board for his offense but remains encouraged by what he saw from his quarterback.

“Nico’s a competitor,” the UCLA head coach said. “He’s not gonna quit. Keep playing hard. Kept motivating the guys around him. So, we just gotta do a better job protecting him and keeping him upright.”

DeShaun Foster’s post-game press conference after Utah loss

Video recorded by BruinBlitz staff writer Tracy McDannald.