LOS ANGELES — Installing new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s new, complicated offensive system was a challenge that the UCLA football team faced with enthusiasm during the spring and fall camps.
Players are embracing the offense even more now that it’s being implemented in games after months of studying and practicing.
“It was awesome,” tight end Moliki Matavao said of playing in the offense in the season opener against Hawai’i. “I mean, (Bieniemy is) probably the smartest human I’ve been around in football and it’s just great to see what he teaches us in the meeting rooms that take it to the practice field, but then actually do it on the field.”
UCLA has its Big Ten opener against Indiana on Saturday at the Rose Bowl and has had a bye week to fix the mistakes from the game against Hawai’i in an offense that players love — and is also giving the Bruins confidence in their quarterback.
Ethan Garbers completed 19-of-38 passes for 272 yards and a touchdown while rushing for another 49 yards in the 16-13 win over Hawai’i despite throwing interceptions in the second and third quarters.
UCLA’s offense was more productive in the second half after putting up zero points in the opening half. The Bruins had 94 yards of total offense in the first half and 249 yards of offense in the second. Matavao credits that recovery partly to Garber’s knowledge of Bieniemy’s offense.
“He quizzes us as players,” Matavao said of Garbers. “This offense is a lot and he just put it on his back and was able to learn it, digest it and spit it back out to us so it’s easier for us.
“I think that just shows the leadership qualities he has as a QB1, and just also as a team leader that he can lead us into the promised land.”
UCLA is coming off an energetic bye week and even had receiver Rico Flores Jr. saying he was “mad” that there was a bye and not a game that weekend.
“They practiced with intensity last week,” head coach DeShaun Foster said. “We had some things that we wanted to fix. And some of the older guys were able to show the younger guys how to practice during a bye week. It was good that they had that type of mentality.”
Foster added that he attended Friday’s game between Mater Dei and Bishop Gorman, the No. 1 and No. 5 high school football teams in the country according to Maxpreps.com, during the bye week.
Monday morning’s practice was shorter than usual as temperatures reached nearly 90 degrees around 9:30 a.m. The scene was still lively, with cornerbacks coach Kodi Whitfield sprinting across the field and Foster coaching up players and occasionally dancing to the practice’s playlist.
“I’d rather it stay (hot),” Foster said. “I would usually play in 100-degree weather in the Rose Bowl, but if it kicks down, it kicks down. But guys are going to be ready.”
Reuben Unije, a Louisville transfer, posted “Pray for my dad” with a praying hands emoji on X on Friday afternoon. Foster declined to comment about the situation during media availability on Monday morning.
The redshirt senior transfer from Louisville was fully participating in practice during the media viewing period on Monday and is listed as the starting left tackle on the two-deep depth chart released on Monday morning for Saturday’s game against Indiana.
Offensive lineman Garrett DiGiorgio was also seen as a full participant in practice on Monday and is listed as starting right tackle on the depth chart. He was not listed as a participant in UCLA’s season opener against Hawai’i.
UCLA’s away game at LSU will start at either 12:30 p.m. on 1:15 p.m. PT on Sept. 21 and will be shown on the ESPN family of networks. The time and network designation will be decided after the games on Sept. 14 are completed.
