DeShaun Foster discusses 4th down offensive strategy

DeShaun Foster won his first game as the head coach at UCLA. But, not without some questions on 4th down choices.

DeShaun Foster came up against one of the first big moves of the season in the 16-13 win over Hawaii on Saturday   In a tight game, the Bruins were 4th and five, and had a decision to make. Foster ultimately elected for a field goal. One of the moves common for head football coaches that can oftentimes backfire on them.

Foster’s Bruins eventually won the game 16-13, which took him off the hook for the time being, but he was asked about his 4th down philosophy as a head coach. Here is what Foster told Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times:

“It depends on the situation. With the momentum going, I probably was gonna go for it. Then, they end up calling a timeout so we kicked the field goal.”

He was then asked about the 4th-and-5 situation:

“Yeah, I just didn’t like the situation at the time”

Fortunately for Foster, his kicker Mateen Bhaghani nailed the final three field goals after Blake Glessner missed the first one. It appears Glessner is going to be on the field for the long field goal attempts, while Bhaghani will take the others.

The next time Foster will get a chance to make 4th down decisions is September 14th, as the Bruins host the Indiana Hoosiers in their first-ever Big Ten affair.