Through the first five games of head coach DeShaun Foster’s tenure with the Bruins, UCLA has been underwhelming, if not disappointing.
Heading to University Park to take on Minnesota this weekend looking to pull the upset, the Bruins sit at 1-4, coming off three straight relatively uncompetitive games.
Certainly, a win over the Golden Gophers would reinvigorate the locker room and instill confidence on both sides of the ball, but more importantly, Foster would emerge as UCLA’s head coach of the future rather than simply a placeholder.
Lauded for his ability to connect and coach young players this offseason, Foster has been more of a cheerleader for the Bruins than a coach this season.
Under Foster’s coaching, the UCLA Bruins have yet to establish anything remotely resembling a team identity, nor have Foster’s in-game coaching decisions stood out.
In short, Foster has yet to make a mark on the program.
It is easy to overreact, with Foster only coaching his fifth game this weekend, but a win on the road in a hostile environment could potentially help establish an identity, prove his coaching prowess, and potentially save his job.
Whether or not the Bruins win this weekend against Minnesota is largely inconsequential. Even in a losing effort, if Foster can show flashes of what he brings to the table as a coach, UCLA could gain a moral victory and conviction in their head coach.