Football Readies for Friday Matchup at Washington

Friday, November 15

Seattle, WA

6:00 PM

UCLA

Washington

LB Kain Medrano

Photo by: Nate Donlevy

Football Readies for Friday Matchup at Washington

November 11, 2024 | Football

UCLA Notes (PDF)Media Center Watch (FOX)

GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Husky Stadium
Kickoff Time: 6 p.m. PT
Television: FOX
TV Talent: Connor Onion (play-by-play), Mark Helfrich (analyst)
Local Radio (UCLA Sports Network): AM 570
Local Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Matt Stevens (analyst), Wayne Cook (sideline)
SiriusXM: Ch. 84/372

THE MATCHUP
The UCLA football team (4-5, 2-4 Big Ten) plays its final road game of the regular season on Friday, traveling to Seattle for a matchup against Washington (5-5, 3-4 Big Ten) starting at 6 p.m. PT. The first-ever Big Ten Conference meeting between the two long-time conference rivals will be televised on FOX, with Connor Onion and Mark Helfrich on the call. The UCLA Sports Network will broadcast the contest, which will also be aired over SiriusXM.

LAST TIME OUT
The Bruins enter the contest on a three-game winning streak, all against Big Ten opponents. Most recently, UCLA recorded a 20-17 home win over Iowa. Running back T.J. Harden gained a season-high 125 yards on the ground to help the Bruins flip the script on the top statistical rushing offense in the Big Ten, with UCLA out-rushing the Hawkeyes 211-80. Edge Oluwafemi Oladejo posted two sacks and four tackles for loss as the Bruins racked up eight TFL as a team, and linebacker Carson Schwesinger recorded the first two interceptions of his career as the UCLA defense matched a season high with three takeaways. Schwesinger was awarded Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for his performance. Kicker Mateen Bhaghani was crucial as well, bookending UCLA's scoring with a pair of field goals, including a career-long 57-yarder in the second quarter that ranks second all-time in school history.

SERIES HISTORY
UCLA leads the all-time series versus Washington, 42-32-2, dating back to 1932. The Bruins have won the last two meetings by scores of 40-32 in 2022 at the Rose Bowl and 24-17 in 2021 at Husky Stadium.

WELCOME TO THE FOS ERA
It is a year of change for UCLA football, as head coach DeShaun Foster took the reins at his alma mater Feb. 12, 2024. A member of the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame for his prowess in the Bruin offensive backfield from 1998-2001, Foster spent seven seasons in the National Football League. He piled up more that 4,500 total yards and 16 touchdowns, including a 33-yard scoring dash in Super Bowl XXXVIII as a member of the Carolina Panthers. Foster spent the previous 11 seasons — including 10 at UCLA — in the collegiate coaching ranks before being promoted from associate head coach and running backs coach.

AT A GLANCE
• LB Carson Schwesinger was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Monday after notching the first two interceptions of his career in UCLA's 20-17 win over Iowa (Nov. 8). Schwesinger, a former walk-on, was also one of 15 linebackers across the country to be named a Butkus Award Semifinalist on Nov. 4 and is also a Burlsworth Trophy nominee.
• Schwesinger is the Big Ten leader in total tackles per game (10.2), solo tackles (59) and solo tackles per game (6.2). Schwesinger saw his streak of six straight double-digit tackle performances come to an end against Iowa last week. That streak is good for the longest by a Bruin defender since Eric Kendricks in 2014, who went on to win the Butkus Award that season.
• Schwesinger recorded 10-plus tackles each of his first six career starts against LSU (Sept. 21), Oregon (Sept. 28), Penn State (Oct. 5), Minnesota (Oct. 12), Rutgers (Oct. 19) and Nebraska (Nov. 2), leading the team with 12, 13, 15, 13, 10 and 13 tackles in each contest, respectively.
• UCLA's rushing defense has allowed an average of 98.1 yards on the ground, which ranks seventh in the nation and third in the Big Ten. The Bruins just limited Iowa, the conference's top rushing team, to a season-low 80 rushing yards.
• RB T.J. Harden became the first Bruin this year to top the 100-yard rushing mark, toting the ball for 125 yards on 20 carries against Iowa. It was his fourth career game with 100-plus rushing yards.
• QB Ethan Garbers completed 21 of 34 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns in the Homecoming triumph over Iowa. The performance marked his fourth multi-TD game of the year and ninth of his career. Garbers has now thrown for multiple touchdowns in three straight weeks, marking the first time in his career he has accomplished that feat. His eight passing TDs versus Rutgers, Nebraska and Iowa are the most of his career in a three-game span.
• WR Kwazi Gilmer was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week after having the most impactful game of his freshman campaign thus far at Nebraska. The Sierra Canyon School product posted a season-high 88 receiving yards while reeling in his first career TD reception on a 48-yard grab.
• Garbers added a career-long 57-yard rush at Nebraska. Garbers has the Bruins' two-longest runs by any player this season (57 yards, 49 yards). It was also the longest run by a UCLA QB since Dorian Thompson-Robinson had a 68-yard gain at home against Bowling Green on Sept. 3, 2022.
• Garbers was awarded UCLA's first-ever Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week award after leading the Bruins to their first conference win in a 35-32 decision at Rutgers (Oct. 19). Garbers recorded the best statistical game of his career, setting single-game career highs in passing yards (383), passing touchdowns (four) and completion percentage (32-38, 84%). He also completed the longest pass of his career (67 yards) and made the then-longest rush of his career (49 yards), both for touchdowns.
• Garbers' completion percentage (.842) at Rutgers was fifth-highest in UCLA single-game history since 1980. The last time a Bruin QB had a higher completion percentage was Oct. 13, 2018 at California (Dorian Thompson-Robinson; 13-15, .866). Additionally, Garbers is the second Bruin QB in program history to complete at least 30 passes with a completion percentage of 80% or higher (Thompson-Robinson vs. USC in 2022; 30-36, .833).

UCLA OFFICIALLY JOINS THE BIG TEN CONFERENCE
UCLA officially joined the Big Ten Conference Aug. 2, ushering in a new era in the Bruins' storied and illustrious athletic tradition. UCLA, along with previous conference foes Oregon, USC and Washington, have moved to an 18-team Big Ten Conference with a footprint spanning from the Pacific to the Atlantic.

UCLA's approaching membership in the Big Ten Conference was initially announced more than two years ago, on June 30, 2022.

"The day has finally come," said Martin Jarmond, The Alice and Nahum Lainer Family Director of Athletics. "After two years of planning and preparation, UCLA is proud and excited to join the Big Ten Conference. I am grateful for the energy and effort that has been put into shaping this pivotal move by our hard-working staff members, as well as our coaches and student-athletes. The investments we have made into our programs and student-athletes over the past 24 months have set us up to continue to compete at the elite level that defines UCLA Athletics."

TICKETS TO UCLA HOME GAMES AT THE ROSE BOWL
Various ticket packages, including season, mini-plan and single-game tickets, for the Bruins' inaugural Big Ten season are now available. Fans can click HERE or contact UCLA Athletics Sales and Service at (310) 206-5991 or via email at tickets@athletics.ucla.edu for more information on personalized ticket options.

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