Football Begins New Era in Season Opener at Hawai'i Saturday

Saturday, August 31

Honolulu, HI

4:30 PM

UCLA

Hawai'i

T.J. Harden

Photo by: Ross Turteltaub

Football Begins New Era in Season Opener at Hawai'i Saturday

August 27, 2024 | Football

Hawai'i Notes (PDF)Media Center Information Guide

GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Clarence T.C. Ching Complex
Kickoff Time: 4:38 p.m. PT
Television: CBS
TV Talent: Rich Waltz (play-by-play), Ross Tucker (analyst), Tiffany Blackmon (sideline)
Local Radio (UCLA Sports Network): AM 1150
Local Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Matt Stevens (analyst), Wayne Cook (sideline)
SiriusXM: Ch. 119 or 195 SXM App: Ch. 959
Live Stats Link

THE MATCHUP
The UCLA football program makes its debut as a member of the Big Ten Conference Saturday, when it visits Hawai'i. The fifth-ever gridiron meeting of the Bruins and the Rainbow Warriors will take place at the Clarence T.C. Ching Complex, the temporary home of UH football. The matchup will be televised by CBS beginning at 4:30 p.m. PT/1:30 p.m. HST. The UCLA Sports Network will broadcast the contest, which will also be aired over SiriusXM and the Varsity App.

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.

SERIES HISTORY
UCLA has met Hawai'i in Honolulu just once previously, prevailing by a 32-7 margin in the 1938 season finale. The Bruins have also won each of the past three meetings on the opposite side of the Pacific Ocean, including a 44-10 victory at Rose Bowl Stadium in the 2021 season opener. Zach Charbonnet reached the end zone three times in his UCLA debut and Brittain Brown added another rushing touchdown as the Bruins ran for 245 yards.

2023 IN REVIEW
• UCLA earned its third consecutive bowl invite, beating Boise State 35-22 in the Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk. The bowl win was UCLA's first since the 2015 Valero Alamo Bowl.
• UCLA won at least eight games for the third consecutive season.
• UCLA was 8-0 when scoring 25 points or more.
• UCLA finished with 105 tackles for loss, finishing just shy of the program record of 114 set in 2007.
• The Bruins were credited with 43 sacks, the program's most since piling up a school-record 47 in 2012.
• UCLA led the Pac-12 Conference in rushing. It marked the first time the Bruins had paced the league in back-to-back years since it did so in 1975 and 1976.
• Consensus first-team All-American Laiatu Latu became UCLA's first ever winner of three awards: Lombardi Award, Hendricks Award and Polynesian College Football Player of the Year. He was also tabbed UCLA's fifth Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Award winner.
• Latu became UCLA's fifth winner of the Pac-12's Morris Trophy, joining OL Xavier Su'a-Filo (2013), DE Dave Ball (2003), DE Kenyon Coleman (2001) and OL Jonathan Ogden (1995).
• UCLA finished ranked second nationally in rushing defense (80.8 yards allowed per game) and gave up just 18.38 points per game, which rated 14th overall. A Bruin team last finished a season with a points-per-game average under 20 in 2006 (19.9).
• UCLA ranked sixth in the nation with 43.0 sacks and third overall with 105 tackles for loss. The Bruins' 2.65 yards allowed per rush attempt was second nationally.

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."

The Bruins' first home Big Ten Conference game will take place on Saturday, Sept. 14, as the UCLA football team will host Indiana at 4:30 pm PT. UCLA's home contest against Indiana at the Rose Bowl will be televised on NBC and streamed on Peacock.

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.

Sign up for UCLA Athletics emails HERE to stay up-to-date on inside information, ticket deals and more.

UNDER CENTER
• Redshirt senior QB Ethan Garbers enters the season as the unquestioned starter for the first time in his career, fresh off an offensive MVP performance in UCLA's 2023 finale at the Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk (9-12, 152 yards and two touchdowns through the air in a 35-22 win against Boise State).
• Garbers was named to the watch list for the 2024 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, handed out annually to the nation's top graduating quarterback.
• Garbers is coming off a junior season in which he recorded 1,136 yards and 11 touchdowns on 98-of-146 passing over 11 games (six starts).
• Besides his offensive MVP outing at the LA Bowl, other standout efforts from Garbers in 2023 included a 155-yard, three-touchdown performance to help the Bruins defeat crosstown rival USC on the road, and a season-high 269 yards with tw scoring passes against Colorado.
• The Bruins were 4-0 in 2023 when Garbers threw for multiple touchdowns.