Tuesday, Sept. 10
Redshirt senior linebacker Ale Kaho – LINK
Redshirt junior defensive end Jacob Busic – LINK
Fans can also watch Busic's appearance on the Bruin Insider Show, linked HERE.
Head Coach DeShaun Foster on if he feels that the extra week helped him accomplish what he hoped
"Most definitely because the extra week helped us fix those corrections from the first game and then able to actually get a head start on Indiana gameplan. It helped us out."
on beating Texas in his first game playing at the Rose Bowl
"We played Texas and Ricky Williams was out there. Don't forget that he won the Heisman that season. It was huge just to see – Texas was in my top two at that time. It was UCLA and Texas. Just coming out here and playing against them in the Rose Bowl, seeing Ricky Williams (and) what a senior running back looks like. He had a good game against us, but we were still able to pull out the victory. I think I scored on a toss or something. Other than that, I try to tell our guys to live in the moment. You don't get a lot of these opportunities. I was fortunate to play a lot of games at the Rose Bowl, but I still wish I had more. You don't get a lot of these opportunities, so just try to take full advantage of it."
on if there's anything he experienced in his first game as head coach at Hawai'i that will help him going forward
"Just (experiencing) the whole game. The ups and downs. The first half didn't go exactly how we wanted it to go, but that was good that we were able to bounce back. That happening in the first game, that can prepare me to keep a positive attitude and keeping guys motivated."
on the student section being behind the opposing team's bench at the Rose Bowl now
"I'm actually trying to get paddles for them like Oklahoma State (does) just so they can beat on the wall right there. When I was coming out, that used to be where the recruits sat. It's a good view. I just hope our student section is fired up and making as much noise as we can and be that 12th man for us."
Tight End Moliki Matavao
Tight End Moliki Matavao on UCLA students attending the home opener and the new student section
"I'm definitely hoping that they show out and be the Bruin Den that it needs to be. I'm just excited to get back out on the field. I never had a first week-bye week kind of thing, so I'm just ready to go play football again. It was fun playing Hawai'i, and now I'm ready for the next opponent."
on implementing offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy's offense in a game for the first time
"It was awesome. He's probably the smartest human I've been around in football. It's just great to see what he teaches us in the meeting rooms and taking it to the practice field. Then actually doing it on the field, it's been awesome."
Linebacker Ale Kaho on playing his first game since week one of the 2023 season
"It feels good to be with my teammates. It feels good to be healthy, playing the game I love. … Really taking advantage of every opportunity I get and not taking it for granted."
on if there was a moment in the game he felt like he 'was finally back'
"Probably after my first hit. You pop your pads, you kind of get all the jitters out. It's been a while. Two years is a long time of not playing an actual game. Really, like I said before, (I'm) just taking it all in. That first hit was when I was like, 'Oh yeah, we're back in it.' Just really trying to remind myself of the player I am and what I'm trying to reach. … I was grateful for that game and being out there again. It felt good."
on if watching the team the last two years changed his perspective
"Most definitely. It changed not just with football, but with life. I look at a lot of things differently. I don't take anything for granted, whether it's meetings, walkthroughs, weights. You're not going to wake up and feel good every day. Those are the days you've got to talk to yourself instead of listening to yourself. Just being appreciative of the littler things and making sure I take it all in because you never know what can happen."
Defensive End Jacob Busic on his performance in week one at Hawai'i
"I performed O.K. I'm pretty critical. You can always do better. I left a couple sacks on the table. They started calling me 'CP3' because I just give assists to my teammates. I gave Keanu (Williams) a sack because I missed one. If I can give my teammates a sack, that's cool, too, but I'd like to get a couple of my own. I can always do better. I'm excited to get back out there against Indiana."
on if his Navy connection with coaches Brian Norwood and Marcus Thomas and deputy director Bryce McDonald smoothed his transition
"That has been a very nice part of this entire transition process. We have a lot of inside jokes, so it's nice when I'm having a bad practice or maybe it's been a long day. We'll just crack one of our Navy inside jokes and it's a little slice of home. … I'm on the punt team here, and one thing we said over at Navy is 'Wear the sombrero.' That makes absolutely no sense, but that's just something we said. Coach Thomas, the running backs coach here was the running backs coach when I was at Navy, so every day on punt I hear him yell across the field, 'Wear the sombrero!' It makes me laugh. It makes no sense, but it's fun."
on his connection with defensive end Luke Schuermann
"Yeah, he went to Johns Hopkins. I remember when I found out he was coming here because we have a lot of mutual friends, but I never talked to Luke before coming here. We have a lot of shared experiences that we didn't know that we shared. Maybe being at the same place at the same time. We were both at the Zach Bryan concert two years ago. We were talking about that. We had no idea. … Putting the pieces together has been hilarious."
on missing the majority of last season due to a bicep injury, and how that time off affected him
"It really just puts a different perspective on things. I love football so much, but what I missed more than football was the team, the guys. So not having that – being sidelined last year, I tried being part of the team as much as I could. But it's hard. When you're not out there with the guys, you're not sharing that 'going to war' feeling anymore. Even though I was the player-coach, it wasn't me out there. I didn't have that same feeling that the other guys had. Being back here, being able to get that back, that's what I missed the most and what I've been so happy to gain. Just being able to take the field with a group of guys that I hang out with on a daily basis. That's really been the best part."
Wide Receiver J.Michael Sturdivant
Wide Receiver J.Michael Sturdivant on if digesting the complexity of Bieniemy's playbook has been an issue
"It helps to really go through it with the guys. Even tonight we're about to go to Garbs' (Ethan Garbers) house and talk about the script and watch film. We're really close in the quarterback and receiver room and it's helping us play a lot faster and trust each other more on the field."
