{"id":298787,"date":"2025-11-21T07:24:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T07:24:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/298787\/"},"modified":"2025-11-21T07:24:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T07:24:13","slug":"ucla-football-focuses-on-passion-aims-to-finish-strong-after-bowl-elimination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/298787\/","title":{"rendered":"UCLA football focuses on passion, aims to finish strong after bowl elimination"},"content":{"rendered":"

Countless football players sparked their passion for the game in the backyard.<\/p>\n

And many have carried the playful and childlike sentiment of backyard ball into their professional careers.<\/p>\n

UCLA football (3-7, 3-4 Big Ten) had its bowl game aspirations dashed after suffering its seventh loss of the season to Ohio State on Nov. 15. With two games left on the 2025 slate, interim head coach Tim Skipper\u2019s squad will embrace its love for the childhood game when it faces Washington (7-3, 4-3) at the Rose Bowl on Saturday, a contest that is ostensibly meaningless for the Bruins.<\/p>\n

Despite being out of bowl game contention, the Bruins\u2019 football passion is guiding them toward the 2025 finish line.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the game we love,\u201d said redshirt junior tight end Jack Pedersen. \u201cI always think of it as \u2026 a children\u2019s game. We\u2019re just big kids playing the kids\u2019 game. There\u2019s lines and a ball, and we just need to have fun and stay motivated.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"(AidanRedshirt junior tight end Jack Pedersen walks on the field at the Rose Bowl next to former Bruin head coach DeShaun Foster. (Aidan Sun\/Assistant Photo editor)<\/p>\n

UCLA accumulated a 27-point deficit before the first half\u2019s conclusion against No. 1 Ohio State last weekend in a must-win game to maintain bowl eligibility. Although the Buckeyes essentially diminished the Bruins\u2019 winter football hopes in just the first frame, the Westwood bunch responded in the second half.<\/p>\n

Senior defensive analyst and defensive playcaller Kevin Coyle\u2019s defensive unit limited the Buckeyes\u2019 staunch offense \u2013 which averages 37.5 points per contest \u2013 to just 14 points throughout the second half, excluding defensive back Lorenzo Styles Jr.\u2019s 100-yard kickoff return touchdown to end the third quarter. The Bruins\u2019 offense also posted its only 10 points of the game in the second half.<\/p>\n

Skipper said the Bruins maintained their energy heading into the second frame at Ohio Stadium despite the hefty deficit, and he added that his players still have faith they can finish the season strong.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven in the locker room after the game, they were really good, and we had a team meeting last night and just were focused on finishing the season right,\u201d Skipper said. \u201cEverybody knows you\u2019re measured when you\u2019re dealing with adversity. We\u2019re going to attack the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

But regardless of passion, backyard football requires skill, and the most athletic often dominate the gridiron.<\/p>\n

Washington boasts a dynamic offense that relies on its outside speed to beat opposing defenses.<\/p>\n

Quarterback Demond Williams Jr., wide receiver Denzel Boston and running back Jonah Coleman headline an elusive attacking unit that can beat defenders through the air and on the ground. The Huskies\u2019 offensive arsenal ranks fifth in the Big Ten in both points per game and yards per affair, with 34.3 and 426.5, respectively.<\/p>\n

But Washington\u2019s X-factor is Williams, with his unique speed under center paired with his reliable arm. The signal-caller has rushed for 512 yards and boasts a 72.6% completion clip.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe quarterback is so dynamic,\u201d Skipper said. \u201cWhen they throw the ball, it\u2019s like us when Nico\u2019s rolling. You have to be prepared to contain the quarterback.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dual-threat quarterbacks have plagued UCLA throughout the 2025 campaign, and the team\u2019s front seven has been exploited by opposing field generals\u2019 improvisation in the pocket.<\/p>\n

Utah quarterback Devon Dampier, whose skillset mirrors Williams\u2019, notched 87 rushing yards and one touchdown against UCLA on Aug. 30, topping off a performance where Utah recorded 286 rushing yards.<\/p>\n

\"(AidanUtah quarterback Devon Dampier runs down the field with the ball. (Aidan Sun\/Assistant Photo editor)<\/p>\n

Improvising is foundational to any backyard football game, particularly given the game\u2019s loose parameters.<\/p>\n

And that is where Williams excels.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have a lot of extended plays with the quarterback they have,\u201d said redshirt senior defensive back Key Lawrence. \u201cHe\u2019s a shorter guy, so he\u2019s trying to get out of the pocket a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simplifying the game is often a recipe for success in football.<\/p>\n

And the UCLA players are applying their shared childhood passion to the end of the 2025 campaign while embracing the adversity that seemingly inconsequential matchups entail.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all are just here to play football because we like football,\u201d said redshirt senior defensive lineman Keanu Williams. \u201cCoach Skip\u2019s message: \u2018We can\u2019t just give up and throw in the towel.\u2019 This is not the hardest thing we\u2019re about to do in life. When it comes to just football, we got to finish this thing out.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Countless football players sparked their passion for the game in the backyard. And many have carried the playful…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":298788,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[563],"tags":[64,63,596,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-298787","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-football","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-football","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298787","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=298787"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298787\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/298788"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=298787"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=298787"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=298787"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}