UCLA kicks off a new era Saturday in Honolulu in its first game as a member of the Big Ten when it faces Hawaii more than 2,500 miles away from Los Angeles. The Bruins finished the 2023 season at 8-5 after winning a bowl game for the first time since 2017, but got an offseason shock when coach Chip Kelly left to take the offensive coordinator job at Ohio State.
To take Kelly’s place, the Bruins turned to the ultimate “program guy” in DeShaun Foster. Outside of a one-year stint as running backs coach at Texas Tech (2016), Foster’s entire college playing and coaching career has been at UCLA. A star running back for the Bruins in the 90s, he returned to his alma mater as a student coach in 2013, working his way up to graduate assistant and eventually running backs coach before getting the nod to lead the program this past offseason.
Hawaii will play its second game of the 2024 campaign after opening with a 35-14 home win over Delaware State in Week 0. Rainbow Warriors quarterback Brayden Schager finished with 203 yards passing and four total touchdowns in the victory.
The Rainbow Warriors are looking to take the next step in 2023 after compiling an 8-18 record through Timmy Chang’s first two seasons at the helm. They nearly reached a bowl game last season with three wins in their final four games to finish with a 5-7 mark.
Here is what you need to know ahead of UCLA’s showdown with Hawaii.
UCLA vs. Hawaii: Need to know
Foster era begins in new-look Big Ten: The Bruins were tabbed to finish 15th — last among all four Pac-12 transplants — in the preseason Big Ten media poll due to the departure of multiple starters and a brand new coach leading the program. Facing a rebuild, UCLA hopes to lean heavily on its defensive line, a group ranked near the top of the FBS in total sacks.
Hawaii needs to be versatile to pull off the upset: Hawaii’s offense was far too one-dimensional last season. The Rainbow Warriors had a dropback pass percentage of 70.5%, which ranked No. 1 among all FBS teams. In the season-opener against Delaware State, the Rainbow Warriors did show more commitment to the run game with a 37/27 pass-to-run split. if UCLA’s dominant pass rush gets a chance to pin its ears back and come after the passer, it could be a long day for the Hawaii offense. Establishing the run early could set the tone and make the difference.
Frequent flyers: UCLA travels more miles than any other FBS program this season, so it’s fitting the first game of the season is a 2,500-mile plane trip. The Bruins will cover more than 22,000 miles and cross 26 time zones this season. This will be UCLA’s fifth all-time matchup with Hawai’i and the program’s first trip to The Aloha State since 1938. With road trips to Rutgers, LSU and Penn State on the horizon, this is a good chance for the Bruins to acclimate to playing in a different time zone.
How to watch UCLA vs. Hawaii live
Date: Saturday, Aug. 31 | Time: 7:30 p.m. ETLocation: Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex — Honolulu, Hawaii
TV: CBS | Live stream: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free)Streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime (Try It Free)
UCLA vs. Hawaii prediction, picks
Although Hawaii did notch a 21-point win (as a 39.5-point favorite) last weekend, there were moments where the Rainbow Warriors looked vulnerable. UCLA has won three consecutive season openers, and this is the perfect chance for Foster to make a statement at the helm of his alma mater. UCLA’s magic number is 25, as they went 8-0 in 2023 when hitting that point total. Pick: UCLA -14
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