LOS ANGELES — UCLA running back Anthony Woods took a handoff and ran through a crowded Bruins frontline before being wrapped up by defensive back Kuron Jabari Jr. during a live drill in Thursday’s practice. After both players refused to let the play go, a scuffle ensued between the two, prompting running back Jaivian Thomas to run off the sideline and get involved. Others from both the offensive and defensive units quickly defused the situation.
It was the exact type of intense competition which has served as a prominent theme of UCLA’s spring practices, and the scrap served as a boiling point during the final one ahead of Saturday’s spring game at the Rose Bowl.
“You should want to win. You should never want to lose anything that you do,” offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy said. “And [competition’s] part of this program. That should be part of our offense, defense, special teams. But now understanding, how do we not cross the line? I think the big piece when certain situations like that pop up, those are great teaching moments, because they may not have been in that type of situation before. So now we can actually grow and say, ‘these are the expectations.’ This happens. We want competition across the board, but we can’t do it at the expense of the team.”
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The spring game will mark the debut of Bob Chesney’s Bruins at the Rose Bowl, marking an unofficial start to a new era of UCLA football and potentially the opening of the team’s final season in Pasadena. Following an offseason of transformation, many of the team’s players and coaches will be experiencing the iconic venue for the first time.
“I’m super excited. I’ve never been there,” Kennedy said. “It’s probably one of the most historical places in college football. I think it’s really cool. I think it’s really cool that we play there. I know, speaking just personally, I’m very excited to see it all, see us play on the field, see how everybody just livens up. But I’m sure, like everybody’s told me, that when you walk in there, you can just feel it.”
“Any time you get to walk into a stadium with a good group of fans out there, it’s going to be a lot of fun,” defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler added. “[I’m] just excited to see the guys continue to grow and play and get another opportunity to get better.”
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Kennedy and Hitschler are spearheading a new-look style that over 18,000 fans have RSVP’d to see live on Saturday. Hitschler oversees a defense stout with impactful transfers like edge rusher Sahir West and linebacker Samuel Omosigho. Kennedy runs a revamped offense led for a second year by quarterback Nico Iamaleava.
A few plays after the scuffle, Iamaleava faked another handoff and scrambled to the left for a four-yard touchdown to cap off the drive. The entire sequence hoped to offer a preview of the team’s season — charged, but ultimately successful. Now the players and coaches look to carry that energy over to Saturday, where fans can finally witness the competition themselves.
“It’s going to be cool to be out there, because it’s the first time that you have a large crowd,” Hitschler said. “But just being around the city, you know that people are starting to notice what’s happening here and the energy that Coach [Chesney] has created. And we have a talented team, so I think they’re going to see a really good product come fall … the energy’s building.”
