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The final frontier for UCLA’s undefeated football team might be getting more assertive – in connecting with classmates.
With attendance at the Rose Bowl lagging even as the No. 7 Bruins have emerged as the best story in college football, coach Bob Chesney said his players must help build buzz around this team.
“You know,” Chesney said Monday, “we’ve probably got to just get a little bit more involved in making sure our guys in classes are talking about this with everybody and making sure they can connect a story and a face to this team, not just what this team is but ultimately the people on it.”
Student turnout appeared to dip noticeably last weekend for the game against Michigan State as part of the crowd of 33,757 – a figure that fell a little more than 2,000 from the previous week.
“I think the student section was slow to get in there and then it felt like they left a little bit early,” Chesney said, referring to a halftime exodus, “and I think that they’ve got to do a better job too – we’ve all got to do a better job.”
UCLA’s average home attendance of 33,172 ranks second to last in the Big Ten, topping only Northwestern’s 29,261 since the Wildcats moved into new Ryan Field. However, it’s important to note that the Bruins changed their attendance policy this season to reflect actual people inside the stadium instead of announcing tickets sold or using other calculations that inflate the number.
While the athletic department has helped by offering free student tickets and cheap bus rides to the Rose Bowl, there remains work to be done in getting the word out about the hottest team on campus.
That could be a challenge for quiet players like running back Jaivian Thomas.
“I’m not really a guy that talks a lot outside of football,” Thomas said, “so I haven’t really interacted with my classmates about any of this, to be honest.”
But sometimes wearing football gear around campus is enough. Linebacker Sammy Omosigho said he got noticed while walking to practice at 6 a.m.
“This guy comes while I’m walking to practice and he’s like, ‘You play football here?’ ” Omosigho said. “I was like, ‘Yeah.’ He was like, ‘Man, you’re doing a good job,’ and, like, six months ago that wasn’t the same feeling we’re having at school.”
Curiously, not all of the buzz has been positive surrounding the only remaining unbeaten team in the Big Ten or SEC.
After UCLA pulled away from Michigan State on Saturday, CBS sports analyst Bryant McFadden compared the Bruins to “a rapper who raps with no substance in his lyrics.”
Chesney unleashed a hearty chuckle when informed of McFadden’s appraisal.
“I don’t even want to dig into that much in my mind,” Chesney said. “I’m not overly worried what anybody else says – it really can’t help us and it really can’t hurt us if we don’t let it. It’s irrelevant, what people have to say.”
Chesney has long told his players not to listen to outside praise because it will invariably be followed by criticism when things go bad for the team.
The approach seems to be working given Thomas’ response when asked if he knew where the Bruins were ranked.
“Uh, I don’t think so,” he said with a laugh. “I don’t really look into that either – it just is what it is, you know?”
Ultimately, the Bruins might be best served by repeating the formula that’s worked deep into October.
“Just avoid the good, avoid the bad, focus on the work that you’ve got to do,” Chesney said, “and at some point we’ll look back at the end of the year, see where we land and maybe take a time to enjoy that and tell some stories about it and reflect on it, but now is not the time; now is the time for us to just keep going with our work and not worry about what anybody on the outside thinks.”