Big plays by Foster fuel Heisman talk

By Joshua Mason
Daily Bruin Staff

When Freddie Mitchell is at a loss for words, something truly
special must be happening.

“What he’s done is amazing,” Mitchell said, as
he paced back and forth on the UCLA sideline, just seconds after
former teammate DeShaun Foster had scampered 92 yards for his
fourth touchdown run of the game. “I’ve never seen
anything like this. I just don’t know what to say.”

In a performance to remember, Foster did more than quiet the
fast-talking Mitchell. He also hushed a Washington defense that
hadn’t allowed a rushing touchdown since the last time these
two teams met.

“I just wanted to get out there and run hard,”
Foster said of his fourth quarter spectacle. “As I was
turning the corner, it was just off to the races.”

For Foster and the Bruins, the 92-yard run that gave UCLA a
35-13 lead epitomized what he has been doing all season long:
running for daylight and not letting anyone stop them along the
way. As Foster phrased it, they just wanted to “show
America” what the Bruins were all about.

“I think he definitely made a statement out there,”
UCLA head coach Bob Toledo said.

On 31 carries, Foster rushed for a UCLA-record 301 yards and
four touchdowns, easily eclipsing his previous career-high of 189
yards against Alabama last season. It was the strongest rushing
performance against the Huskies ever, and a showing that will
surely catapult Foster to the forefront of the Heisman race.

“I’m for team and individuals,” Toledo said
about recent spotlight on Foster’s increasing Heisman
numbers. “I told this team that players make plays and teams
win championships. If you’re going to win as a team, the
players need to make big plays. And if you make big plays,
there’s an opportunity to get those individual
awards.”

The two blemishes on Foster’s masterful performance came
less than a yard away from the end zone. With 5:13 to play in the
second quarter, the Huskies stopped a red-zone drive after the ball
slipped out of Foster’s hands when linebacker Ben Mahdavi
laid a hit on him. In the third quarter, Foster had another missed
opportunity for the end zone after a short third-and-goal run
resulted in a two-yard loss that set up a sack of UCLA quarterback
Cory Paus the following play.

“He fumbled that ball, but when you’re fighting for
extra yards like that, you’re going to fumble some
balls,” Toledo said. “He definitely made up for that
mistake though.”

What were jeers from the home crowd against Ohio State (Foster
fumbled the ball a career-high four times in that contest),
suddenly transformed into chants of “Heisman, Heisman,”
from the Bruin faithful. Don’t expect much to change in the
Bruin game plan the rest of their Pac-10 schedule, particularly the
focus on letting Foster’s golden legs carry them to the
top.

“The two biggest things for any team is to play good
defense and run the football,” Paus said. “What did we
do today? We ran the ball, DeShaun had 300 yards, and we played
good defense. That’s every coach’s formula to win and
we did it.”