This post was updated Sept. 2 at 11:24 p.m.

HONOLULU – There were debuts galore Saturday afternoon in Honolulu.

And they ran the gamut – the Bruins in the Big Ten, coach DeShaun Foster at the team’s helm, redshirt senior Ethan Garbers at starting quarterback and associate head coach and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s NFL-style offense. 

Halfway through the duel, though, lackluster was the fitting term for each new look.

“We were shooting ourselves in the foot,” Foster said. “Hawaiʻi has a great team … but we still wanted to go out there and play our brand of football, and I don’t think we really showed that in the first half.”

Question marks and signs of trouble greased all regions of the gridiron as UCLA football (1-0) entered the second half against Hawaiʻi (1-1) with issues to solve. Foster and Bieniemy streamlined efforts in the backfield, allowing a revamped squad to narrowly escape overtime with a last-minute field goal to seal a 16-13 win. 

After a touchback sent UCLA to the 10 to open, Garbers ran a series of running plays, culminating in redshirt sophomore Chase Barry punting for 17 yards on the fourth down with no return. 

Running one of the nation’s only run-and-shoot offenses worked for the Rainbow Warriors – particularly when quarterback Brayden Schager faked a punt rush up the middle and gave Lucas Borrow 19 receiving yards to grant his team its first legitimate scoring opportunity. 

Schager found success underneath to work the ball down the field, throwing another 19 yards to wide receiver Pofele Ashlock for the hosts’ first touchdown of the game. 

But while Hawaiʻi’s field general capitalized on his opportunities in the short zone, Garbers bided his time, relying on the ground game until four minutes sat at the end of the first.

Mustering just 33 yards in the first quarter – less than half of Schager’s 69 –  Garbers crouched to the ground and placed his head between his arms, a lack of confidence palpable in his demeanor.

“I got to be smarter. I got to be more calm and more collected back there,” Garber said. “ … In the second half, we just went back to what we’ve been doing all fall camp, everyone just doing their job.”

Sitting at the Hawaiʻi 34 with a crucial four yards needed for the fourth down, redshirt senior kicker Blake Glessner attempted a 52-yard field goal to put UCLA on the scoreboard, but missed just to the right with under eight minutes left in the half and down 10. 

“It’s just wanting to keep our momentum going,” Foster said. “Other than that, I felt that we could have hit that field goal [52-yard attempt, second quarter]. So that is why we went for it.”

But UCLA’s final chance to score in the half – an opportunity awarded by redshirt senior defensive back Ramon Henderson’s first interception as a Bruin – was immediately thwarted by Hawaiʻi linebacker Logan Taylor’s seven-yard return after a five-yard interception.

Despite a sack by Henderson and a four yards loss, a 28-yard field goal by kicker Kansei Matsuzawa ensured UCLA would be left reeling at 10-0 at halftime.

“We had a lot of self-inflicted wounds in the first half and a lot of mental mistakes on the offensive side of the ball,” Garbers said.

The halftime break allowed Garbers to recoup – pairing newfound confidence with vital yardage through the air. 

Redshirt junior wide receiver J.Michael Sturdivant and junior running back T.J. Harden exchanged receiving duties at the top of the third before sending sophomore wide receiver Rico Flores Jr. down the field with 39 receiving yards to put UCLA on the scoreboard. 

Field goals from both teams tied the game at 13-13, but neither offense boasted dominating presences.

Sophomore kicker Mateen Baghani completed all three kicks in the second half, earning his third with just 56 seconds on the clock to advantage the Bruins 16-13 and narrowly avoid overtime. 

“Only one word going through my head, execution,” said sophomore kicker Mateen Bhaghani. “Everything just fell into its place.”

The victory marked the team’s fifth straight win over Hawaiʻi, and its fourth consecutive season-opening victory. 

But the Bruins are a Big Ten program. A less-than-ideal win over the Rainbow Warriors does little to promise prosperity over threatening conference foes come the start of Big Ten contention.