Xavier Su’a-Filo, the first UCLA true freshman to start a season opener since freshmen were deemed eligible in 1972, felt every bit as young after Johnathan Franklin’s 12-yard touchdown run.
“I didn’t really see him finish until he was running in, and once I saw one, I didn’t know what to do,” Su’a-Filo said. “‘Should we celebrate? What do we do?’ Second one, I went nuts.”
It was in stark contrast to his first series, when he was just a bit scared to be out there. As Su’a-Filo settled, so did UCLA’s offense.
“I was a little bit nervous at first, but I calmed down,” Su’a-Filo. “We wanted to establish the run game, and coach said us we were going to pound and pound and pound. Eventually, they cracked.”