Can UCLA bite back against Fresno State? Five things to watch in the season finale

Kelly Skipper coached DeShaun Foster at UCLA.

Jim Skipper coached Foster with the Carolina Panthers.

Tim Skipper would like to teach Foster a thing or two at the Rose Bowl.

It’s nothing personal, it’s just that being considered part of the family only goes so far in circumstances like these. A victory over Foster’s Bruins on Saturday afternoon just might land Tim Skipper a permanent job.

After being made the interim coach before the season when Jeff Tedford stepped away for health reasons, Skipper has guided the Bulldogs to a 6-5 record and bowl eligibility. Fresno State posted its best victory of the season last weekend when it handed Colorado State its first Mountain West Conference loss.

The last time Skipper faced Foster on this field, the latter prevailed. Foster ran for 140 yards and two touchdowns during UCLA’s 24-21 victory over Fresno State in September 2000. Skipper, a middle linebacker for the Bulldogs, made one tackle for loss that day.

There’s been nothing but handshakes and hugs ever since given their family ties. Kelly Skipper, who was Foster’s running backs coach with the Bruins, said he still calls Foster to get his evaluations on West Coast running backs. Jim Skipper, who was Foster’s running backs coach with the Panthers, has a photo of Foster diving into the end zone in Super Bowl XXXVIII in what he described as “my little man cave” inside his home in Gilbert, Ariz.

Jim Skipper called this week to deliver some bad news: He’s not coming to the game.

“I think it’s just a little too emotional, you know, you got his son and then his godson on the other side,” Foster said with a laugh. “He wished me luck and I’m sure he told Tim the same thing.”

Before the season, Jim Skipper called the matchup “a win-win. … It’s going to be a nail-biter, I know that.”

Here are five things to watch when the Bruins (4-7) face the Bulldogs at 12:30 p.m. PST in a game televised by the Big Ten Network: