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Why flag football's Olympics inclusion has been 'rocket fuel' for growth, especially among women

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Why flag football's Olympics inclusion has been 'rocket fuel' for growth, especially among women

LAS VEGAS — Seventeen-year-old Maci Joncich sat in the bleachers at Coronado High School’s football stadium in Las Vegas on a spring day in April, her future in football crystalizing.

Joncich had recently become the youngest player to make the U.S. Women’s Flag Football National Team. While she had no doubts about where she was headed as she took a break from class, she reflected on how cloudy her football prospects once looked.

Just four years prior, Joncich’s options for role models in the world of flag football were slim and she was charting unexplored territory.

“The biggest point of discussion was, ‘What comes next with flag football?’” Joncich said. “When I started, there was no flag in college. There were no Olympics. It was a bit of a struggle at first just getting the motivation to keep playing.”

All that has changed because of the expeditious rise of the sport.

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There are 11 states where flag football is sanctioned as a girls’ varsity high school sport. Women’s flag football scholarships are offered at 25 NAIA colleges, and five NCAA Division III colleges will follow suit in 2025. There aren’t currently options for boys or men beyond the club level, but there will soon be a professional option, as the American Flag Football League plans to launch the first men’s and women’s leagues in 2025. And, in perhaps the biggest news for the sport in the United States, flag football will become an Olympic sport in 2028 when the Summer Games return to Los Angeles.

According to USA Football, there were over 230,000 girls from ages 6 to 17 playing flag football in the U.S. in 2023, which marked a 44 percent increase from 2014. Including boys, there were over 1.6 million American youths playing flag football as of 2023. The sport is played in 100 countries around the world.

The NFL has also heavily invested in flag football. In May, the league hired Stephanie Kwok as its first vice president of flag football. The league hopes its growth will increase the number of women who watch and play the sport.

“All of a sudden, you see these opportunities to compete at the highest level,” Kwok said. “With the popularity of the WNBA right now and professional women’s sports as a whole, I think it’s really interesting to be thinking about what other opportunities there could be.

“You have so many girls who are playing flag football. … Now, they can see in a more real way what you can aspire to do knowing that there’s a path to the Olympics.”

A path for women like Joncich. After making USA Football’s final 12-player roster in June, the wide receiver/defensive back will compete in the 2024 International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Flag Football World Championship in August.

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This summer, Joncich will enroll at the University of Florida, where she intends to play club flag football. She ultimately has her eyes set on representing the U.S. in the 2028 Summer Games in L.A. While she isn’t guaranteed a spot on the team, she now has a road map to follow.

“Before the Olympics, there hasn’t been a North Star for girls who participate in football,” said Sam Rapoport, NFL senior director of diversity, equity and inclusion. “And so, when you create that North Star, then there’s a flag pipeline for girls.”

A strengthened flag pipeline could open doors for women in football when it comes to playing, coaching and executive careers at the amateur, collegiate and professional levels.

“It creates a pathway for people,” Joncich said. “Not only for me, but for a lot of women.”

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Brianna Hernandez-Silva had a winding path to flag football. She was a longtime baseball and softball player before a coach at Bonanza High School in Las Vegas convinced her to join the flag football team.

“I gave it a shot,” Hernandez-Silva said. “And it was probably the best decision I ever made. … It started out as a hobby, but it turned into something way more.”

Florida was the first state to sanction girls’ flag football as a varsity high school sport in 2003, but it took time to catch on elsewhere. It wasn’t until 2015 that Nevada became the second state to approve it.

There were still no college scholarships for flag football when Hernandez-Silva graduated in 2018, so she attended the College of Southern Nevada where she played softball. But when the NAIA added flag football in 2020, she transferred the following year to Kansas Wesleyan University to pursue it. Three years later, the defensive back/quarterback was named an alternate for the 2024 U.S. Women’s Flag National Team.

“The game itself has grown so much.” Hernandez-Silva said. “(The Olympics are) going to give the sport the credit it’s fought so hard to get for so long. And, eventually, everyone will start recognizing flag football as a sport that is moving very fast.”

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As flag football has shifted from a recreational sport to one both athletes and fans take more seriously, the opportunities for youth and high school athletes to receive more specialized training have improved dramatically.

Last year, former Kansas Wesleyan coach Melinda Nguyen helped get Hernandez-Silva into USA Football’s The One Flag Championship, an annual, prestigious, invite-only tournament. Through that experience, she made the connections that led to her transferring to Keiser University (Fla.) in 2024. There, she played with fellow U.S. national teamers Kennedy Foster, Ashlea Klam and Brenna Ramirez, was a first-team All-Sun Conference selection at running back and appeared in the 2024 NAIA national championship game.

“I was able to compete at a higher level,” Hernandez-Silva said. “I’m very big on iron sharpening iron. … I was playing in tournaments almost every other weekend. I was traveling and playing on teams that had girls from the national team. I was able to make those connections and kind of grow my resume and who I am as a player outside of the collegiate world.”


“It was kind of our responsibility to get the word out about flag football … and why it being at the collegiate level was so important,” said Brianna Hernandez-Silva. “We were trailblazing.”

As a girl, Kwok wanted to play organized football, but it’d be decades before such an opportunity emerged.

Raised in New York as the child of immigrants from Hong Kong, she wasn’t a huge football fan but grew interested in it after hearing classmates talk about it in school. Her only option in high school, however, was playing pickup football with friends. She went on to play intramural touch football as an undergrad at Stanford and had her first flag football experience on an intramural team at Harvard Business School.

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When Kwok graduated and moved back to New York, she brought her newfound hobby with her. Over the next 10 years, she played in flag football leagues multiple times a week. She co-founded Pickup Football, an adult flag football tournament, and helped run it until the pandemic hit in 2020. She’d fallen in love with the sport and the camaraderie that came with it. In her new role with the NFL, she hopes to provide an avenue for girls and boys to play the sport and avoid having to wait as long as she did.

“There weren’t opportunities for me to play growing up,” Kwok said. “Now, I get to help shape how we increase accessibility.”

Kwok runs NFL FLAG, which is the league’s official flag football program. All 32 NFL teams participate, and the broad focus is on providing opportunities for athletes from age 4 to 17. The organization has over 600,000 participants and teams in all 50 states.

“I want everyone who wants to play flag football at every level to be able to do that,” Kwok said. “It’s just making sure they have that access and opportunity no matter who they are at every level of the game.”

NFL FLAG will host the NFL Flag Championships, a youth tournament, beginning July 18. For the first time, the 30-game showcase will be broadcast live on NFL+, ESPN and other Disney platforms. It’s yet another sign of the growing interest in the sport.

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The reasons for the NFL’s effort to grow flag football are multifaceted. From a health perspective, flag provides a safer alternative to tackle football. For youth athletes, it’s a way to learn the fundamentals of the sport without being subjected to violent blows to the head and other significant injuries that come with contact.

For Joncich, that process started when she joined the Apex Predators, a youth flag football club in Las Vegas. It provided exposure to coaches equipped to properly teach the sport. Club vice president Todd Thomson has coached both tackle and flag football at the high school, club and national levels. He knows as well as anyone that there are key differences between the two versions of football — for example, that there’s no contact or linemen in flag — but there’s still some overlap.

“To get on the field playing flag, you’ve got to have footwork,” Thomson said. “Obviously, in tackle, you’re working on blocking schemes, whereas in flag, you don’t have that. But the skill set, the athleticism, all the agility training that you do in flag directly translates over to tackle.”

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The NFL also wants to improve its international reach. The league increased its number of international games to raise awareness of the sport around the world and has used the International Player Pathway program to discover and develop tackle football prospects outside of North America. The NFL believes flag football can drive interest in the sport on an international level.

While playing tackle football requires expensive equipment and 22 players, flag football doesn’t require as much of an investment — the only equipment needed is a football and flags — and it can be played in five-on-five and seven-on-seven formats. That makes it more widely accessible.

“This is the easiest, fastest and most cost-effective way to grow the sport,” USA Football CEO/executive director Scott Hallenbeck said. “You can scale it very quickly. I think the NFL is already seeing that both drive fandom and just drive general participation. … It’s just great for the game overall.”

Several NFL players have expressed a desire to compete in the 2028 Olympics, but that’d require a major adjustment. The NFL Pro Bowl shifted to a seven-on-seven flag football format in 2023, but it isn’t officiated as strictly as it would be in international competition. Teaching interested players to adjust to those rules is something the NFL and USA Football have discussed.

“If a defender and an offensive player go up for a traditional end zone pass, it would be the perfect defensed play in the NFL, but if there’s the slightest contact, they’ll call the defender for a penalty,” Hallenbeck said. “It’s to the point where I’m on the international federation board and I’m like, ‘Guys, we’ve got to loosen these rules up a little bit.’ I mean, fans aren’t going to enjoy literally no contact.”

USA Football has worked with the U.S. Olympic Committee and sport performance experts to build a pathway to teach players of all ages the fundamentals, movement skills and biomechanics necessary to succeed in flag football.

Players with a background in flag and tackle football tend to be the focus — but they also draw athletes from other sports. As with any new competition, the 2028 Summer Games will serve as a high-stakes trial period for USA Football to refine its process.

IFAF has 74 member nations, and that number is expected to increase by the time the 2028 Olympics arrive. While it can be assumed that both the U.S. men’s and women’s teams will have a leg up on other countries less familiar with American football, there’s still plenty of work to be done when it comes to developing their talent pipeline. Canada, Mexico, Panama and Brazil are examples of other countries with elite flag football programs that’ll be fierce competition.

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“We’re talking about now creating world-class athletes,” Hallenbeck said. “Four years scares me to death because it’s not long enough (to prepare competitive teams), but our job is to get that ready.”


The U.S. flag football national team during a training camp in May.

Despite the NFL’s efforts to grow the game internationally, football is still largely known as an American sport. But if the inclusion of flag football in the 2028 Olympics is a success, there’s a chance it could become a watershed moment for football’s worldwide presence — similar to how the 1992 Summer Games were a breakthrough for basketball via Team USA’s “Dream Team.”

The Olympics will put a spotlight on football in general. But given the men’s side of the sport is already massive, its effects could be greater for women.

“I refer to the announcement of the Olympics as rocket fuel,” Hallenbeck said. “It ignited something that was already burning and ready to take off. For a long time, girls have wanted to play football. They’ve done it here and there, but now the floodgates are truly open. … That side of things is scaling like nothing I’ve ever seen.”

The “Dream Team” had a dynamic superstar who captured a global audience in Michael Jordan. Looking ahead to the 2028 Games in L.A., those who’ve witnessed Joncich’s journey believe she could play a similar role for the women’s flag football team.

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“When this is all said and done and those first Olympics happen, all these young girls are going to watch on TV and she will be that M.J.,” Thomson said. “She is the future. Barring something shocking, she’ll be the face of women’s flag football on the international stage.”

(All photos: Lester Barnes / USA Football)

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Get ready for more Prime Time. The attention is warranted for Colorado’s star coach

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November 24, 2024

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Get ready for more Prime Time. The attention is warranted for Colorado’s star coach

If you’re suffering from Deion Sanders fatigue, worn down by the Colorado football coach’s repeated presence on sports feeds and debate shows, you’re in for a rough couple of months.

By landing a commitment from star recruit Julian Lewis on Thursday, Sanders secured more than a top quarterback prospect. He also came away with increased options for his future, a reality that figures to keep him prominently positioned in upcoming news cycles.

Whatever develops, the attention is warranted based on the impressive job he has done the last five seasons, leading Jackson State to a 27-6 record before guiding Colorado to a share of the Big 12 lead entering Saturday’s game against Kansas.

GO DEEPER

Shedeur Sanders the recruiter: How the QB helped build Colorado into a contender

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Before this week, I would have given competitive odds that Sanders would leave Colorado after this season. Two of his friends told me a handful of years ago his primary reason for accepting the Jackson State job — his first as a college coach — was to ensure Shedeur Sanders, his youngest son, would have every opportunity to develop into a top quarterback and a highly drafted NFL player.

Over four seasons, including the last two with Colorado, Shedeur, 22, has completed 70 percent of his passes for 13,415 yards and 124 touchdowns with just 24 interceptions. He also has rushed for 17 scores, though he is not considered a dual-threat in the classic sense. He is a pocket passer with the mobility to create space and make off-platform throws with accuracy and velocity.

Where that lands him in the draft is unknown, but credible draft analysts have him and Miami’s Cam Ward as the top quarterback prospects. And since teams place a premium on the position — 17 signal callers have been selected No. 1 since 2000 — the likelihood appears strong that he will be drafted near the top of the first round, if not first overall.

Which brings me back to his father’s future and potential options. Deion Sanders could easily consider it mission accomplished and hang up his whistle at the end of the season, particularly with cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter, a front-runner to win this season’s Heisman Trophy, already declaring that he, too, is off to the NFL after the season. Losing his top two players represents a significant drain of talent that will be hard for Sanders to replace in the short term, potentially resulting in fewer victories.

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GO DEEPER

Colorado 2-way star Travis Hunter plans to enter next year’s NFL Draft

Sanders was a Hall of Fame cornerback and a standout baseball player. You don’t play both sports at the highest level … in the same season … without having a competitive drive that matches your physical ability. Which is why I could not see him staying at Colorado with an inferior roster.

Having Lewis in the fold, however, gives him a bell-cow performer he can not only build around but also use as a magnet to attract more playmakers. Lewis had previously committed to USC but changed his mind in part because of Sanders and the success of Shedeur. It suggests that recruits are seeing past the glitz and glam and recognizing the skill development taking place.

“It’s a huge opportunity!” Lewis said in a statement to On3. “What Coach Prime has been able to build in two seasons can’t be denied. I’ve had a chance to get to know him and believe that he can further develop me into the player and person that I want to be. Coach (Pat) Shurmur has been an NFL offensive coordinator and head coach, so he understands exactly what’s needed at the next level. Coach Prime is going to play the best player, whether it’s a freshman or a walk-on.”

But back to the discussion about the future and potential options. There has been speculation NFL teams could have interest in Sanders, who has had only one losing season in four years and has the 8-2 Buffaloes in contention for a College Football Playoff berth two years after finishing 1-11 the season before Sanders arrived. He has not publicly expressed interest in making the jump and in 2023 told Sports Illustrated: “I don’t have any desire or ambition to coach in the NFL. I have a problem with men getting their checks and not doing their jobs. I have a problem with that. I would be too tough as a coach in the NFL because I still have those old-school attributes.”

And yet …

Michael Irvin, a close friend and former Dallas Cowboys teammate, believes Sanders would not hesitate to accept the Cowboys job if it were offered and Shedeur was drafted by Dallas.

“I believe (it) 100 percent,” he said on Fox Sports’ “The Herd with Colin Cowherd.” “And I can tell you, good sources have told me that. Great sources have told me that. That’s all I can say like that without violating anything else.”

These types of comments tend to fuel the rumor mill because as much of a long shot as it may be, you cannot completely dismiss the idea until Cowboys owner Jerry Jones categorically says it’s not happening, which he has not done.

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Sanders’ name also could surface for other college jobs, particularly if the Buffaloes reach the Playoff and make a run. He was an unproven commodity in 2021 after he took the Jackson State job. Major colleges were unwilling to take a chance on him because he had no track record. Some wondered if he was more style than substance.

Florida State, his alma mater, is regularly mentioned as a possibility, but that seems unlikely because of what it would cost to move on from coach Mike Norvell and because the sides are not on the greatest of terms after FSU didn’t make much of an effort to bring in Sanders a handful of years ago when he first talked about coaching on the collegiate level.

It would be irresponsible to throw out the names of other schools before an opening exists, but college football has become as cutthroat as the NFL, and landing Sanders could be viewed as a boon not only on the field but off it, as evidenced by the increase in attendance, viewership and alumni contributions. Never forget that major-college football is as much a business as a game, which is why Sanders is in a great position.

He has proved himself on both fronts. He has exceeded expectations at every turn, taking a group that was rated the second-worst staff in the Big 12 coming into the season and advancing to the cusp of a Big 12 championship. The Lewis commitment was yet another victory in a season of victories, but it’s significant because it gives him the ability to make decisions about his future based on whether something aligns with his purpose and vision. If the NFL calls, great. If another college program calls, cool. For Sanders, there is no downside. He has positioned himself to have positive options regardless of the situation, which means we are sure to continue seeing him on news feeds and debate shows.

(Photo of Deion Sanders speaking with Fox Sports reporter Jenny Taft after a win against Utah: Dustin Bradford / Getty Images)

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Max Verstappen wins 4th straight F1 world championship as George Russell wins Las Vegas Grand Prix

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November 24, 2024

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Max Verstappen wins 4th straight F1 world championship as George Russell wins Las Vegas Grand Prix

LAS VEGAS – Saturday night was all right for Max Verstappen.

The Red Bull racer finished in fifth place at the Las Vegas Grand Prix and it was enough to capture his fourth consecutive Formula 1 World Championship. 

He needed to finish ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris to pick up the title win and did just that. Norris was in sixth place.

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, of the Netherlands, drives the course during qualifying for the Formula One U.S. Grand Prix auto race, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, in Las Vegas.  (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

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It was far from the easiest weekend for Verstappen. Red Bull made a mistake adjusting his rear wing and data showed his vehicle was running slower than Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton on the straightaways. While Russell captured the pole, Verstappen was able to get enough out of the car to start in fifth. He only needed to score three more points than Norris to clinch the world championship. Norris qualified sixth.

Mercedes was clearly quicker. Russell won the race. It was his second win of the season. Hamilton finished right behind him while Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz picked up a podium spot in third place.

George Russell wins in Vegas

Mercedes driver George Russell, of Britain, celebrates are winning the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix auto race, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Las Vegas.  (AP Photo/Matt York)

Verstappen tied Sebastian Vettel, Juan Manuel Fangio and Hamilton with four consecutive titles. Michael Schumacher won five straight from 2000 to 2004.

Schumacher and Hamilton each have the most world titles with seven in total. Fangio has five and Verstappen is tied with Vettel and Alain Prost with four.

Max Verstappen talks to reporters

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, of the Netherlands, prepares to race before the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix auto race, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Las Vegas.  (AP Photo/John Locher)

F1 LEGEND MARIO ANDRETTI TALKS AMERICAN DRIVERS, CONSTRUCTORS GETTING BACK ONTO GRID AHEAD OF LAS VEGAS GP

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Las Vegas Grand Prix racers had to battle a weekend of cold weather and the wind. Drivers were slipping and sliding all over the place through the first three practices. But picked up the pace in qualifying with the only mistake coming from Franco Colapinto, who suffered a crash in Q2. 

Aside from Pierre Gasly’s disappointing night on Saturday, the race was run clean.

The F1 schedule still has two races on its docket, the Qatar Grand Prix and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with the constructors’ championship up for grabs.

Ferrari drivers Sainz and Charles Leclerc finished third and fourth, with McLaren’s Norris and Oscar Piastri finishing sixth and seventh.

Max Verstappen in Sphere

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, of the Netherlands, drives the course during qualifying for the Formula One U.S. Grand Prix auto race, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, in Las Vegas.  (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

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McLaren entered the weekend 36 points ahead of Ferrari in the constructors’ standings. After the Las Vegas result, McLaren will be up 24 points going into Qatar (608 points to Ferrari’s 584).

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

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UCLA vs. USC takeaways: Bruins aim for resilience after fumbling away a signature win

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November 24, 2024

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UCLA vs. USC takeaways: Bruins aim for resilience after fumbling away a signature win

A heavy mist hung over the Rose Bowl late Saturday night, adding to the yuck factor of what just transpired for the home team.

A shanked punt at the worst possible time. A sturdy defense fooled by a trick play. An offense that couldn’t gain one yard given a chance to win the game.

It added up to the most crushing loss of the season.

“Sucks,” UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers said after the Bruins’ 19-13 setback against USC in his final cross-town rivalry game. “Really sucks.”

Garbers was involved in two critical sequences that ensured UCLA (4-7 overall, 3-6 Big Ten) will finish the season with a losing record.

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The first came on a failed fourth-down sneak. The second came when he suddenly couldn’t find a rhythm after completing every previous pass in the second half.

It left Bruins fans with a similarly sickening feeling from previous close losses to Minnesota and Washington.

Here are five takeaways from a defeat that will heavily frame UCLA coach DeShaun Foster’s first season:

Bad ending

USC defensive end Sam Greene hits UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers as he delivers an incomplete pass on Bruins’ last offensive play during a loss to Trojans Saturday at the Rose Bowl.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

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It was the sort of moment that can forge a legacy.

With a chance to go 2-0 as a starter in the rivalry game while keeping the Victory Bell painted blue, Garbers stepped to the line of scrimmage at his own 25-yard line with 2:09 left and his team needing a touchdown to win.

He had already thrown for 156 yards and a touchdown in the second half while completing all 11 of his passes.

The next four plays: incompletion, incompletion, incompletion, incompletion. A few of the throws weren’t even close to connecting with their targets.

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“Just hard to find a rhythm,” Garbers said of his struggles on the final drive.

UCLA’s offense gained 376 yards but couldn’t make plays in crucial moments. The Bruins converted only three of 11 third downs and went 0 for 3 on fourth downs.

The game film should be cataloged in the horror section for anyone associated with UCLA.

The longest yard

Having long expressed his belief in his team’s ability to get a yard, Foster went for it on fourth and one at the UCLA 34-yard line with five minutes left and the Bruins trailing by three points.

It wasn’t the most imaginative play call, Foster saying it was his decision — and not offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s — to run a quarterback sneak.

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“I thought it was a good call and every call that’s made in certain situations — I am making those,” Foster said.

Garbers was stopped for no gain, but both Foster and his quarterback said the play was blown dead prematurely.

Said Foster: “That was the first time I’ve seen a quarterback sneak get called dead, you know? They usually let that play roll; they stopped it, they blew the whistle, so who knows where we would have ended up.”

Said Garbers: “I was looking at the marker and I thought I was past it. But I guess they blow the forward progress dead early. So, can’t control that.”

Here’s something indisputable: UCLA will need to fortify its offensive line through the transfer portal to ensure it can pick up one yard in similar situations next season.

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Same old story

UCLA coach DeShaun Foster argues with a referee during his team's loss USC at the Rose Bowl Saturday.

UCLA coach DeShaun Foster argues with a referee during his team’s loss USC at the Rose Bowl Saturday.

(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)

Nearly every week, Foster has said he’s going to fix his team’s discipline issues.

Then the next game comes and it’s more of the same slop on the field.

The low point Saturday came going into halftime, when UCLA wide receiver Kwazi Gilmer, safety Bryan Addison and an unspecified assistant coach were called for unsportsmanlike conduct penalties as both teams made their way toward the locker room while jawing at one another.

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Foster said he was told the brouhaha was precipitated by a USC player punching Gilmer, leading him to retaliate. As a result of the penalties, UCLA was forced to kick off from its own five-yard line to start the third quarter.

The Bruins also compounded giving up a 41-yard kickoff return with a late hit by Evan Thomas. It was just one of the eight penalties they committed for 70 yards.

“That’s why that’s my first pillar; I didn’t pull it out of nowhere, it was my first pillar for a reason,” Foster said of discipline. “I felt that that was something that we were lacking and missing and we’re still missing it, so we’re going to just continue to strive in the direction of discipline and eventually it’s going to get fixed.”

Lost opportunity

UCLA receiver J.Michael Sturdivant catches a long pass between USC cornerback Jaylin Smith and safety Bryson Shaw

UCLA receiver J.Michael Sturdivant catches a long pass between USC cornerback Jaylin Smith (2) and safety Bryson Shaw (27) during the second half at the Rose Bowl Saturday.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

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With a win over the Trojans, Foster wouldn’t have had to do any convincing when it comes to the narrative of his first season.

He would have beaten USC counterpart Lincoln Riley, who has taken multiple teams to the College Football Playoff and makes more than three times his salary.

He would have significantly enhanced his team’s name, image and likeness fundraising efforts that will be critical to upgrading the talent on his roster.

He would have given the hundreds of high school recruits at the game another reason to give a commitment. (Kenneth Moore III, a wide receiver from St. Mary’s High in Stockton, actually did commit to the Bruins before the game.)

Now there’s going to be more spin needed to sell recruits. One possible pitch: Come help us finish these games.

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“All of these losses have come to pretty much us letting it slip through our hands,” Foster said. “You know, we gotta find a way to finish games and, you know, just keep coming after half and play better, finish the games. Just really put our stamp on the end of it.”

What now?

UCLA tight end Moliki Matavao beats USC safety Bryson Shaw to reach the end zone in the third quarter at the Rose Bowl

UCLA tight end Moliki Matavao beats USC safety Bryson Shaw to reach the end zone in the third quarter at the Rose Bowl Saturday.

(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)

Given what happened Saturday, there won’t be much at stake in UCLA’s final game of the season against Fresno State next weekend at the Rose Bowl.

The Bruins will try to send their seniors out as winners while continuing to show resolve. A win over the Bulldogs (6-5) would help UCLA finish the season with four victories in its final six games.

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“They kept rebounding this whole season,” Foster said of his players, “so they’re gonna continue to be resilient and continue to be the type of football players that I know that they are.”

A warning for the Bruins: The Bulldogs have won the last four games in the series.

A warning for Foster: Fresno State has been especially hard on new UCLA coaches, beating Chip Kelly, Rick Neuheisel and Karl Dorrell in each of their first years on the job in Westwood.

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