Earlier in the season, before UCLA fired DeShaun Foster and before Dylan Raiola broke his leg, the Bruins were thought to be one of the easier opponents left on the schedule. Now, interim head coach Tim Skipper has his squad playing better, and the Huskers are giving TJ Lateef his first career start. However, even when the Bruins looked like one of the worst teams in the Big Ten, Nebraska safety DeShon Singleton said UCLA was a game he'd circled on the calendar.
Singleton, speaking to the media earlier this week, was asked how much the loss to UCLA last year is a motivator for this year's Husker squad. He didn't hesitate when he said it was something that stood out to him, as he wraps up his last year in Lincoln.
DeShon Singleton says Nebraska football still remembers UCLA loss
"It's an extreme motivator. I mean, you got that little itch, on the back of your head. You're waiting on that game because obviously they came in our house and we ended up losing. So, I mean, this is a game that we've been waiting for, and we're ready to go out there and go play."
DeShaun Foster's program was in a similar situation, as they are this year under Skipper. They started the season off poorly, but were playing their best football when they clashed with Nebraska. The Huskers seemed like they'd perhaps overlooked the West Coast school and ended up losing, 27-20.
That loss was the third straight after the Huskers won their fifth game, and there was plenty of worry NU would find a way to lose out and miss a bowl game for the second straight season.
Singleton is also aware of how some people expect Nebraska to limp to the finish line this season, as well, especially with Raiola going down for the year. The Husker safety wants people to understand that he expects them to keep winning.
"We got three more games left," the Nebraska football star said. "How you finish the season, that’s just who you are. Some schools might say, ‘Oh, we got three losses,’ and give up. But nah, we're going to go out there and fight."