Foster Apologizes to His Teammates

UCLA Coach Bob Toledo had just about finished addressing his team after practice when DeShaun Foster spoke up. Toledo said he did not ask Foster to speak to his teammates, but Foster wanted to apologize for whatever distraction he caused by the public acknowledgment Wednesday that he had pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of marijuana possession this summer.

Foster implored his teammates not to lose their focus on football, in the process impressing them with his concern for others.

“That tells you a lot about his character,” tailback Jermaine Lewis said. “I’m real proud of him.”

Foster also issued a public statement in which he acknowledged a mistake and said, “I am sorry for any embarrassment I have caused my family, coaches and teammates.”

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California is sticking with a kicker whose longest field goal this season is 27 yards. Half the kickers in the Pacific 10 Conference have made fewer than 60% of their field-goal attempts.

“It’s a tough year,” UCLA kicker Chris Griffith said. “I’ve seen a lot of guys struggle.”

Fortunately for the Bruins, Griffith is not one of them. He hasn’t missed a field goal since the season opener and has made 46-yarders in each of the past two games.

Griffith ranks fourth in the Pac-10 in scoring, with 28 points on four field goals and 16 conversions. Oregon State running back Ken Simonton leads the Pac-10 with 60 points (10 touchdowns), followed by Oregon kicker Josh Frankel (37 points on eight field goals and 13 conversions), Foster (36 points on six touchdowns) and Griffith.