Getty Head coach Chip Kelly and the UCLA Bruins take on Coastal Carolina in the season opener.
The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (0-0) and the UCLA Bruins (0-0) will clash in their 2023 season opener at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, September 2.
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The game will be televised on ESPN, but if you don’t have cable or don’t have that channel, you can watch a live stream for free on FuboTV or DirecTV Stream.
Here’s how:
FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of ESPN and 100-plus other live TV channels on FuboTV, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch Coastal Carolina vs UCLA live on the FuboTV app or FuboTV website.
Compatible devices for the FuboTV app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Fubo credentials to do that.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” ESPN is included in all of them, and you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free five-day trial:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch Coastal Carolina vs UCLA live on the DirecTV Stream app or DirecTV Stream website.
Compatible devices for the DirecTV Stream app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your DirecTV Stream credentials to do that.
Sling TV
If you’ve used up all your free trials for other streaming services, Sling TV is the cheapest long-term streaming service that includes this game. ESPN is included in the “Sling Orange” bundle, which is just $20 for your first month:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch Coastal Carolina vs UCLA live on the Sling TV app or Sling TV website.
Compatible devices for the Sling TV app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Sling credentials to do that.
Coastal Carolina vs UCLA Preview
Both teams finished with 9-4 overall records last season. Coastal Carolina averaged just over 29 points a game on offense, and on the defensive side, the group allowed 31.9 points per contest.
After former coach Jamey Chadwell left to serve as head coach at Liberty, Tim Beck will take the reins for Coastal Carolina. The offense will have some consistency, though, as Grayson McCall will be under center again for the Chanticleers. In 11 games for the Chanticleers last year, McCall completed just under 70% of his passes for 2700 yards, 24 touchdowns and only two interceptions.
“I think it’s huge for us to go out there and play well,” McCall said leading up to this game. “Get a win and, you know, get some momentum rolling in the season.” The Coastal Carolina quarterback says his team has been waiting for this game for quite some time. “We’ve had it circled on the calendar for four or five years now and getting the opportunity to go out to California to play in the Rose Bowl is something special,” McCall added.
“Don’t make it bigger than it is,” Beck advised his players about this game. “It’s nothing different, the field is still 100 yards long.”
On the other side, UCLA saw its season end with a loss in the Sun Bowl against Pitt, 37-35. The Bruins had the eighth-best offense in the nation, averaging 32.9 points a game. On defense, UCLA surrendered 29.0 points per contest.
The Bruins’ offense will likely look quite a bit different this year, as they will have a new starting quarterback after Dorian Thompson-Robinson was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the 2023 NFL draft. Freshman quarterback Dante Moore is the favorite to win the starting job, while Ethan Garbers and Kent State transfer Collin Schlee have also been solid in the competition, and both are still capable of winning it.
Bruins head coach Chip Kelly says all three quarterbacks will see the field in this game, so whoever plays the best could go a long way to winning the starting job.
“Who’s gonna help us win the game,” Kelly said about what he’s looking for from his quarterbacks. “It’s a very simple process and I think all three of those guys can do that and that’s why all three of those guys are gonna play.”
This will be the first-ever meeting between these two teams.