Who: Iowa (6-3, 4-2 Big Ten) at UCLA (3-5, 2-4 Big Ten)

When: 6 p.m. PT

Where: Rose Bowl | Pasadena, Calif.

TV: FOX

Last meeting: 45-28 UCLA (Jan. 1, 1986 - Rose Bowl Game)

All-time series: UCLA leads 7-2

DeShaun Foster would always prefer having a full week of preparation. The UCLA head coach didn’t have to play on a short week during his collegiate career, only doing so during a seven-year NFL career.

But Friday night’s contest against Iowa will be the same circumstances for both teams, Foster said.

“It’d be different if they were coming off a bye. I’d be pissed,” he added.

Both the Bruins and Hawkeyes are also looking to extend a win streak to three games.

Here’s what to watch for:

That’s the message Foster has for his players after the defense was flagged for three unsportsmanlike conduct penalties — which all led to Nebraska touchdowns — in a nail-biting 27-20 road win last weekend.

The Bruins nearly blew a 20-point second-half lead after linebacker Oluwafemi Oladejo celebrated with a gesture toward the opposing bench that would have been a fourth-down stop, linebacker Ale Kaho retaliated after run for a short loss that was followed by a key 27-yard completion to get inside the red zone and defensive tackle Sitiveni Havili Kaufusi was called for pulling a player off the pile.

It was the second time this season that the Bruins have been called for pulling a player off the pile.

UCLA’s eight penalties per game ranks last in the Big Ten and 118th nationally among 133 FBS teams. The issue continues to work against the very first of Foster’s three pillars — discipline.

“You just can’t — don’t get the refs involved,” Foster said. “We put (Nebraska) back in the game. … It’s just more of just learning and just hopefully we could’ve learned from previous games. But I think that we’ve reiterated that to them and I think they understand pretty much.”

Iowa, meanwhile, is the least penalized team in the nation (3.22 per game).

On the field for each team will be one of the 15 semifinalists for the Butkus Award, which is given annually to the nation’s top linebacker.

Carson Schwesinger has been among UCLA’s top stories this season. The former walk-on has recorded double-digit tackles in six consecutive games, marking the first time since Eric Kendricks achieved the feat in 2014 and coincidentally won the Butkus Award that season.

Schwesinger, the Big Ten leader in tackles per game (10.6), gave part of the credit to defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe and the rest of the unit.

“It means a lot. I think it’s just a credit to my parents and how they raised me and the values they’ve instilled in me, and a credit to the team we’ve built and how we’ve stayed strong and started to piece together some wins,” Schwesinger said in a statement when the midseason watch list was announced Monday.

Also on that list was Iowa standout Jay Higgins, who leads the Big Ten and ranks sixth nationally with 94 total tackles. He also has three interceptions and a pair of forced fumbles.

Also this week, Higgins was named one of 12 semifinalists for the Lombardi Award. The honor, which recognizes the nation’s top lineman, went to former UCLA standout edge rusher Laiatu Latu last season.

Higgins told reporters Tuesday in Iowa City that’s he’s looking forward to his first trip to the Rose Bowl. The program’s last trip to Pasadena was a 45-16 loss to Stanford in the 2016 Rose Bowl Game.

“It’s a little different because it’s not like a bowl game or anything,” Higgins said. “It’s not like we have extra time (to be in Southern California). The only real time we have is walking in there, playing and getting out. So, I’m sure we’ll appreciate a little bit more after the game. I’m sure my parents will have a lot of pictures and things that I didn’t see while I was getting ready for the game. But I’m sure it’s gonna be a cool environment to see all the history, and stuff like that.”

Earlier this week, Bruin Blitz previewed the big showdown between the nation’s second-leading rusher, Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson, and a UCLA run defense that ranks 11th nationally.

One way the Bruins can neutralize Johnson will be dependent upon how well the UCLA offense can keep him off the field entirely.

Against Nebraska, the Bruins had what would have been three consecutive three-and-outs forced by the defense if not for Oladejo’s early gaffe.

UCLA, in turn, controlled the clock and had possession for nearly 21 full minutes in the first half of the victory. The Cornhuskers, like Rutgers in the previous contest, had just one first-quarter drive against the Bruins’ defense.

So, keep an eye on early possessions and whether UCLA can continue its knack for sustaining drives — which was the offense’s weakness in a five-game losing streak early in the season.

The Bruins return home as a much more confident team than the one that has lost all three home games this season.

Now, it’s Homecoming and UCLA will also be back in the throwback uniforms worn by 1967 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Gary Beban.

The Bruins also wore the uniforms last season against Colorado.

“Those are sick jerseys,” said freshman receiver Kwazi Gilmer, who will don the look for the first time.

More than anything, though, Gilmer wants to secure the team’s first home victory of the season.

“That's all we want, man. We want to show the fans what we got. Like, we can't let people come into our house to take what’s ours,” he added.

Hawkeyes junior Brendan Sullivan, a transfer from Northwestern, came on in relief Oct. 26 early in the second quarter against his former school after Iowa starting quarterback Cade McNamara left the game with a concussion.

With Johnson, the Hawkeyes have seldomly needed to pass in the last two games. Iowa defeated Northwestern and Wisconsin by a combined 82-24, with Sullivan attempting just 24 passes — including 10 in last week’s 32-point win against the Badgers.

Sullivan, though, has completed 66.7% of those passes for 173 yards and a touchdown without an interception. He’s shown some big-play ability in his limited throws each contest, with completions of 40 and 52 yards.