Brian Rowe Jr. has turned himself into a real part of UCLA’s offense, and the sophomore wideout keeps finding bigger moments as the Bruins keep rolling.
His latest came on the first drive of the third quarter against Michigan State, when he broke toward the middle of the field, handled man coverage from freshman cornerback Jeremiah Favorite and hauled in a 63-yard touchdown from senior quarterback Ty Dieffenbach. The throw was high and arcing, placed just far enough away from Favorite and right where Rowe Jr. could make the play. That score helped UCLA open things up in the second half and finish off a 28-10 win that pushed the Bruins to 7-0.
Rowe Jr.’s path to this point has been a steady climb since transferring from South Carolina after his freshman year. UCLA offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy said the Charlotte native has come a long way.
“He is someone who has grown from Game 1 to where we are so much,” Kennedy told the LA Daily News on Wednesday. “There are certain things you do that it’s going to take a mess-up on Saturday to clean up. Obviously you don’t want that to happen, but that’s part of the game.”
The numbers show how quickly he has settled in. Rowe Jr. is already at 17 catches for 283 yards for UCLA in 2026, a pace that is on track to pass his South Carolina totals from 2025, when he posted 19 receptions for 149 yards.
“He’s playing at a high rate, and he’s never played this many snaps on Saturday,” Kennedy said. “You break down the film on Saturday, and you’re talking about the growth he’s had. That growth leads to confidence and that confidence leads to and from himself and the players around him.”
While Kennedy and the offense have spent the last few days preparing for Nevada, UCLA’s defense is sorting through a different kind of puzzle. The Bruins face the last non-conference opponent on their schedule Saturday at 1:15 p.m., and Nevada brings the 31st-ranked defense in the country. The Wolf Pack’s top defenders include linebacker EJ Smith, who has 76 tackles, 2.5 sacks and two pass deflections, defensive lineman Dylan LaBarbera with 55 tackles and four sacks, and linebacker Jeremy Naborne-Owens with 53 tackles and two sacks.
On the other side, UCLA defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler is waiting on Nevada’s quarterback decision. The Wolf Pack have used four quarterbacks this season, including UCLA transfer Luke Duncan, who completed 21 of 34 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns during his three seasons at UCLA.
“He’s a good player, and he wouldn’t have been recruited here if he wasn’t a good player,” Hitschler said. “He’s got a strong arm, does a really good job of staying patient with his reads and throwing the ball aggressively on the hashes. He creates challenges.”
Duncan also had a solid outing against San Jose State, going 18 of 29 for 178 yards and two touchdowns.
“If it’s (Duncan), we have to do a really good job of playing different coverages and making him react post-snap,” Hitschler said.
The uncertainty runs deeper than one name. Duncan is in the mix with sophomore Carter Jones and senior AJ Bianco, and Hitschler said the Bruins have had to get ready for all three possibilities.
“That’s the challenge: you have three slightly different plans,” Hitschler said. “The guys, to their credit, have taken to the work of understanding that.”
UCLA’s defense has built its reputation on forcing offenses into bad spots. It ranks 10th nationally, owns the third-best third-down defense and leads the country in fumbles recovered. Senior linebacker Sammy Omosigho tops all players with five forced fumbles.
“Coach Chesney said it the other day, you know what makes third down winnable? Third and long,” Hitschler said.
“If it’s third and short and you’re trying to manipulate a way to get off the field, you’re not going to be as successful statistically. Got to continue winning first and second down, continue to put pressure on a quarterback, and find a way to win.”
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