No. 7 UCLA comes into Saturday’s nonconference matchup with Nevada carrying all the momentum of a team that has done just about everything right through seven games.
The Bruins are 7-0, sit alone at the top of the Big Ten after Week 8, and head back to Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif., looking to keep both runs alive. A win would push UCLA to 8-0 and match the program’s best opening stretch since 2005.
UCLA is also one of only three undefeated teams left in the Football Bowl Subdivision after BYU, Texas Tech and James Madison were upset last week. The Bruins earned their place there with a 28-10 win over Michigan State, a game that showed just how dangerous their ground game can be when it’s clicking.
That rushing attack had been slowed in the two games after Nico Iamaleava went down with a serious leg injury in UCLA’s Oct. 10 win at Oregon, where Ty Dieffenbach stepped in at quarterback. The Bruins managed only 140 rushing yards against the Ducks and 120 more in a 17-7 win over Wisconsin on Oct. 17.
Against Michigan State, though, the run game looked like itself again. UCLA piled up 245 rushing yards and three touchdowns, with Anthony Woods, Wayne Knight and Jaivian Thomas all getting in on the action.
Knight has scored a rushing touchdown in every game this season, and his 12 total touchdowns are tied for fourth-most nationally. Woods also had a notable day, finishing with 112 yards - his first time topping 100 since UCLA’s Week 1 win at Cal.
Thomas summed up the backfield’s approach this way: "This is a loaded room. Everybody gets their opportunity," Thomas said about the Bruins running back rotation.
"We push each other every day. ... The environment we've got in that running-back room, we never settle."
That depth will be put to the test against a Nevada defense that has struggled against the run. The Wolf Pack are allowing 166.4 rushing yards per game, which ranks No. 99 nationally.
Nevada, though, isn’t arriving empty-handed. The Wolf Pack are 3-4 and coming off their best defensive performance of the season, a 28-13 win over San Jose State in which they held the Spartans to 65 yards on 30 carries and just nine first downs overall.
Dylan LaBarbera helped lead that effort up front, finishing with two tackles for loss. It was his second game this season with a pair of tackles for loss.
Even with that showing, Nevada’s season-long turnover issues remain a major problem. The Wolf Pack are minus-9 in turnover margin, worse than every FBS team except Charlotte.
UCLA has been sharp in that area all year. The Bruins rank fourth nationally at plus-11.
Nevada coach Jeff Choate pointed to the challenge UCLA presents defensively, especially with its aggressive style.
"They have an attacking style. They do more what I would call traditional fire zone," Choate said in his press conference on Monday.
"This is kind of a throwback in terms of what they're doing. (It) is not something that you see every week, at least to the level that they do it."
"The strength of their defense is their front seven," Choate added.
That front seven is led by linebacker Sammy Omosigho, who has a team-high 10 tackles for loss. Behind him, UCLA’s secondary has turned pressure into production, with 12 interceptions, the third most in the FBS.
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UCLA's Hot Start Just Created A Bob Chesney Question Fans Feared
A 7-0 start and a No. 7 national ranking have turned UCLAs season into more than just a fast opening run, because success this immediate also brings a familiar headache for any program with an upward trajectory. Bob Chesney has given the Bruins exactly the kind of lift fans hoped for when he arrived last December, and the early results have only strengthened the sense that UCLA may have landed a coach who fits the job.
Chesney has also made clear he is invested in what he is building, praising the school and the opportunity in strong terms while the wins keep piling up. His contract already runs several more years, but when a team starts this hot, the conversation naturally shifts from whether a coach will stay to how a university keeps the relationship aligned if the momentum continues. [Read more 🡒]
Brian Rowe Jr. Is Giving UCLA's Offense A Needed Lift
Brian Rowe Jr. has quickly become one of the more important pieces in UCLAs passing game, and his impact was on display again in the Bruins 28-10 win over Michigan State. The sophomore wide receiver, a transfer from South Carolina, has given UCLA a much-needed lift on offense this season, and his big-play ability has helped the Bruins create some separation in games where every explosive moment matters.
Against the Spartans, Rowe Jr. added another reminder of why he has become such a valuable target, and UCLA will keep leaning on that kind of production as it turns to Nevada. In the background of that preparation, coaches Dean Kennedy and Colin Hitschler were also talking about player development and how the Bruins are sharpening their defensive approach, but the offenses ability to keep finding answers has been just as important to the teams momentum. [Read more 🡒]
UCLAs Rotation Battle Just Got More Interesting Before Opening Night
UCLAs exhibition win over San Diego offered another look at a rotation that still feels very much up for grabs, and a few players made their case in a convincing 82-50 result. Trent Perry stood out with 17 points and 7 assists, giving the Bruins a steadier lead guard presence after a quieter first exhibition, while Joe Jovic added 16 points and 6 rebounds in a showing that fit neatly into the teams growing depth chart. Joe Philon also chipped in across the board with 11 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and 3 steals.
For a team trying to sort out roles before opening night, those kinds of nights matter just as much as the final score. The Bruins got enough from Perry, Jovic and Philon to keep the offense moving and the defense active, but the larger question is how that production translates once the games count and the coaching staff has to narrow the rotation for real. [Read more 🡒]