PASADENA - UCLA kept rolling Saturday at the Rose Bowl, shaking off an early deficit and then pulling away for a 28-10 win over Michigan State.
The Bruins, now 6-0 and 4-0, were already bowl eligible after six games and had doubled their win total from last season before this one even kicked off. Against a Michigan State team tied for last place in the Big Ten, UCLA did not blink after giving up the first score of the game.
Michigan State struck first in the opening quarter. After a UCLA fumble, the Spartans drove to the UCLA 15, and two plays later Kenneth Williams caught the ball in the end zone for a 7-0 lead.
UCLA answered in the second quarter after an MSU fumble put the Bruins in the red zone. A few plays later, Jaivian Thomas powered in from seven yards out to tie it at 7-7.
The Bruins then took control with a defensive spark. After another UCLA turnover, Donavyn Pellot stepped in front of the ball for a 56-yard interception, setting up a one-yard rushing touchdown by Wayne Knight. That pushed UCLA ahead 14-7.
The separation came after halftime. At 13:00 of the third quarter, Ty Dieffenbach returned after an injury scare before the break and connected with Brian Rowe on a 63-yard pass that Rowe turned into a touchdown. That made it 21-7.
UCLA added another punch later in the third quarter with a 10-play, 70-yard drive finished by Anthony Woods on a four-yard run, stretching the margin to 28-7.
Michigan State finally got back on the board at 6:23 in the fourth quarter with a successful field goal, but it was too little, too late. The Bruins closed out the game from there, ending with a 28-10 final.
In Other News...
UCLA's 7-0 Start Has Fans Asking One Huge Playoff Question
UCLAs unbeaten start rolled on Saturday with a 28-10 win over Michigan State, pushing the Bruins to 7-0 and keeping the conversation around their season pointed well beyond the usual October milestones. The defense again set the tone, with Donavyn Pellot, Sammy Omosigho and Jalen Woods turning in notable performances, while the running backs powered the offense with 245 rushing yards and multiple touchdowns. Ty Dieffenbach also did his part, completing 18 of 31 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown.
What makes the Bruins more than just an early-season surprise is how complete they have looked while the schedule gets tougher and the attention gets louder. Fans are already asking the obvious question about College Football Playoff legitimacy, and UCLA has given them enough evidence to make the debate real rather than hypothetical. The next stretch will go a long way toward showing whether this start is simply impressive or something much bigger. [Read more 🡒]
UCLAs Win Over Michigan State Looks Different Under Film Review
UCLAs 28-10 win over Michigan State looked pretty clean on the scoreboard, but the postgame picture gets a little more layered once Pro Football Focus gets hold of the film. The review process goes snap by snap and is designed to strip out the usual noise, giving the Bruins a more objective read on how individual players actually performed rather than how the game felt in real time.
PFF uses a 1-100 scale, with 85 or higher tagged as NFL-caliber, so those numbers can reshape how a strong win is viewed inside the program. The grades assigned after this game are not necessarily final, either, since they can still be adjusted later in the week, which leaves some room for the story of UCLAs performance to keep evolving even after the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]
UCLA Proved Its Backfield Can Survive One Scary Wayne Knight Moment
Wayne Knight has been the engine of UCLAs ground game this season, leading the Big Ten with 12 rushing touchdowns and stacking up three 100-yard performances along the way. So when he left last weeks game against Michigan State with an injury, it had the look of a potentially costly moment for a backfield that has leaned so heavily on his production.
Instead, the Bruins found enough balance to keep rolling in a 28-10 win, with Anthony Woods and Jaivian Thomas both helping shoulder the load when the offense needed it most. Bob Chesney said Knights injury is not serious, and he pointed to the way the backs handled the situation as another sign that UCLAs rushing game is built on more than one runner. [Read more 🡒]