LOS ANGELES - Scooter Jackson isn’t getting caught up in the noise around the 24-team College Football Playoff.
Asked about the latest shake-up in the sport, the UCLA defensive back kept it short and sounded like a player who’s heard the message from his coach plenty of times already.
“Doesn’t matter,” Jackson said. “Get better.”
That line has become the heartbeat of UCLA football under Bob Chesney. After the Bruins’ win at Minnesota last week, Chesney used the same phrase with CBS sideline reporter Jenny Dell, and it has settled into the program as a kind of daily command. The wording is simple, but at UCLA it has become the standard.
“After every game, Chesney says, ‘It doesn’t matter, get better.’ So that’s kind of the mindset we have,” defensive tackle Darold DeNgohe explained.
The Bruins have plenty going for them right now: a No. 4 ranking, a 9-0 record, and a four-spot jump in the latest CFP rankings after the committee adjusted its original view. But none of that appears to move the needle inside the building. UCLA is preparing for Illinois, which comes in at 6-3 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten, on a short week Friday at 6 p.m. at the Rose Bowl.
The opponent is rolling, too. Illinois has won four straight, and its defense has been especially stingy, holding each of its last three foes under 20 points while cutting down on explosive plays. Still, UCLA’s focus stays fixed on the same narrow lane.
“It’s just one week at a time,” Chesney said.
That approach has powered the Bruins’ turnaround and kept them from looking too far ahead. They are one win from tying the program’s single-season record, but Chesney isn’t interested in treating that as some kind of finish line. In his view, the work is nowhere near done.
“We still got a lot to do to get right with this roster,” he said.
UCLA fans may already be looking at the season as a full-scale revival, especially after the Bruins won eight games over the previous two years and now sit unbeaten. Chesney, though, is not framing it that way. Even the possibility of an extension, something fans would love to see, falls into the category of things that “doesn’t matter” to him.
The same goes for the matchup itself, even with Illinois finding its footing under Bret Bielema. The Illini have a quarterback in Katin Houser, the St.
John Bosco High product, who has thrown for 515 yards and four touchdowns over the past two games since returning from a right hand injury. Chesney also pointed to wide receiver Collin Dixon as being in the same tier as Ohio State Heisman candidate Jeremiah Smith.
On the UCLA side, there is some help coming back. Defensive back Rodrick Pleasant and offensive tackle Jordan Davis are set to return from injury. But the offensive line also took a hit, with Hall Schmidt injured and center Riley Robell possibly unavailable after spending the week in a boot on his foot.
Derek Osman filled in for Robell against Minnesota and, according to offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy, “didn’t miss a step.”
That kind of flexibility has been part of UCLA’s formula, especially up front, where the Bruins rotate linemen during games and lean on players who have already gotten live reps.
“Max effort is the price of admission in the O-line room,” guard Carter Sweazie said. “You don’t get points for playing as hard as you can.
It’s expected. And when you gas out and you need a play, and someone will come in and do it for you, it really challenges defenses.”
With Illinois, Michigan, and No. 18 USC still ahead, UCLA is entering a stretch that could shape its postseason path. The Bruins say the answer is the same as always: block out the outside noise, keep the focus tight, and keep getting better.
Illinois (6-3, 4-2, Big Ten) at No. 4 UCLA (9-0, 6-0)
Where: Rose Bowl
TV/Radio: FOX (Ch. 11)/KABC-AM 790
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