UCLA’s ground game has been rolling through the first four weeks, and the Bruins have made it clear they’re not asking Wayne Knight to carry the whole load by himself.
Instead, head coach Bob Chesney has leaned into a committee backfield, a move that’s kept the group fresh and productive. In an interview with Yogi Roth, Chesney explained why that approach made sense from the start. “You know, we knew we had three really good running backs, and we knew, and we still know, we're going to need three really good running backs,” Chesney said.
He pointed to the reality of the position itself as the reason UCLA isn’t trying to ride one runner all season long. “You don't make it usually the whole year, right?
Very few can play all 12 games, you know, and be at 100% health. It just doesn't happen in this profession, or in this position, just because of the contact they have to take and just the wear and tear on their bodies.
So ultimately, we knew we had three good ones. We knew we could rotate them.
We knew we could play a hot hand when it happens.”
Knight has still been the centerpiece of the rushing attack, but the Bruins have been careful with his workload. That has helped him stay sharp, while Anthony Woods and Jaivian Thomas have been ready to step in and keep the run game moving.
There’s more to the rotation than just spreading out carries, too. Chesney wants the right back on the field for the right situation, and the three Bruins bring different skill sets to the table.
The broader idea is simple: keep the backfield healthy, keep it fresh, and let the season play out with options. So far, that plan has worked. The running back group has been one of the few spots UCLA hasn’t had to worry about on the injury report each week.
If Knight, Woods, and Thomas keep trending this way, UCLA’s offense should only become more dangerous as the season goes on.
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UCLA's Fast Start Has Created One Big Bruins Debate
UCLAs unbeaten start has turned the early fall into something of a surprise story, with Bob Chesneys team racing out to a 4-0 record and climbing to No. 4 in the latest CBS Sports Big Ten Power Rankings. The Bruins have done it with a ground game that has been impossible to ignore, averaging 281.5 rushing yards per game behind Wayne Knight, Jaivian Thomas and Anthony Woods, and giving the offense a clear identity through the first month.
Still, the questions around this team have not gone away because of how productive the offense has been. UCLA has given up notable points in some games, leaving the bigger debate centered on whether the Bruins are built to keep this pace when the schedule stiffens, and the Oct. 10 game against Oregon is shaping up as the first real measuring stick for how serious this start might be. [Read more 🡒]
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The additions only sharpen that picture. Jaylen Petty arrives from Texas Tech, Serbian newcomer Nikola Kusturica adds another layer to the mix, and Auburn transfer Filip Jovic is expected to step into a sixth-man role. With multiple players able to cover different spots, UCLA suddenly has the kind of versatile lineup construction Cronin has been chasing. [Read more 🡒]
Dan Lanning Used Oregons Bye Week To Reinforce One Core Belief
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Macdonalds own philosophy lines up with that emphasis on connection, which makes the exchange more than a casual stopover. For UCLA, the bigger takeaway is simple enough: Oregon is using the open week not just to rest, but to sharpen the culture and cohesion that Lanning believes will matter once the games start stacking up again. [Read more 🡒]