UCLA’s offense had a new gear in College Park, and it showed up in the form of the direct snap.
Bob Chesney’s Bruins leaned on it early and often Saturday, and Maryland never found a clean answer. Wayne Knight ripped off a 45-yard touchdown on one direct snap, Anthony Woods and Jaivian Thomas added scores on similar looks, and UCLA rolled to a 54-3 win that kept the Bruins unbeaten.
The result was historic in one narrow but striking way: it was UCLA’s largest road conference victory since 1955. The Bruins are now 4-0, one year after winning only three games, and 2-0 in the Big Ten.
Knight, who entered Week 4 leading the FBS in touchdowns with eight, rushing touchdowns with eight and yards per carry at 8.85, finished with 100 yards on 10 carries. His first big burst came on a fourth-and-1 early in the second quarter, when UCLA came out with Nico Iamaleava split wide and Knight in the shotgun. Knight took the snap, followed pulling guard Julian Armella through the left side and exploded untouched into the end zone at Maryland’s SECU Stadium.
That play opened the floodgates. Knight also broke free for a 33-yard gain on an option pitchout on UCLA’s next scoring march, a four-play, 62-yard drive helped along by a Maryland facemask penalty.
Woods finished that series with back-to-back direct snap runs, first for 13 yards and then for a 1-yard touchdown. Thomas later got his turn from the direct snap as well, finishing a 75-yard drive with a 3-yard score after another Maryland facemask offense.
The Bruins kept stacking points from there. Iamaleava went 15 of 24 for 209 yards and threw an 83-yard touchdown to Aidan Mizell on his final pass of the afternoon. After that throw, Iamaleava grabbed at his right arm, though the game was already out of reach when his younger brother Madden came in late.
UCLA’s second straight game with 50-plus points was capped by Troy Leigber’s 63-yard run, long after Chesney had already positioned himself to become the first UCLA coach to open his tenure 4-0 since Red Sanders in 1949.
The offense was loud. The defense was louder.
Against a Maryland team that looked rattled by the pressure surrounding Mike Locksley after last weekend’s loss to Virginia Tech, UCLA intercepted sophomore quarterback Malik Washington four times. Ta’Shawn James and Scooter Jackson both turned their picks into touchdowns in the third quarter, while Mason Rivera and Trent Hendrick also came away with interceptions.
By the end, the numbers were lopsided across the board. UCLA outgained Maryland 475-181, ran for 266 yards to Maryland’s 39, and held the Terrapins to 1 of 15 on third down.
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Leland Smiths recent surge gives UCLA another reason to feel better about the offense heading into its meeting with Maryland, but the bigger spotlight still falls on Nico Iamaleava. The Bruins have leaned on the idea that their quarterback can settle in quickly and keep the unit moving, and this matchup offers a useful barometer against a Terrapins defense with some issues in the secondary.
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For a Bruins offense looking to establish rhythm in its fourth game of the season, the balance has come from a ground attack that has kept the pressure on the Terrapins. UCLA is leading at the time of the report, and the way the second quarter unfolded suggested the visitors were in control of the matchup in College Park. [Read more 🡒]
UCLA Suddenly Looks Ahead Of Schedule Before Oregon Arrives
A 54-3 rout of Maryland has UCLA sitting at 4-0 and already past last seasons win total, a striking early turn for a program that entered the fall looking for signs of traction. The Bruins have found a rhythm on both sides of the ball, and the attention around Nico Iamaleava and Wayne Knight has only added to the sense that this start is about more than a hot afternoon.
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