UCLA didn’t just open the season with a win at California. The Bruins controlled the game with their legs, piled up big plays, and finished with a 45-24 victory that featured a dominant fourth quarter and a wave of firsts for new faces in the program.
The Bruins (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) rolled up 277 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns, both standout numbers in a season opener that gave UCLA plenty to build on. The 277 yards were the most the Bruins had produced in a game since the 2023 LA Bowl against Boise State, and the six rushing scores were the program’s most in a single game since Sept. 23, 2023 vs.
NC Central. Against an FBS opponent, it was UCLA’s highest rushing touchdown total since Sept.
26, 2015.
UCLA also made the fourth quarter look easy. The Bruins outscored Cal 21-0 in the final frame, and those 21 points were more than they scored in any single quarter during the entire 2025 campaign. By the end, UCLA had 461 yards of total offense, its best output since Oct. 19, 2024 at Rutgers, and averaged 8.7 yards per carry on 32 touches.
Bob Chesney kept adding to an already strong start in season openers. The UCLA head coach improved to 13-4 in season-opening games for his career, won his seventh straight opener, and has now taken each of those last seven by at least two scores. He also extended his regular-season winning streak to 11 games dating back to 2025.
The Bruins’ offensive explosion came with plenty of chunk gains. UCLA had 10 individual plays of 20 or more yards, including seven in the first half alone. That matched last year’s single-game season high, which came against Penn State.
Wayne Knight was at the center of the ground game. He scored three rushing touchdowns for the first time in his career and finished with 157 all-purpose yards, his 13th career game over 100 all-purpose yards.
Anthony Woods added his best performance yet in a UCLA uniform, running for 118 yards and two touchdowns on just eight carries. It was his first 100-yard game as a Bruin and his first pair of rushing scores for the school.
The defense and special moments helped put the game away, too. Ta’Shawn James intercepted two passes in the fourth quarter, the first two picks of his career, and became the first Bruin with two interceptions in a game since Carson Schwesinger did it against Iowa during the 2024 season. Derrick Barksdale added a 10-yard sack on a blitz in the second quarter, giving him his second career sack and first as a Bruin.
Sammy Omosigho turned in a huge defensive night, finishing with a team-high 14 tackles after posting nine in the first half alone. He also recorded a sack and forced a fumble on the same play late in the second quarter, while matching his career high with 2.0 tackles for loss. Jalen Woods added a career-best 11 tackles, and Malik Hartford set a personal high with five stops.
Mikey Matthews made his mark in the passing game. His 43-yard catch late in the first half set up a field goal, and it was his longest reception as a Bruin and the second-longest catch of his career. He finished with a career-high 88 receiving yards, then added 12 yards on two punt returns to reach 100 total yards for the first time at UCLA.
UCLA also had a deep rotation in play. At least 38 Bruins made their official debut in a UCLA uniform, and seven different players caught a pass while five logged a rushing attempt.
The win improved UCLA’s all-time record in season-openers to 70-33-5. It also pushed the Bruins to 59-35-1 all-time against Cal and 26-21 in Berkeley.
UCLA now turns to San Diego State on Sept. 12, 2026 at Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif.
In Other News...
Nico Iamaleava Addressed The UCLA Injury Scare Fans Feared
A late scare in UCLAs road win at Cal had Bruins fans holding their breath when Nico Iamaleava went down after a run in the fourth quarter. The quarterback briefly left the game, then came back, and head coach Bob Chesney later said the issue was a calf cramp caused by being cleated, adding that Iamaleava should be fine moving forward.
Iamaleava also spoke about the moment after the game, calling it painful but saying he recovered after a short spell on the sideline. For UCLA, the encouraging part is less about the hit itself than the fact that its quarterback was able to return and help close out a road victory, even if the aftermath still left a few questions about how hell look as the week moves on. [Read more 🡒]
UCLAs New-Look Ground Game Just Changed How Fans See This Win
A 45-24 win over Cal in Bob Chesneys first game as UCLAs head coach already gave the Bruins a clean opening statement, but the numbers on the ground made it feel even more like a shift in identity. UCLA piled up 277 rushing yards and found the end zone six times on the ground, a showing that gave the offense a different kind of edge and left plenty of room for a deeper look at who drove it.
Pro Football Focus has since gone back through the film and graded the Bruins individual performances with its usual detailed system, offering a separate lens on how that performance actually held up snap by snap. Those grades can still change as the review process continues, and they do not always line up with what a coaching staff sees, but they add another layer to a debut that already has fans recalibrating what this offense might be under Chesney. [Read more 🡒]
UCLA's Secondary Just Got A Boost And A New Camp Question
Scooter Jackson is back in the mix for UCLA at a time when the Bruins can use all the help they can get in the secondary. After dealing with academic eligibility issues earlier in the year, Jackson has been cleared to play this season, and he was back on the field for fall camp after missing part of spring practice. His versatility gives UCLA some welcome flexibility, since he has experience at multiple spots in the defensive backfield and has already shown he can be a useful piece for this defense.
The timing matters, too, with Week 1 against Cal approaching and Jackson expected to be available. For a unit that always has to be ready to shuffle pieces around, getting a player like that back in the rotation can change how the Bruins approach the early part of the season. The open question now is how quickly he settles back in after the interrupted offseason and what role he ultimately claims once the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]