Who’s ready for Week 2?
Before every UCLA football game this season, Jack and Connor are making spread picks and one bold prediction apiece, and they opened the year on a heater. In Week 1, both of them cashed their spread picks, and Jack also called Wayne Knight scoring two touchdowns - Knight finished with three.
Now the focus shifts to UCLA’s second game of the season against San Diego State at the Rose Bowl, and both picks point the same direction again: UCLA -12.5.
Jack is expecting the Bruins to handle business without much drama. He’s not taking San Diego State lightly - noting the Aztecs were picked to finish second in the Pac-12 - but he sees a UCLA team that is simply too strong on both sides of the ball.
After what the Bruins showed in Berkeley, he thinks they can dictate the game and get what they want from the Aztecs. His bold call is centered on the passing game and Nico Iamaleava getting rolling, with Aidan Mizell quadrupling his career receptions at UCLA by catching at least four passes.
Jack says he’s been high on Mizell all along and isn’t worried about the hamstring injury. In his words: “He's back, in a big way.
Bruins roll.”
Connor is on the Bruins by the same margin and sees the talent gap showing up in the final score. He gives San Diego State some credit for being pesky, especially with running back Lucky Sutton and a new look defense, but says the Aztecs don’t have the star power they had last season.
He pointed to UCLA’s roster as the side with the players who can change the game, and he doesn’t see anyone on SDSU who worries him the way JKS and Adam Mohammed did last week. Connor’s score prediction is UCLA 31-14, and he expects the Bruins’ secondary to start rotating late, which should create a chance for sophomore cornerback Osiris Gilbert to make a play.
His bold prediction: Gilbert comes away with an interception.
In Other News...
Nico Iamaleava Faces A Big UCLA Test As Pressure Builds
Nico Iamaleava is heading into a season that could shape his NFL Draft stock, and UCLA is already thinking carefully about how to put him in position to answer that challenge. Bob Chesneys approach for the upcoming game against San Diego State is expected to weigh the balance between giving Iamaleava enough passing chances to settle in and avoiding unnecessary quarterback runs, especially with injury concerns part of the equation.
The Bruins also have seen a useful sign from Iamaleavas demeanor, after he stayed composed following a red zone interception against Cal. For a player whose upside and scrutiny now travel together, those are the kinds of moments UCLA will be watching closely, because the test is no longer just about flashes - it is about how he handles the pressure that comes with being the guy. [Read more 🡒]
UCLA Home Opener Puts 3 Bruins Under Real Pressure
UCLAs home opener against San Diego State arrives with a little extra scrutiny in the first season under coach Bob Chesney, and the Bruins have a handful of players who can help shape whether the night feels like a smooth step forward or a warning sign. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava remains at the center of everything UCLA wants to do, while running back Anthony Woods is coming off a strong Week 1 showing and gives the offense another way to settle in early. On the other side of the ball, Sahir West is one of the names to watch as UCLA tries to keep building on the kind of defensive effort that can travel into league play.
The matchup also asks the Bruins to do what they did well in their recent defensive success: make life uncomfortable for San Diego States passing game. If UCLA can keep that pressure consistent, it can help the rest of the night fall into place for a team still defining itself under Chesney. If it cannot, the home opener could turn into the kind of test that exposes how much work remains, especially for a group leaning on a few key players to set the tone. [Read more 🡒]
UCLA Gets An Early Test Fans Can't Ignore
UCLAs home opener in Pasadena already has the feel of an early measuring-stick game, and San Diego State is making sure the Bruins know it. After opening with a win over Cal, UCLA gets a quick chance to see how its roster stacks up against a program that arrives with plenty of confidence and no interest in being treated like a warmup opponent.
Sean Lewis has been clear that his team believes it belongs in the conversation, even against a Bruins squad with the kind of talent and resources that usually draw the bigger headlines. For UCLA, the matchup is less about style points than proving the first win was a starting point and not the high-water mark, which is exactly what makes this one worth watching so early in the season. [Read more 🡒]