UCLA has spent six weeks looking like the real deal. The Bruins are 5-0 in Bob Chesney’s first season, they just went into Autzen Stadium and knocked off No. 13 Oregon, and that surge has pushed them to No. 12 in the AP Top 25.
But the picture got a lot cloudier when Nico Iamaleava went down with a potentially season-ending knee injury.
That matters because this UCLA team has been built around more than just a strong ground game and an improved defense. Iamaleava was central to making the offense hum, handling the line-of-scrimmage work and helping everything stay on schedule. Now the Bruins are staring at a very different setup, with either Ty Dieffenbach, the FCS transfer from Cal Poly who had a 1:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio last season, or Iamaleava’s younger brother, who has thrown one pass at the college level, stepping in.
The Bruins still have the profile of a run-heavy team, and the numbers back it up. UCLA ranks sixth nationally in rushing at 253.2 yards per game. But Wisconsin is walking into this one with a clear identity of its own: stop the run, make opponents earn every inch, and force the game into a different shape.
The Badgers come in allowing 35th-fewest rushing yards per game nationally, and they have two linebackers who have been living in the backfield. Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano have combined for 46 stops, which is nearly 10 a game between them.
That matchup caught the eye of Andy Staples of On3 on the Andy and Ari Podcast.
“I think this is a good matchup for them. In terms of styles make fights, I would argue that Wisconsin has been better against the run than Oregon had, and Oregon held UCLA to 17 points. You look at the numbers, 3.5 yards per carry for Notre Dame, which now is running for six yards per carry against teams." he said.
Wisconsin also gets an extra edge from the bye week, which gave the staff more time to study UCLA tailback Wayne Knight. Knight has been one of the most productive runners in the country, sitting 21st nationally with 548 rushing yards, 10 touchdowns and a 7.7-yard average per carry.
"You can adjust this week and look at your Cal Poly tape of Ty Dieffenbach and figure out how to address him, but they’ve been looking at how to address Wayne Knight for the entire time, because that’s who really scares you," Staples added.
Saturday night at the Rose Bowl figures to be a major moment for both teams, but the game may come down to something simple: which side controls the line of scrimmage. Staples believes Wisconsin has the edge there, and that makes this a far more interesting matchup than UCLA’s ranking alone might suggest.
In Other News...
UCLA Puts Its Perfect Start To The Test Against Wisconsin
UCLA arrives at the Rose Bowl carrying real momentum, with a 5-0 start and a No. 12 national ranking after knocking off Oregon. For Wisconsin, this is the kind of early-season measuring-stick game that can say plenty about where the Badgers stand, even after opening 4-1 and putting themselves in position for a meaningful October road test.
The matchup also puts a spotlight on how Wisconsin handles a Bruin offense that has leaned on Wayne Knight and a running game that has been hard to slow. The betting market appears to favor UCLA to keep rolling, but the Badgers have enough on the board already to make this a useful indicator of whether they can hang with a team that has looked the part of a top-15 contender so far. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsins Fast Start Has Fans Debating Whos Delivering And Who Isnt
Wisconsins 4-1 start and 2-0 mark in conference play have done more than boost the mood around Camp Randall. They have also sharpened the conversation about which players have helped drive the early success and which ones still have room to come around as the season settles in. Through five games, the Badgers have seen some clearly positive surprises emerge from roles that were not always expected to produce this much so soon.
Jacob Harris, Gavin Lahm and Sebastian Cheeks have stood out as players outperforming expectations, while PJ Wilkins, Justus Boone and Abu Sama III have not quite matched the level Wisconsin has needed from them yet. Those kinds of early-season judgments are never final, especially this early in the year, but they do matter for a team trying to keep building on a strong start and sort out where the biggest gains still have to come from. [Read more 🡒]
Colton Joseph Has Extra Motivation For Wisconsins Biggest Road Test
Colton Joseph has a built-in storyline for Wisconsins trip to UCLA, and it starts with the setting as much as the opponent. The quarterback said he is excited to play in his home state and experience the Rose Bowl for the first time, a neat twist for a Badgers team heading into one of its biggest road tests of the season. Coming out of the bye week, Joseph also pointed to the work the offense put in during the break, with the offensive line spending time preparing for the challenge ahead.
Wisconsin has a little extra edge after being left out of the AP Top 25, and Joseph said the group understands the importance of responding on the road. UCLAs defense will demand clean football, and ball security came up as a major point of emphasis in his media availability. With family support in the stands and a familiar backdrop for him personally, Joseph enters the game with more than just a conference matchup on his mind. [Read more 🡒]