Bruins End Winless Streak in a Big Way
Winless in four games. No lead all season. A fired head coach. Two coordinators gone. And No. 7 Penn State coming to town. UCLA football couldn’t have been any lower.
By Earl Heath and AP
Winless in four games. No lead all season. A fired head coach. Two coordinators gone. And No. 7 Penn State coming to town. UCLA football couldn’t have been any lower.
“Nobody in the world expected us to win,” said Bruins safety Key Lawrence.
Indeed, the Bruins entered Saturday’s matchup as 25½-point underdogs. Yet they stunned the college football world — and the Nittany Lions — with a 42–37 victory at the Rose Bowl, becoming the first 0–4 or worse team to beat a top-10 opponent in 40 years.
A New Era, a New Energy
“You’d think it was Mardi Gras,” said interim head coach Tim Skipper, describing the postgame locker room celebration. “There was water flying everywhere, there’s music, there’s guys that can’t dance who are dancing, and coaches trying to dance. It was exciting.”
Quarterback Nico Iamaleava powered the Bruins to their first win of the season, rushing for three touchdowns and throwing for two more. UCLA’s offense — led by tight ends coach Jerry Neuheisel, calling plays for the first time — came out firing and never trailed, scoring touchdowns on its first five possessions.
“We were going to be super aggressive, but not do dumb things,” Skipper said. “The plan was if we scored first, we’d stay on the attack.”
Neuheisel, a former UCLA quarterback and son of former head coach Rick Neuheisel, said the victory was special. “We had two days to practice the new game plan and all they did was believe,” he said. “It was just a special, special day.”
Iamaleava’s Breakout Game
Iamaleava, the highly touted transfer from Tennessee, turned in his best performance as a Bruin. He completed 17 of 24 passes for 166 yards and added 128 rushing yards on 16 carries.
“It feels great, man,” Iamaleava said. “We finally put it together on the offensive side of the ball. I’m just proud of these guys.”
He capped the day with a 7-yard touchdown scramble and a two-point conversion pass to Kwazi Gilmer to make it 42–28 with 6:41 left.
Defense Delivers Late
Leading 42–35, UCLA sealed the win when Scooter Jackson stopped Penn State quarterback Drew Allar on fourth-and-two with 37 seconds remaining. The Bruins then took an intentional safety to run out the clock.
UCLA (1–4, 1–1 Big Ten) outgained Penn State 446–357, outrushed the Lions 280–127, and converted 10 of 16 third downs — all season highs.
Historic Upset
According to Sportradar, UCLA is only the fifth team in history to start 0–4 or worse and beat a top-10 opponent. The last to do so was UTEP, which upset No. 7 BYU 23–13 in 1985.
Penn State (3–2, 0–2) struggled to recover from last week’s double-overtime loss to Oregon. Despite late rallies, the Nittany Lions couldn’t keep pace with the rejuvenated Bruins.
On this day, UCLA found its fight — and maybe its future.
