UCLA Stays Undefeated

Pasadena, CA (News4usonline) – The streak continues. UCLA defeated Michigan State to stay unbeaten, recording a 28-10 win at the Rose Bowl Stadium. It was homecoming for UCLA and running their seventh straight win was a reason for the Bruins to celebrate.  

The Bruins begin their season 7-0 for the first time since 2005 and eighth time in program history. It was the first time these two teams faced off against each other at the Rose Bowl since 1966. 

Against the Spartans, the Bruins wore their baby blue throwback jerseys inspired by the 1954 national championship team. The uniforms they wore in their last matchup. Sixty-years later the outcome remains the same with UCLA getting the win against the Spartans. 

UCLA was ranked No. 9 prior to playing Michigan State, jumping 14 spots over the last four weeks in the Associated Press poll. The Bruins are one of the six remaining unbeaten teams, after today just one of three joining Miami and Utah. 

The Bruins are bowl eligible for the first time since 2023 while also going 5-0 in Big Ten play for the first time since 2005. First year head coach Bob Chesney couldn’t have asked for a better start to his tenure in Westwood, however he was not happy at all on how his team played in the first half of this game. 

“The first half was not our type of football,” said Chesney postgame. “Not really how we want to play the game with two fumbles, for them to have 100 and some yards of returns on those two.” 

The Bruins came out flat in the first half not playing their best brand of football. Michigan State was able to capitalize, forcing two fumbles converting the first touchdown of the game leading 7-0 heading into the second quarter. 

Coming out of halftime, the energy shifted as UCLA got back on the field firing from both sides of the ball. UCLA’s offense, specifically the run game, continues to be stellar throughout this undefeated streak. 

Coming into the game the Bruins led the Big Ten with 231 rushing yards per game along with 21 rushing touchdowns. That formula continues to be successful. Star running back Wayne Knight added to his historical start to the season rushing for another touchdown to give him 13 on the year. 

Running backs Anthony Woods and Jaivian Thomas each added touchdowns of their own to give the Bruins 24 rushing touchdowns on the season. 

“We can do a lot, we can catch out the back field,” said Woods. “Us all together, you know, we feed off each other’s energy, we kind of make plays for the team and try to win the game.” 

UCLA quarterback Ty Dieffenbach played with efficiency, passing for 198 yards with one passing touchdown. On the other side of the ball, UCLA’s defense kept the Bruins in the game after a lackluster first half. 

Linebacker duo Sammy Omosigho and Jalen Woods have solidified themselves as two of the top linebackers in the nation. Coming into the week the duo led all Big Ten Conference duos with nine and a half solo tackles per game. 

“I mean our defense is so good,” said Dieffenbach. “Just feeding off that energy, and especially at halftime, in our locker room I was a little banged up, just like a bunch of guys were coming over and saying “Lets go man, We’ve got you.”

 Woods had nine tackles against Michigan State. He also produced a sack in the game. While Omosigho added six tackles with two more sacks, safety Malik Hartford contributed big time as well with four tackles of his own with one interception. 

“As we see, we love to be aggressive on third down,” said Woods. “We like to mix it up on people. We want to execute the moves that we are making in practice and that goes back to the fundamentals: being able to pass rush and having that aggressive mindset can help us take it far in getting all of those sacks and stuff.” 

Michigan State’s nightmare streak continues as they have lost six in a row after starting the season 2-0. The Spartans are winless in Big Ten Conference play. 

After going 3-9 just a year ago the turnaround of the UCLAfootball program has been remarkable. Chesney and his program look to continue their undefeated streak heading into next week’s matchup against Nevada on Halloween. 

“I think it’s just the whole setup. They’re all in,” said Chesney. “They feel like they’re 100 percent positive they can win every single game when they walk on that field.”