PASADENA, Calif- UCLA opened up Big Ten Conference play this weekend with a big win against Purdue, riding out a 52-38 victory Saturday at the Rose Bowl. With the win, the Bruins are now off to a 3-0 to start, the first time they’ve began a season like this since 2023.
The offense was the true star of Saturday’s game with UCLA scoring the most points scored in a game since September 2023. UCLA’s offense totaled 645 yards with 276 passing and another big rushing game of 369.
Running back Wayne Knight added two more touchdowns to bring his total to eight this year, already one shy of what he had all last season at James Madison. UCLA’s starting quarterback Nico Iamalevea was able to show off his passing strength passing for 276 yards with three touchdowns.
The first two games of the season the Bruins were more reliant on running the football, totaling 10 rushing touchdowns.
While the offense was spectacular, another star got the spotlight on the other side of the ball. Senior linebacker Sammy Omosigho brought havoc down on the Boilermakers, totaling 12 total tackles (11 solo).
He also added two sacks and had two forced fumbles. He now has a forced fumble in every game so far this season, the first Bruin since Mitchell Agude in 2021, having four forced fumbles in a three-game span.
Both fumbles were recovered by junior defensive back Sahir West and led to touchdowns in the first and third quarters. Omosigho, a first-year Bruin after spending his first three years with the Oklahoma Sooners, brings first year head coach Bob Chesney an anchor on the defense, always on the attack.
“Yeah, no doubt about it. And I think that’s his third game in a row forcing a fumble,” Chesney said. “That, to me, was the strength he has, you know, the poise he plays with, the toughness he plays with, and the strength to be able to execute and finish on those tackles. You know, there are things that are pretty impressive.”
Last season, Omosigho didn’t have any forced fumbles with just two sacks. In three games with UCLA so far, Omosigho has already surpassed his season totals of last season. In the first Big Ten game of the season, Omosigho said he was up for the challenge and was well prepared for the game after a weeklong of practice preparation.
“This was a game that was gritty, the first game in the Big Ten and the other team was very talented,” Omosigho said. “Both teams being talented you’ve got to prepare, you’ve got to win the game the entire week. Yeah, our coach on Tuesday, he put a clip of [San Francisco 49ers linebacker] Fred Warner. This was a big emphasis for us all week just punching the ball out, creating another turnover and opportunity. That’s my goal every week, every day.”
While Omosigho was the star for UCLA’s defense, wowing the Bruin faithful, the Boilermakers fired back all night long. Even with UCLA scoring right out of the gate, Purdue punched right back, scoring a touchdown in the first 11 seconds on offense on a short pass to wide receiver Xavier Townsend, which resulted in a 75-yard touchdown.
Even with UCLA continuing to score, Purdue never backed down, at one point leading in the game, 28-24, in the third quarter.
“You know as far as the coverage is concerned, I think the quarterbacks and receivers were really good, and then just our sort of breakdown, I felt like the pressure mounted a little bit and we were not as clean in our techniques as we needed to be,” Chesney said. “And then the fake punt shows up in there, which I thought they did a great job.”
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