The No. 9 UCLA Bruins took care of business on Saturday, knocking Michigan State 28-10 at the Rose Bowl to move to a perfect 7-0 under first-year head coach Bob Chesney. Even with a couple of early fumbles, UCLA outlasted a Michigan State squad that, despite their 2-6 record (0-5 in Big Ten play), still showed some serious fight.
Defense Holds the Line After Early Slip-Ups
This one started a little slow for UCLA. They survived that early resistance from the Spartans, who were down to their true freshman, third-string quarterback Kayd Coffman, before he got lifted for Leo Hannan. Coffman struggled hard, no doubt. The Bruins even fumbled the ball away twice in the first half themselves, with both Anthony Woods and Jaivian Thomas losing possession. That gave Michigan State a shot, keeping things from looking totally dire for them. But don’t you worry, the UCLA defense was absolutely rock solid. They forced a pair of turnovers of their own and just calmed everything down, making sure those fumbles didn’t lead to bigger problems. If it wasn’t for that Woods fumble, the Spartans likely wouldn’t have even found the end zone.
Third Quarter Firepower Blasts Spartans Away
Heading into halftime, UCLA held a 14-7 lead. Decent, but not exactly lighting the world on fire. Then the third quarter happened. The Bruins came out like a completely different team, absolutely on fire! Ty Dieffenbach launched a 63-yard touchdown pass to Brian Rowe Jr., and suddenly, the momentum was all UCLA’s. Jaivian Thomas, who had that earlier fumble, found redemption and the endzone on the very next UCLA drive, instantly pushing the score to a dominant 28-7. From that point on, UCLA just put the foot on the brake, controlling the trenches on both sides of the ball. They wound up with 245 rushing yards and completely throttled the Michigan State offense, holding them to a measly 156 total yards for the entire game. Talk about a lockdown performance!
7-0 and Staring Down a CFP Shot
Sure, UCLA did what was expected of them against a struggling Michigan State team, but man, going 7-0 is a huge deal! This win keeps their undefeated season alive in Coach Chesney’s first year, and the College Football Playoffs are looking more and more within reach. Next up, UCLA will face a Nevada team in a nonconference game next weekend at home. After that, though, things get real. They close out the regular season with four brutal Big Ten showdowns against Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, and USC. A 10-2 record is what the experts are saying will likely get them into the CFP, and after this kind of performance, that feels incredibly possible. Let’s get it!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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