UCLA Pulls Away From San Diego State for 28-10 Victory
PASADENA, Calif. — UCLA turned a scoreless first half into a convincing second-half performance Saturday, defeating San Diego State 28-10 at the Rose Bowl in Bob Chesney’s first home game as the Bruins’ head coach.
Neither offense found much rhythm early. UCLA moved into scoring position during the second quarter, but quarterback Nico Iamaleava was intercepted in the end zone by San Diego State’s Mike Lindsay. The Bruins were later stopped on fourth down, sending the teams into halftime tied 0-0.
UCLA finally broke through after the break. A strong punt return from Semaj Morgan gave the Bruins favorable field position, and Iamaleava followed with a 25-yard run before Wayne Knight scored from eight yards out to give UCLA a 7-0 lead.
San Diego State remained within striking distance and opened the fourth quarter with a 46-yard field goal from Cooper DiLeva, cutting UCLA’s advantage to 7-3.
From there, the Bruins took control.
Morgan helped move UCLA down the field with two receptions for 51 yards on the ensuing possession. Knight finished the 75-yard drive with a seven-yard rushing touchdown, extending the lead to 14-3.
UCLA’s defense then created another opportunity. Jalen Woods intercepted San Diego State quarterback Jayden Denegal, giving the Bruins possession deep in Aztec territory. Four plays later, Jaivian Thomas scored from one yard out to make it 21-3.
San Diego State answered with its only touchdown of the night when Denegal connected with Jackson Ford for a 19-yard score, but UCLA responded almost immediately.
Knight broke free for a 36-yard touchdown run, completing his second consecutive three-touchdown performance and putting the game away.
Knight finished with 97 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries, giving him six rushing touchdowns through his first two games as a Bruin. UCLA totaled 214 rushing yards and scored all four of its touchdowns on the ground.
Iamaleava completed 14 of 22 passes for 151 yards while adding 57 yards on the ground. Morgan emerged as his leading target, recording career highs with six receptions for 73 yards.
The UCLA defense delivered one of its strongest performances of the young season. The Bruins limited San Diego State to 189 total yards and just 45 passing yards, while allowing only two third-down conversions on 12 attempts.
Woods finished with nine tackles, a sack and the first interception of his college career, while the Bruins kept the Aztecs out of the end zone until the final minutes.
The 28-10 victory improved UCLA to 2-0 and continued an early trend under Chesney: finishing games strong. After scoring 21 fourth-quarter points against California in the season opener, the Bruins again produced 21 points in the fourth against San Diego State.
With another strong second-half performance behind them, the Bruins turned their attention to Big Ten play and a home matchup against Purdue.
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