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- No. 7 UCLA improved to 8-0, defeating Nevada 27-0 for its first shutout at the Rose Bowl since 2007.
- Four interceptions, including Derrick Barksdale’s first-quarter pick-six, powered the Bruins as their offense struggled early on.
Powered by four interceptions, including a pick-six from cornerback Derrick Barksdale in the first quarter, No. 7 UCLA defeated Nevada 27-0 on Saturday afternoon for its first shutout win at the Rose Bowl since 2007.
UCLA improved to 8-0 and continued its remarkable turnaround after winning just three games last season.
“Really good defensive plays that showed up in there,” UCLA coach Bob Chesney said, “and then just a lot to be desired at moments on the offensive side, but I thought overall to get yourself to 8-0 is a big deal, and to shut a team out at any level is a big deal.
“Wins are not the easiest thing to come by. I like where we’re at, and there’s a whole lot more that we have to continue to step up.”
Nevada struggled to get anything going against UCLA. On the ground, the Wolf Pack ran for just 65 yards, averaging 1.9 yards per carry. And when Nevada opted to attack through the air, the Bruins gave the Wolf Pack little to no room, sacking the quarterback three times.
“There were a lot of times we’re hitting him in the backfield,” Chesney said. “When the quarterback gets that uncomfortable you start taking some chances and throwing it up pretty quickly, and we have to be opportunistic on defense. ... Most of the time when it comes our way, we’ve done a good job of capitalizing on it, and that’s a sign of a good team.”
When Nevada (3-5) did have time to drop back, its options were few.
Starting quarterback Luke Duncan — who backed up Nico Iamaleava last season in Westwood — threw interceptions on three consecutive drives before Nevada coach Jeff Choate benched him in favor of AJ Bianco. While he kept the ball out of harm’s way, Bianco did not fare much better, finishing with just 71 passing yards.
Saturday’s victory marked UCLA’s fourth multi-interception game, and the second time it had four.
“It’s a blessing to be able to have a lot of cover guys back in the secondary,” Barksdale said. “We all work hard, we all teach each other as well, if we see something in each other’s technique, we’re quick to change it. We’re quick to help each other on it, so it’s definitely a blessing to play with a talented group like that and we are going to keep on going.”
Since forfeiting 488 yards and 38 points to Purdue on Sept. 19, the Bruins have forced 19 turnovers. The defense has held the last five opponents to under 200 passing yards and has given up 100 rushing yards just once over that span.
UCLA kicker Mateen Bhaghani says he has never experienced a season like the current one with the Bruins and is enjoying the ride with teammates.
“They play a brand of football that’s exciting and physical and disciplined and tough, and that’s what you have to be on that side of the ball,” Chesney said. “They all understand their role when their numbers are called in the blitz, or when they’re isolated in coverage.
“They love being out there. They have confidence, and they fly around. They have a lot of trust in one another as well.”
While the UCLA defense hasn’t missed a beat, the Bruins’ offense continued to struggle. After its slow start last week against Michigan State, Chesney stressed that UCLA’s first-half offensive execution was not up to status quo.
The Bruins’ offense was sluggish against Nevada, tallying just 61 yards across its first four possessions. It managed to reach the end zone once as part of a 17-0 halftime lead.
But continuing its season-long theme, the UCLA defense kept the Bruins afloat.
Starting quarterback Ty Dieffenbach orchestrated his first scoring drive late in the second quarter, marching 71 yards in almost five minutes. He connected with wide receiver Semaj Morgan on a 25-yard reception before scoring on a four-yard keeper two plays later to earn his first rushing touchdown as a Bruin.
“I just think that [Nevada was] really aggressive to the running back,” Chesney said. “We haven’t really put Ty on film as running the ball a whole lot, and he’s capable and he’s big enough. He can take hits. He can do a lot of things with the football in his hand in the run game as well. We just haven’t done it. So I think they fully committed, obviously, to Wayne [Knight] down there, which they should, and to watch Ty pull two of them in crucial moments was a really big deal.”
In the opening drive of the second half, Dieffenbach mirrored the same execution as the prior week. This time, Dieffenbach methodically drove through the Nevada defense, eating up 7:18 of game time before completing a 12-yard scoring pass to Knight — the fifth-year running back’s 14th touchdown of the season.
From there, the Bruins dominated time of possession to cruise to victory.
Despite the lackluster showing from the offense, Dieffenbach is confident the unit can improve over the next four games against Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan and USC.
“I see the sky’s the limit for our offense,” Dieffenbach said. “A lot of throws, like last week, that I want back, which I got to keep working on in practice. But once we put it all together, this is going to be good. We’re getting there. We’re getting there for sure.”
