Fourth-Quarter Surge: UCLA Opens Chesney Era With 45-24 Win Over Cal

BERKELEY, Calif. — For three quarters, UCLA and California looked like two teams determined to make their new eras as competitive as possible.

Then the fourth quarter arrived.

UCLA scored 21 unanswered points in the final 15 minutes, turning a tight game into a convincing 45-24 victory over Cal on Saturday night at California Memorial Stadium. The win gave new head coach Bob Chesney a victory in his UCLA debut and showed just how dangerous the Bruins’ revamped roster could be when their rushing attack gets rolling.

The Bruins entered the night with plenty of questions. A new coaching staff, a new quarterback, dozens of transfers and a completely different era of UCLA football made the opener something of a blank slate.

By the end of the night, UCLA had provided some pretty encouraging answers.

Wayne Knight, one of Chesney’s former players at James Madison, scored three touchdowns, including two in the fourth quarter. Anthony Woods added 118 yards and two touchdowns on just eight carries, while Nico Iamaleava contributed 184 passing yards and a rushing touchdown.

As a team, UCLA ran for 277 yards and six touchdowns.

For a team introducing 37 new players, the Bruins looked surprisingly comfortable when the game was on the line.

UCLA’s New-Look Offense Makes Its Presence Felt

The biggest takeaway from UCLA’s opening night was the explosiveness.

The Bruins produced eight plays of at least 20 yards, their most in a game since 2023. That big-play ability showed up throughout the night, particularly when UCLA was able to get its running backs into space.

Woods delivered one of the first major blows in the second quarter, breaking through the Cal defense and refusing to go down on a 31-yard touchdown run.

Knight followed with a touchdown of his own later in the half, giving UCLA a 21-12 lead before Cal mounted a furious response.

Iamaleava was not asked to carry the offense by himself, and that may have been one of the most encouraging parts of the performance. He completed 14 of 22 passes for 184 yards and added a rushing touchdown, while Mikey Matthews emerged as his favorite big-play target.

Matthews finished with four catches for 88 yards, including a massive 43-yard reception with just seconds remaining in the first half. That play put UCLA in position for Mateen Bhaghani’s 38-yard field goal, giving the Bruins a 24-17 advantage at halftime.

It was a response that summed up UCLA’s night.

Every time Cal seemed ready to take control, the Bruins found an answer.

Cal Keeps It Close

To Cal’s credit, this was far from a runaway.

The Golden Bears came out firing in Tosh Lupoi’s first game as head coach, marching 75 yards on their opening possession before quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele found Chase Hendricks for a nine-yard touchdown.

Sagapolutele continued to keep Cal in the game throughout the night. He finished with 271 passing yards and two touchdowns, making several impressive throws against a UCLA defense that was still finding its footing.

Cal also found success on the ground, with Adam Mohammed carrying the ball 28 times for 120 yards and a touchdown.

After UCLA took a 24-17 halftime lead, Cal put together its best drive of the night. Mohammed carried the ball repeatedly during an 85-yard march that consumed more than eight minutes of the third quarter, eventually punching it in from one yard out to tie the game at 24.

At that point, the momentum inside Memorial Stadium had completely shifted.

UCLA needed somebody to make a play.

It got one from a newcomer on defense.

Ta’Shawn James Changes the Game

With just over seven minutes remaining, Sagapolutele’s pass was tipped and landed directly in the hands of UCLA defensive back Ta’Shawn James.

It was the first interception of James’ career.

He returned it 19 yards to the Cal 31-yard line.

One play later, Knight broke free for a 31-yard touchdown, putting UCLA back in front 31-24.

And James wasn’t finished.

A short time later, he intercepted Sagapolutele again.

This time, Knight needed only four yards to finish the job.

His third touchdown of the night pushed UCLA’s lead to 38-24 with just over three minutes remaining, effectively ending Cal’s comeback hopes.

“Like I told you, this was my first career interception, and going back-to-back, man, it really just felt like a movie,” James said after the game.

It certainly looked that way.

The Bruins’ defense had struggled to consistently slow Cal earlier in the game, but when the opportunity came, UCLA’s newcomers made the plays that mattered.

Linebacker Sammy Omosigho led the Bruins with 14 tackles, while Derrick Barksdale added a sack.

The Depth May Be UCLA’s Biggest Strength

One of the biggest questions surrounding UCLA entering the season was how quickly a roster featuring so many newcomers could come together.

That question may not be completely answered after one game, but the Bruins certainly gave fans something to be excited about.

Knight and Woods combined for 189 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Iamaleava added another score on the ground, and UCLA consistently found ways to keep fresh legs on the field.

Knight, who followed Chesney from James Madison, said the depth of the running back room could become a major strength.

“We got a lot of guys in there that can make plays,” Knight said. “There’s never a drop-off.”

That depth was particularly noticeable late in the game, when Cal’s defense began to wear down and UCLA continued finding holes.

Woods’ 53-yard touchdown run in the final minutes put an emphatic finish on the night.

A New Era Starts With a Statement

There will be plenty for Chesney and his staff to clean up.

UCLA gave up 24 points, allowed Cal to control stretches of the game and had some costly mistakes of its own, including Iamaleava’s red-zone interception late in the first half.

But for a program that has undergone a massive transformation, the Bruins showed something that wasn’t necessarily guaranteed heading into the opener: composure.

Cal tied the game at 24 in the third quarter.

UCLA didn’t panic.

Instead, the Bruins responded by scoring three unanswered touchdowns.

“That’s the resolve of this team,” Chesney said. “You felt it shift a little bit on the sideline at one point. It got into a tight game. We just needed to make sure that we maximized our next opportunity.”

That is probably the biggest takeaway from UCLA’s first night under Chesney.

The Bruins weren’t perfect. They didn’t need to be.

They were explosive when they needed to be, physical enough to control the line of scrimmage late and opportunistic when Cal finally started making mistakes.

For a program trying to establish a new identity, that is a pretty good way to start.

Final Takeaways

UCLA: The Bruins showed serious potential on offense, particularly in the rushing game. Knight and Woods provide UCLA with a dangerous combination in the backfield, while Iamaleava has plenty of weapons around him. The defense still has room to improve, but the late-game takeaways were exactly what UCLA needed.

Cal: The Golden Bears showed enough early to make this a real game. Sagapolutele played well for most of the night and Mohammed was effective on the ground, but Cal could not overcome its late mistakes. The Bears were competitive for three quarters before UCLA’s depth and explosiveness took over.

The Bottom Line: UCLA’s first game under Bob Chesney was anything but boring. The Bruins survived a back-and-forth battle, then completely took over the fourth quarter. For a team with 37 new players, six rushing touchdowns and a quarterback playing his first game in the system, there is plenty to build on.

The Bruins return home next week to host San Diego State, where the Chesney era will officially make its debut at the Rose Bowl.