PASADENA, Calif. — For three quarters, San Diego State made UCLA’s home opener look nothing like the offensive shootout the Bruins had just played against Cal. Then Wayne Knight took over.
After a scoreless first half, Knight scored three touchdowns in the second half as UCLA pulled away from the Aztecs for a 28-10 victory Saturday night at the Rose Bowl. The win moved UCLA to 2-0 in Bob Chesney’s first season and gave the Bruins their first 2-0 start since 2023. More importantly, it showed that UCLA can win in more than one way.
After putting up 45 points against Cal the previous week, the Bruins struggled to find much rhythm early. San Diego State’s defense held UCLA scoreless through the first half and kept the Bruins from reaching the end zone until midway through the third quarter.
SDSU Makes UCLA Work For It
The Aztecs entered the game as significant underdogs, but their defense made life difficult for Nico Iamaleava and the UCLA offense. Iamaleava completed 14 of 22 passes for 151 yards and threw an interception in the end zone during the second quarter. UCLA’s best offensive play of the half came when Iamaleava connected with Brian Rowe Jr. for a 45-yard gain, but the Bruins couldn’t finish the drive.
San Diego State’s defense continued to hold up from there. The Aztecs became the first non-conference opponent to hold UCLA scoreless in the first half since Tennessee did it in 1989.
While the offense struggled, UCLA’s defense quietly put together one of its best stretches of the young season. San Diego State quarterback Jayden Denegal completed just six passes for 45 yards, with the Bruins limiting the Aztecs to very few explosive plays.
The game remained scoreless until UCLA finally broke through in the third quarter. After Semaj Morgan’s 26-yard punt return gave the Bruins excellent field position, Knight needed just four plays to find the end zone, running eight yards for the game’s first touchdown.
Knight Takes Over
San Diego State answered with a 46-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to 7-3. That was about as close as the Aztecs would get.
Knight scored again on a seven-yard run with just over seven minutes remaining, capping a 75-yard UCLA drive and giving the Bruins a two-score lead. After an interception gave UCLA the ball deep in San Diego State territory, Jaivian Thomas punched it in from one yard out to make it 21-3.
The Aztecs managed to answer with a late touchdown, but Knight immediately put the game away. On the second play of UCLA’s next possession, he broke loose for a 36-yard touchdown, completing his second consecutive three-touchdown game.
Knight finished with 97 rushing yards on 13 carries and has now scored six touchdowns through his first two games as a Bruin.
“When the light shines on you, it’s your time to make that play,” Knight said.
UCLA’s Defense Continues to Impress
The offense will get most of the attention after another strong performance from the UCLA rushing attack, but the defense may be the more encouraging development through two games.
The Bruins held San Diego State to just 10 points and kept Denegal from finding any rhythm through the air. Linebacker Jalen Woods was particularly active, finishing with nine tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss and an interception. Safety Malik Hartford also had a strong night, while the secondary consistently kept San Diego State from hitting big plays downfield.
UCLA has now held both of its first two opponents below 25 points. The Bruins also continued to establish themselves as a physical rushing team, finishing with more than 200 rushing yards for the second consecutive game. UCLA accomplished that only once throughout all of last season.
That is quickly becoming a defining part of Chesney’s offense.
Final Takeaway
UCLA certainly didn’t put together a perfect performance. The first half was sloppy, the passing game never really got going and San Diego State controlled large stretches of the game.
But the Bruins showed something just as valuable: they found a way to win when things weren’t going their way. The defense kept the game within reach, the rushing attack eventually wore down the Aztecs and Knight provided the finishing punch.
At 2-0, UCLA has now won its first two games of the Chesney era in completely different fashion. The Bruins will get another test next week when Purdue comes to the Rose Bowl.
Based in Los Angeles, California, Martin is a freelance photographer with Martin26Photos, specializing in sports and portrait photography. He has made a name for himself in Southern California’s sports photojournalism scene, covering local high school and college events as well as media days. With experience capturing high-profile Division 1 athletics, Martin aims to expand his work to professional sports in the near future.
