Tag: UCLA Bruins football

Is Niki Prongos playing today? Injury updates for UCLA OL

UCLA OL Niki Prongos suffered an injury against Iowa.

The UCLA Bruins got a big win against Iowa in Week 11 on Friday night. It was homecoming for UCLA, and it ended with a massive win and the third consecutive victory for UCLA.

However, there were injury concerns prior to the game with a shocking injury report that featured TJ Harden, although the Bruins running back did suit up.

Unfortunately, UCLA offensive lineman Niki Prongos was spotted on crutches in a concerning development for the Bruins, leaving his status for the rest of the season up in the air.

Niki Prongos injury update

Prongos was on crutches after he left the Iowa game, and his status has been a big question all week. However, UCLA coach DeShaun Foster gave an update earlier in the week, per R.J. Abeytia. Foster was asked if Prongos was out for the year.

“No, no, no. Nothing bad, we’re probably going to hold him out a week and then he should maybe be able to come back for that crosstown game,” Foster said.

UCLA football jumps sixteen spots in USA TODAY Sports ranking

The Bruins made a big leap after their win over Iowa last Friday.

After a sluggish start to the season, the UCLA Bruins are finally being recognized for their midseason surge. Starting 1-5 on the season, the UCLA Bruins sit at 4-5 today with a chance to even their record against Washington this Friday.

In this week’s college football re-ranking by Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY Sports, the Bruins moved up sixteen spots from the 100th-best to the 84th-best after taking down Iowa. The biggest jump of any team on Myerberg’s re-ranking, the Bruins are finally being noticed nationally.

Though UCLA is not the most talented team in the Big Ten, their three-game win streak is proof that the Bruins are taking to coaching and leaning into their strengths. Winning on defense and in the passing game, the Bruins are in a good position to continue their success against their final three opponents, Washington, USC, and Fresno State.

If the Bruins can finish their first season in the Big Ten with a winning record and a bowl berth, they could find themselves in Myerberg’s top 50 and go into the 2025 college football season with some serious momentum.

Laiatu Latu third among rookies with 20 pressures

Latu has been playing well as of late.

Former UCLA Bruin and Indianapolis Colts’ first-round selection Laiatu Latu is amongst the rookie leaders in pressures, with the UCLA standout ranking third amongst rookies with 20 pressures through his first nine games.

X user Jake Ellenbogen posted the list recently.

“Here are the rookie pressure leaders in the NFL:

  1. Jared Verse #Rams – 39
  2. Braden Fiske #Rams – 26
  3. Laiatu Latu #Colts – 20
  4. Chop Robinson #Dolphins – 14
  5. Elijah Chatman #Giants – 12″

Latu finds himself behind a pair of Los Angeles Rams, with Los Angeles’ first-round pick Verse having 13 more pressures than any other rookie and 19 more than any other rookie who isn’t a Rams’ teammate. 

While he hasn’t had the same total as the Rams’ rookies, Latu, the top-drafted defensive player in this year’s draft, has put together a strong rookie season with 14 tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles at just over the midway point for the season. 

Latu started his collegiate career at Washington before spending two seasons with the Bruins before the edge rusher was taken with the 15th pick in this year’s draft. Latu nearly had to retire from football in 2021 after having surgery on his neck, following the surgery the Washington medical staff did not medically clear Latu to resume playing. Latu got clearance later in 2021 and then entered the transfer portal and headed to UCLA.

In his two seasons in Brentwood, Latu had a whopping 23.5 sacks in 25 games with 35 tackles for losses, forcing five fumbles and intercepting two passes as a Bruin. 

His 2023 season with UCLA earned Latu Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, the Lombardi Award, the Ted Hendricks award and was a unanimous All-America selection.

Can the UCLA’s defense keep Washington’s Denzel Boston under wraps?

This is a question ahead of Friday’s game.

If DeShaun Foster and the UCLA Bruins want to improve to .500 in both the Big Ten and on their overall record, they’ll have to limit big plays from sophomore wide receiver Denzel Boston and the Huskies’ offense Friday night.

Roman Tomashoff of UW Huskies Wire mentioned Boston as a key piece ahead of the game:

“If coach Jedd Fisch wants to find a way to lead Washington to bowl eligibility, he’ll need to find a way to get Boston going against UCLA’s defense, which ranks No. 17 in the Big Ten, allowing 252.8 yards per game.”

Washington is 5-5 on the year and their success coincides with how Boston performs, with the sophomore averaging 61.8 receiving yards in the Huskies’ losses with that number growing to 81.6 in wins. Unsurprisingly, Boston has scored twice as many touchdowns in Huskies’ wins (6) as losses (3).

The Bruins’ passing defense has allowed 252.8 yards per game so far this season which currently ranks #114 in the country and could be an area that the Huskies attack rank #33 in the nation, with an average of 264.5 passing yards per game. 

Washington’s offense is far from a one-man band, with senior wide receiver Giles Jackson also finding himself top-ten in the Big Ten in both receptions (60) and receiving yards (620) with three total touchdowns. 

Huskies’ junior running back Jonah Coleman is already up to 913 rushing yards while averaging 6.0 yards per carry, with the junior ranking top-five in the Big Ten in carries, rushing yards, yards per carry and yards per game. Defending the rush has been a strong point for defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe and the Bruins’ defense, ranking #7 in the country giving up only 98.1 rushing yards a game.

Has DeShaun Foster outcoached Lincoln Riley in 2024?

This is quite a turn of events.

Entering the year, DeShaun Foster was the laughingstock of the Big Ten, especially after his media day appearance.

After a 1-5 start, questions swirled even more about Foster.

However, weeks later, UCLA has won three in a row, and the crosstown rival USC Trojans have dropped to 4-5 and 2-5 in Big Ten play.

As such, a debate could be had about the Lincoln Riley vs. DeShaun Foster performances.

Matt Zemek of Trojans Wire makes an interesting argument: DeShaun Foster has outcoached Lincoln Riley in 2024.

“Yes, UCLA football coach DeShaun Foster has outcoached USC football boss Lincoln Riley in 2024. It feels jarring and disorienting to say it, but it’s true. How can it not be? UCLA has a chance to make a bowl game this season, something which didn’t seem very likely when the Bruins stumbled early and faced a daunting Big Ten schedule. USC started 2-0 this season and seemed to have a chance to achieve something. Yet, everything has spiraled for USC, all while UCLA has made steady improvements.”

USC has moved on from Miller Moss for the time being, and all sorts of questions are coming around regarding Riley’s future. On the other hand, UCLA is trending up after a brutal start to the season.

What world is this?

How does this year’s UCLA rushing game compare to last year’s team?

A look at the run game from last year until now.

UCLA football has now won three games in a row following their 20-17 over Iowa Friday night at the Rose Bowl but even with the recent win streak, the Bruins rushing attack has taken a significant step back in 2024. 

Their move to the Big Ten certainly plays a factor but the change from Chip Kelly to two former running backs, Eric Bienemy and DeShaun Foster hasn’t worked out well statistically for the UCLA rushing attack. 

UCLA currently ranks #128 in the nation in rushing yards per game, the Bruins currently sit right between the Akron Zips and Temple Owls for the sixth-worst rushing team in all of FBS football. UCLA’s averaged just 89.1 rushing yards per game, which was just 73.88 before the Bruins rushed for 211 yards Friday night.

Last year, the 8-5 Bruins averaged 197.9 rushing yards a game, ranking #17 in the country. As you might expect, the 2023 Bruins rushed the ball a lot more, with 40.5 rushes per game last year compared to only 27.4 this season. 

Even with those differences, UCLA has gotten much less bang for their buck on the ground this year, averaging 3.2 yards a carry on the year, even after the solid showing on the ground against Iowa, last year UCLA was at 4.9 yards per rush. Unsurprisingly, the Bruins found the end zone a lot more often on the ground a year ago, rushing in 1.62 touchdowns per game last year, with that mark sitting at 0.33 a game this season. 

With that said, if Foster can continue to string together wins in the Big Ten, the rushing inefficiency becomes a less pressing topic.

DeShaun Foster reveals UCLA wide receiver out for season

The Bruins will be without their young receiver for the remainder of the season.

The UCLA Bruins have had nothing but good news this week after their 20-17 win over Iowa last Friday. However, this week, UCLA received some bad news.

According to Tracy McDonald of UCLARivals, DeShaun Foster informed reporters that wide receiver Carter Shaw is out for the season.

Shaw, who was inactive for the Bruins’ game against the Hawkeyes, will not return this season. Though Shaw’s injury and its extent have not yet been disclosed, the freshman wideout’s season is officially over.

Shaw has only caught two passes this season for the Bruins, totaling 45 yards. Though Shaw’s numbers do not jump off the page, Shaw’s loss could be significant for a UCLA receiver room in constant flux.

With no receiver cementing themself as the tried-and-true No.1 this season, UCLA’s committee receiver room may sorely miss Shaw’s presence as other injuries pile up.

In Shaw’s absence, the Bruins will lean on receivers Logan Loya, J. Michael Sturdivant, and tight end Moliki Matavao in the passing game from now on.

UCLA’s Carson Schwesinger wins Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week award

The Bruins linebacker received his flowers after another impressive Big Ten performance.

The UCLA Bruins won their first game at the Rose Bowl this season, taking down Iowa 20-17. One Bruin had a career day on defense on Friday night, and the Big Ten noticed.

UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after his performance against the Hawkeye, per the Big Ten account.

Entering Friday night’s game, the junior had not recorded a single interception in his collegiate playing career with the Bruins. But against Iowa, Schwesinger had two.

Adding seven tackles to his pair of picks, Schwesinger continued to show out for the Bruins against a formidable Iowa run game.

Schwesinger’s 92 total tackles this season rank third in the Big Ten, making him one of the front-runners for the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award. With three sacks and a forced fumble in 2024, Schwesinger is an impact player each and every week for the Bruins.

UCLA’s defense has been the backbone of its success this season, and Schwesinger has played an important part. With three games remaining on the schedule for the Bruins, Schwesinger looks to surpass the 100-tackle mark as the Bruins inch closer to bowl eligibility.

UCLA’s Friday night win over Iowa through the lens

Through the lens!

The UCLA Bruins hosted the Iowa Hawkeyes in a Friday night Big Ten Conference showdown. On top of that, it was a homecoming for UCLA. 

It ended on a good note as UCLA survived and got the 20-17 win on Friday night. It is the third straight win for UCLA as they get closer to bowl eligibility, somehow.

It was quite a performance from UCLA, which has wins over Rutgers, Nebraska, and Iowa in consecutive weeks as DeShaun Foster has turned things around after a 1-5 start.

There was a lot to like from this game, and here are some of the best photos from the Friday night clash.

UCLA football sends Iowa packing in Big Ten takedown

The Bruins beat the Hawkeyes at their own game at the Rose Bowl on Friday night.

The UCLA Bruins won their first game at the Rose Bowl this season, knocking off the Iowa Hawkeyes 20-17. After an upset win over Nebraska, the Bruins proved themselves against a gritty Big Ten team and sent the Hawkeyes home empty-handed.

Though the Bruins picked up their third-straight win, the game did not look pretty from the jump. Quarterback Ethan Garbers threw an interception on the game’s first possession, setting the Hawkeyes up with great field position inside UCLA territory. Three plays later, a two-yard touchdown from tailback Kaleb Johnson put Iowa up 7-0, taking the air out of the Rose Bowl.

But the Bruins rallied, showing a level of poise and resiliency not yet seen by the team this season. After falling behind 10-0 in the first quarter, UCLA scored 17 unanswered points and capped off the first half with a 29-yard touchdown strike from Garbers to wideout Logan Loya to take a 17-10 lead.

In the second half, UCLA’s defense took over. Holding the Hawkeyes’ running game to only 80 yards on 2.6 yards per carry, UCLA won Friday night’s Big Ten showdown in the trenches.

Forcing an injured Hawkeye passing game to throw on them,  UCLA’s opportunistic defense tallied three turnovers and proved they could weather an average performance from Garbers by capitalizing on Iowa’s mistakes.

In the end, the Bruins were the more complete team on Friday, demonstrating why they are an up-and-coming Big Ten team to be reckoned with.

Now 4-5 on the season, entering their next game versus Washington, UCLA has a chance to reclaim a .500 record and stay in the hunt for a bowl game berth.