Tag: UCLA Bruins football

What Matt Rhule said about UCLA’s Big Ten move ahead of Nebraska clash

Matt Rhule shared about UCLA’s move.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers are hosting the UCLA Bruins this weekend in Lincoln. 

As such, this marks the first meeting between these programs since UCLA moved to the Big Ten Conference.

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule, who is in his second year with the program, spoke about UCLA’s move to the Big Ten and what it means, per Evan Bredeson of Cornhuskers Wire.

“Even me coming here last year, and it’s your first time in the Big Ten. Learning the structures, learning the personalities, learning the towns, learning the travel, learning the style of play, the weather. All of those things matter. When you go into a new conference, you’re trying to figure out who wins in this conference. The unique thing here is we’ve all joined a new conference…We’re probably going to have a USC or UCLA game every year, and that can be a cool thing in recruiting. We’re trying to do that, I’m sure they’re trying to figure it out. USC is recruiting kids here in Lincoln and Omaha. It just changes the footprint of everything…Just college football in general is changing.”

It will be an interesting meeting between the two programs on Saturday.

Can UCLA expose Nebraska’s defensive struggles?

Can UCLA’s offense continue to play well?

The UCLA Bruins are riding high (somewhat) after finally getting the first Big Ten Conference win. It came against Rutgers, and UCLA then had a much-needed bye to get some rest.

Now, they face Nebraska in Lincoln, and the Cornhuskers are an interesting team.

Thomas Codo of Cornhuskers Wire ranked Nebraaska’s four remaining opponents and had UCLA ranked as third. However, he examines why UCLA can be a tough test for Nebraska.

Nebraska’s defensive struggles allow the Bruins to deliver another big outing. But UCLA’s defense remains in shambles as it’s allowed 29 points per game. With three straight lackluster performances by Nebraska’s offense, the Bruins pose a much-needed opportunity for the Huskers to get back on track.

Whether this game turns into a shootout or a defensive battle remains to be seen, but either way, UCLA isn’t one to be taken lightly for Nebraska.

Expert score prediction: Nebraska vs. UCLA

The Huskers are looking for their sixth win of the season.

This is arguably the biggest game remaining on Nebraska’s schedule. The UCLA Bruins are 2-5 with wins over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. If the Huskers can’t grab their sixth win here, they’ll be in trouble for the rest of the season.

The Bruins sit in an interesting spot with their 2-5 record. UCLA took down a struggling Rutgers team that looked baffled defensively against them and could not deliver simple stops. 

Ethan Garbers delivered his best performance of the season against the Scarlet Knights, going 32-of-38 for 383 yards and four touchdowns. He also led UCLA in rushing, going for 48 yards and a touchdown off nine carries.

But the Bruins’ defense still surrendered 32 points to the Scarlet Knights, who almost came back from a 35-19 deficit. Rutgers’ Athan Kaliakmanis completed 18-of-30 for 287 yards, while Kyle Monangai rushed for 106 yards and three touchdowns off 19 carries.

Nebraska’s offense is looking to wake up following three lackluster performances, and UCLA is the team to do it against. The Bruins have allowed over 20 points in six games and over 30 points in four games.

However, teams that trampled UCLA challenged the Bruins at the line, and downfield, areas Nebraska has either struggled to dominate or just avoided as of late. If the Huskers want to win this battle on offense, it needs to fix that, or at the very least, take a step in the right direction in this game.

But it’s not just Nebraska’s offense that needs to win on the day. Though the Huskers defensively held Ohio State to 21 points, they must be cautious with UCLA’s passing offense. The Bruins average just over 64 rushing yards per game but over 237 passing yards.

The Huskers’ passing defense remains their biggest weakness overall. In Nebraska’s three losses, the Huskers surrendered a combined 716 passing yards and ten touchdowns off 58 completions. To top it all off, Nebraska forced just 15 total incompletions in that span.

With Garbers’ recent outing being his season-best, the Huskers cannot allow for another quarterback to leave them lost.

The last time Nebraska won a bowl game, it defeated UCLA in 2015. Now, the opportunity to snap an eight-year bowl-game drought arrives with the Bruins again.

This needs to be the game the Huskers end the drought, otherwise the likelihood of another 5-7 season goes up significantly.

Score Prediction: Nebraska 27, UCLA 13

Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.

Ex-USC DB dishes on UCLA-Nebraska showdown

Ceyair Wright knows about UCLA.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers face the UCLA Bruins this weekend in Lincoln. However, this is the first time these teams have met in nearly a decade, and it marks the first-ever Big Ten clash between the two.

So, Nebraska and UCLA are not as familiar with one another. However, Nebraska defensive back Ceyair Wright, who was at USC previously, does have experience going up against the Bruins.

Ahead of the game, Wright spoke about facing UCLA, per Evan Bredeson from Cornhuskers Wire. 

“They are a fundamentally sound team. They have a good quarterback and receivers. The running backs should be a great test for us. I’m excited to compete against them. I’ve grown up playing against a lot of the team. It’s a good test for our team.”

Wright knows UCLA from his Trojans days, so perhaps he can offer some insight. On the other hand, the program looks much different with DeShaun Foster as head coach.

All in all, UCLA looks to win another game after defeating Rutgers prior to the bye. 

Nebraska OC says UCLA defense is ‘very physical’

The Nebraska OC isn’t taking UCLA lightly.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers suffered a tough loss to Ohio State. Now, they host the UCLA Bruins in an interesting Big Ten battle in Lincoln.

Ahead of the game, Nebraska offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield shared his thoughts on the UCLA defense, and he shared some kind words, per Evan Bredeson of Cornhuskers Wire.

“I think their record is very deceiving because they’ve played some really good teams. They have the same record against common opponents as we have. You watch them on defense, they’re very long, they’re very athletic, they’re physical. They can cause some headaches. We’re trying to figure out what they do, especially on third down, but it’s just a really impressive defensive unit as far as team speed, physicality and athleticism that you see on tape.”

The UCLA team in general has had a brutal schedule, although recent games against Minnesota and Rutgers have been a breath of fresh air compared to Penn State, Oregon, and so forth.

Still, even despite UCLA’s losing record, the Nebraska OC is not taking them for granted.

UCLA football in the running for four-star wide reciever

UCLA has some stiff competition for a top-tier wide receiver.

The UCLA Bruins have found themselves in another bidding war for a talented prospect. After silencing the doubters following their win over Rutgers, UCLA has a new-found confidence, a confidence they are hoping can translate to the recruiting game.

UCLA landed in four-star wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt’s final ten schools this week. The 6′ 2″ standout from Inglewood, California, has his hometown Bruins in the running for his commitment alongside heavy hitters like Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, Penn State, and Oregon, according to Hayes Fawcett of On3.

Though UCLA’s competition remains stiff, the fact that the Bruins were the only California-based school is significant. Beating out California schools like USC, Cal, and Stanford, UCLA has something brewing behind the scenes in recruiting.

Time will tell if UCLA is truly a viable team in the Big Ten, but as head coach DeShaun Foster and the Bruins look to pick up wins late in the season, they have a puncher’s chance at landing a recruit of Dixon-Wyatt’s caliber by proving themselves this season.

DeShaun Foster sees Patrick Mahomes comparisons in Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola

Foster says Dylan Raiola reminds him of somebody.

As UCLA prepares to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Week 10, the biggest storyline is Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola.

The former Georgia commit changed course and decided to come to Lincoln and has gotten off to a strong start in his freshman season.

Raiola has thrown for 1,744 yards with nine touchdowns and seven interceptions as Nebraska has a 5-3 record. The last two weeks have not gone well for Raiola, however. He has a combined zero touchdowns and four interceptions in back-to-back losses, albeit against ranked teams Indiana and Ohio State, both on the road.

On Monday, UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster even said Raiola reminds him of Patrick Mahomes, who Foster worked with during his time at Texas Tech (h/t Tracy McDannald of Rivals).

“UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster said he can see the comparisons made between Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola and Kansas City Cheifs star Patrick Mahomes. Foster was a running backs coach for the Red Raiders when Mahomes was there.”

Raiola reminding Foster of Mahomes is quite the comparison and could make things problematic for UCLA in Lincoln.

UCLA offers third-ranked recruit in 2026 class

The Bruins are one of many college football teams interested in the top-five recruit.

There is some life to the UCLA football team after their Big Ten win over Rutgers on September 19th, and the Bruins are looking to capitalize.

The Bruins have extended an offer to Immanuel Iheanacho, a 6′ 7″ and 340-pound offense tackle from Baltimore, Maryland. The third-ranked recruit in the 2026 class, Iheanacho is a five-star recruit with a boatload of offers, according to Hayes Fawecett of On3. Fielding offers from Texas, Georgia, Oregon, USC, Ohio State, and Alabama, among others, Iheanacho has many programs excited about his potential.

UCLA’s glaring need at offensive line makes it a no-brainer to pursue the best tackle in the 2026 recruiting class. Though the Bruins lack the pedigree of their competitors, UCLA remains an attractive destination for prospective recruits.

As head coach DeShaun Foster continues to build the UCLA program, he will need to produce on and off the field for recruits. Not only does Foster need to rack up wins in the Big Ten to land a player of Iheanacho’s caliber, but Foster and the athletic administration must do whatever it takes to produce commitments on signing day in their recruiting fight.

UCLA’s win over Rutgers boosts chances vs. Nebraska

The chances are getting better.

The UCLA Bruins finally won their first-ever Big Ten Conference game by defeating Rutgers on the road. Then, UCLA had a bye week to rest and try to get things back in order.

In the first week of November, UCLA faces Nebraska on the road in Lincoln. The matchup is a difficult one with Dylan Raiola as the quarterback for the Cornhuskers.

Before the Rutgers game, ESPN gave UCLA just a 24% chance to defeat Nebraska.

However, that number has now increased to 32.1% after they knocked off the Scarlet Knights, as Mike Regalado points out.

Nebraska is coming off a close 21-17 loss to Ohio State and then a blowout loss on the road to Indiana, so they have dropped to 5-1 after a strong 5-1 start.

Kickoff is on Saturday, November 2, at 12:30 PM PST as UCLA tries to get the second Big Ten win of the season.

UCLA schedule: Is UCLA playing in Week 9?

UCLA is off in Week 9.

Will the UCLA Bruins be on the field today in Week 9 of the college football season?

In Week 8, UCLA finally got its first-ever Big Ten Conference win by defeating Rutgers on the road. DeShaun Foster was excited about getting the first W in conference play and Ethan Garbers ended up as Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after scoring five touchdowns.

In Week 9, UCLA has a bye and will get some much-needed rest after a grueling slate of games.

They will return in Week 10 to face off against Nebraska in Lincoln.

Here is a quick rundown of the remaining schedule and the results for the season at UCLA.

TEAM 2024 schedule

  • Week 1: At Hawaii (W, 16-13)
  • Week 2: BYE
  • Week 3: vs. Indiana (L, 42-13)
  • Week 4: At LSU: (L, 34-17)
  • Week 5: vs. Oregon (L, 34-13)
  • Week 6: At Penn State: (L, 27-11)
  • Week 7: vs. Minnesota (L, 21-17)
  • Week 8: At Rutgers: (W, 35-32)
  • Week 9: Bye
  • Week 10: At Nebraska
  • Week 11: vs. Iowa
  • Week 12: At Washington
  • Week 13: vs. USC
  • Week 14: vs. Fresno State
  • Record: 2-5 (1-4 Big Ten)