PASADENA, Calif. - For three quarters and seven minutes, Bob Chesney's Rose Bowl debut was a dull affair, then just as quickly, the Bruins gave their faithful fans and historic stadium plenty to cheer about.
The SDSU Aztecs came to town looking to present a challenge and they certainly didn't make things easy on the Bruins, nor did the Bruins make things easy back. Both siders traded drives where they accomplished relatively nothing. So much nothing in fact the first play to go past the 50-yard line and into opposing territory didn't happen until Brian Rowe Jr. caught a pass with 11:47 left in the second quarter and both sides went into halftime tied 0-0.
Neither side particularly excelled with their passing, even if UCLA had the slight edge through the first half and finished with a much larger edge with 151 net passing yards to just 45 by SDSU and both sides were equally unsuccessful in their rushing attempts early on, but things started to change for UCLA in the second half.
"That is not the way we want to play football, obviously in the first half," Chesney said. "But at the same point in time, that's where we found ourselves. And I think every once in a while, it wasn't pretty, but it was gritty, and you need one of those."
UCLA struck first with a rushing touchdown courtesy of fifth-year running back Wayne Knight early in the third quarter, but UCLA could have scored far earlier than that if senior quarterback Nico Iamaleava made a different decision in a critical moment.

#first #things

Seriously, now what? How will the AP Top 25 voters pick their teams this week after making a statement by leaving Michigan out last week, and with Oregon losing to Oklahoma State, and after Texas made its big comeback win over Ohio State?

After one of the most interesting Week 2 weekends in a long time, there should be plenty of movement, and we try to predict what the voters will do.
The call: Texas will make the move up from 4 to 1 after beating the previous No. 1, Ohio State – but this is a true guess. No. 2 Georgia has been dominant so far.
Michigan was technically 28th after its close call win over Western Michigan. But after taking down No. 11 Oklahoma, the 2-0 Wolverines will move back into the top 25.
Oregon was No. 2, was mediocre in a win over Boise State and dropped to 8. After losing to an Oklahoma State team that lost to Tulsa the week before, the Ducks will (probably) drop out of the top 25 entirely.
Top Others Receiving Votes: Boise State, South Carolina, Western Michigan, UCLA, Oregon, Pitt, Virginia Tech, Colorado

#michigan #western

PASADENA -- San Diego State's defense did practically everything they could to keep the Aztecs in the game against UCLA. They just needed the offense to come along for the ride.
Despite the defense largely holding UCLA's offense in check, SDSU's offense managed just 189 yards and one touchdown — coming effectively in garbage time — in a 28-10 loss to the Bruins at the Rose Bowl on Saturday.
"Inefficiency on offense led to a bunch of snaps for the defense," head coach Sean Lewis said. "Starting three and out there constantly, we were behind in the field position game. So I think just the culmination of snaps, the inefficiency on offense. It starts with the play calling, with myself, the leadership throughout the course of the week, so that we can have more success and flip the field."
Nowhere was SDSU's offensive struggle more apparent than in the passing game. The Aztecs completed just six passes for 45 yards, and several deep shots by quarterback Jayden Denegal were wildly off-target.
"[We] felt like we had good matchups on the edge," Lewis said. "There was a lot of single-high coverage. Again, those are good, calculated shots downrange. We got ***** on hands that we didn't catch. We had other guys wide open that we missed."

#yards #shots

The UCLA Bruins defeated the San Diego State Aztecs 28-10 in their home opener at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif. on Sept. 12.
The Bruins were held scoreless for the first half of the game, but took the lead in the third and blew up in the fourth to steamroll the Aztecs. UCLA head coach Bob Chesney was able to keep his team together yet again as he leaves his first home opener in the Rose Bowl triumphant. Here were five takeaways from the Week 2 performance.
The Bruins defense defended their den viciously for the season opener as they held the Aztecs scoreless for the first three quarters of play. San Diego State's lone touchdown came on the defense's worse drive of the game that was filled with penalties that led the Aztecs down the field and into the endzone.
Nonetheless, the defense was the strongest side of the ball for the majority of the game as they held the Aztecs to just 45-passing yards, had two sacks, six tackles-for-loss and an interception that was snagged by senior linebacker Jalen Woods.
FIRST CAREER INT FOR J-9! 💪

📺: BigTenNetwork
📲: https://t.co/rVIspx5dud pic.twitter.com/4ODHkrh5SV

#aztecs #opener #ucla #bowl

UCLA football looks to build on a strong showing from their Week 1 rout of Cal in their home opener when they host San Diego State at the Rose Bowl on Saturday, Sept. 12.
The Bob Chesney era in Westwood couldn't have started on a better note as the Bruins rode dominant performances from their run game and defense -- their two biggest weaknesses last season -- to pull away late from what had been a shootout with the Golden Bears through the first three quarters.
Senior running back Anthony Woods led the way on the ground with 118 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while JMU transfer Wayne Knight added three more scores on 71 yards. That opened up some opportunities for Nico Iamaleava to take shots downfield, which the quarterback converted for some big plays late in the first half.
The Aztecs -- now a member of the new-look Pac-12 -- are coming off a strong season debut of their own, a 53-20 blowout over Portland State.
Follow along for live coverage from USA TODAY Sports on UCLA vs. San Diego State:

#state #diego

California football is on display in their ACC-opener, as the Golden Bears travel across the country, nearly 2,500 miles, entering a Week 2 matchup with Syracuse at the JMA Wireless Dome.
Cal is still in search of getting its first tally in the win column for first-year head coach Tosh Lupoi following their Week 1 loss against UCLA, 45-24.
There were many things to look back on for Cal between what went wrong, what went right and what they could've done better to give themselves a fighter's chance at taking down UCLA.
As a collective, the Golden Bears were in lockstep with the Bruins through three quarters where the game was tied at 24. However, a fourth-quarter collapse allowed UCLA to runoff three unanswered scores which ultimately sealed the fate for Cal.
As you tune into the matchup between Cal and 'Cuse, be on the lookout for the performance indicators from the Golden Bears.

#golden #went

It's not just game day, it's the first home game for Bob Chesney as head coach of the UCLA Bruins. UCLA will be taking on San Diego State at the Rose Bowl, with both teams eyeing a 2-0 start to the 2026 season.
We'll get our first look at how Chesney has his team looking in Pasadena, with the program looking to keep the ball rolling after an offseason filled with positive momentum. UCLA passed their first test, knocking off Cal on the road in Week 1.
Here are five questions for the Bruins entering Week 2 versus the Aztecs.
The UCLA offensive line dominated up front, allowing for major games from running backs Anthony Woods and Wayne Knight. While it'll be tough for UCLA to match their 277 yards they got in Week 1, a successful rushing offense will make everything else much easier for the Bruins.
There were many highlights from UCLA's Week 1 victory. One thing that wasn't great from the Bruins was their penalties. UCLA committed 12 penalties, giving away 110 yards. That isn't sustainable and will be something to improve upon in Week 2.

#first #penalties #diego

It's already a tired storyline, but we'll get through it together until it becomes totally exhausted. San Diego State is the Pac-12 team here, UCLA is the Big Ten team, and even if it doesn't quite feel right, it's a big game for both.

The Aztecs want to be a player in the hunt for a College Football Playoff spot, but this is the one shot to take down a Power Four program. Coming off a good 53-20 warm-up win over Portland State, SDSU is as ready as it's going to be.
UCLA is the big story, though. Bob Chesney's first game as the new head coach was close to perfect, with the ground game pounding away through Cal in a 45-24 win.
It seems like these two should've played more than 17 times. UCLA won the last meeting in 2023 and is 16-1 all-time in the series.
San Diego State can lose this and still be alive for the CFP, but it would need to beat James Madison next week. The Pac-12 season starts against Texas State in early October.
UCLA starts the Big Ten season next week when Purdue comes to Los Angeles. It gets Maryland after that before going to Oregon.

#diego #next #week #starts

Backup center Ryan Hollins was the fourth player in Charlotte Hornets franchise history to wear the No. 1, doing so for a brief stretch as a member of the Charlotte Bobcats. A former No. 50 overall pick out of UCLA, Hollins played two and a half seasons in Charlotte before being traded along with Matt Carroll to the Dallas Mavericks for DeSagana Diop.
In 105 games for the Bobcats, Hollins averaged 2.6 points, 1.7 rebounds, 0.2 **** ists, 0.2 steals and 0.5 blocks. Following his time in Charlotte, Hollins would go on to play seven more seasons, giving himself an impressive 10-year NBA career. In 518 career appearances, Hollins averaged 3.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, 0.3 **** ists, 0.2 steals and 0.5 blocks. Since his playing days, Hollins has served as a basketball **** yst and pundit for a variety of different outlets.
Throughout the season, Rookie Wire is documenting the jersey number history of the Charlotte Hornets
Previous: Tony Delk, Robert Parish, Spencer Hawes, Theron Smith, Jeff McInnis, Larry Hughes, Bismack Biyombo, Briante Weber, Miles Bridges, Muggsy Bogues, Baron Davis, Jason Hart
For more NBA content, check out the BasketBaltes podcast:

#hollins #seasons

Showing off his jewelry to Jared McCain, Aday Mara is hoping to add more championship rings in the future. Reading the room across the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder realized they needed serious size in the frontcourt to keep up.
You come to that realization when you see Victor Wembanyama beat you in the 2026 Western Conference Finals. The 22-year-old has arrived. He'll keep the San Antonio Spurs in the ***** le picture for the foreseeable future. Which directly conflicts with the Thunder and their ambitions.
In comes Mara. The Thunder drafted the 7-foot-3 giant with the No. 12 pick of the 2026 NBA draft. They hope he can strengthen their frontcourt depth for the foreseeable future and possibly be Chet Holmgren's running mate for the rest of the contending window.
Before we find out the answers to those valuable questions, though, Mara earned some well-deserved reflection on his collegiate journey. He showed off his rings on a recent social media post. After two so-so years at UCLA, his decision to transfer to Michigan completely changed his life for the better. He helped the Wolverines capture the 2026 national championship.
Michigan went a dominant 37-3 in the 2025-26 season. Mara's breakout helped with that. It had a three-headed frontcourt monster — alongside Yaxel Lendeborg and Morez Johnson Jr. All three went in the lottery range of the 2026 NBA draft. And head coach Dusty Mays joined the Dallas Mavericks in a rare college-to-NBA job promotion.

#michigan

Frances Tiafoe is back in the US Open semifinals for his third time tonight. He's seeking his first finals appearance, as is fellow American Ben Shelton, his opponent who took down Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals.
The world No. 12, Tiafoe is seeking his first Grand Slam singles ******* le. The 28-year-old defeated Daniil Medvedev and Alex Michelsen in the last two rounds to reach this point. Tiafoe is 1-3 all-time against Shelton, so evening up their head-to-head series will be significant in more ways than one.
As Tiafoe prepares for a monumental match, here's a look at his relationship with girlfriend Ayan Broomfield.
Broomfield, 29, is a Canadian tennis player who played collegiately at Clemson and UCLA. She and Tiafoe went public with their relationship in 2018, and since then Broomfield has been a fixture at Tiafoe's matches.

#time #seeking #head

Frances Tiafoe's career has made him one of the most recognisable American names in tennis, but there is also a familiar face who has been alongside him throughout much of his journey.
Tiafoe has been dating Canadian former professional tennis player Ayan Broomfield since 2015, with the pair having been together for more than a decade.
As Tiafoe prepares to face fellow American Ben Shelton in the US Open semi-final at Arthur Ashe Stadium, attention is once again turning to the people closest to the tennis star.
Photo by Thomas F. Starke/Getty Images
Broomfield grew up in the Toronto region and developed her career in tennis from a young age before taking the college route at UCLA.

#tiafoe

It was a game of firsts for Caleb Bacon. Not only was it the first game of 2026, but also Bacon's first game as a Nittany Lion after transferring from Iowa State, as well as his first game as a full time defensive end since switching from linebacker.
It's safe to say all the changes worked out for Bacon, as he was named the Big Ten's Co-Defensive Player of the Week for week one. Bacon made an immediate impact in his Nittany Lions debut, collecting three TFLs, a sack, and six tackles in the first half alone against Marshall. The Thundering Herd had difficulty handling Bacon, as he constantly provided pressure and wreaked havoc in the backfield whenever he was on the field. Bacon even had a sequence with consecutive TFLs as he helped to shut down an early drive by Marshall as the Nittany Lions defense held them scoreless throughout the game. It was Penn State's first shutout in a season opener since blanking Akron in 2017.
Bacon shares the honor with UCLA's Ta'Shawn James, who had two interceptions to help lead the Bruins to a victory over Cal on Saturday.

#first #tfls #marshall #week

The Washington Huskies started three true freshmen on defense in their 24-10 Apple Cup win on Saturday, a fact that surprised some when the two-deep depth chart was released earlier this week. Defensive tackle Derek Colman-Brusa was the No. 158 player in the country and listed as an edge, but was the Huskies' third-highest-rated defensive recruit in the 2026 class.
Edge rusher Ramzak Fruean just barely edged his way into being a four-star as the No. 293 player in the country, but was listed at linebacker and didn't commit until December after a brief pledge to UCLA. Cornerback Jeron Jones was the lowest-rated four-star in the class, clocking in at No. 438, and was the second-highest-rated cornerback in the class.
And yet, Saturday showed why the Huskies haven't been able to keep their freshman trio off the field.
After Fruean jumped offside on a second-and-12 deep in Washington State's territory in the second quarter, he responded with a hit to Washington State quarterback Caden Pinnick's arm that forced an incompletion. On third down, Colman-Brusa came free on a looping rush around the edge and batted Pinnick's pass into the arms of Jones, who returned it 9 yards to put the Huskies on Washington State's 21-yard line.
Washington scored their first touchdown of the season on a 5-yard Demond Williams Jr. run five plays later.

#washington

Following the UCLA Bruins' Week 1 victory over the Cal Bears, quarterback Nico Iamaleava awarded the new UCLA head coach the game ball for his efforts.
Despite the lopsided final score of 45-21, it was easily a game that the Bruins could have lost. The game was tied 21-21 entering the fourth quarter but it was UCLA who had more in the tank for the game's final 15 minutes.
In the locker room, Iamaleava addressed the team following the win, with UCLA football sharing the footage on the team's Twitter account.
"The man came in here and s**t shake, made us believe in something that we ain't believe in before. First ball goes to Coach Ches." Iamaleava, the team captain said.
Soon after the locker room broke out in song, with the team singing "It's a great day to be alive and be a Bruin" in unison to keep the celebration going.

#ucla

Destinee Herrera's recruiting journey lasted less than a week.
Four days after NCAA Division 1 programs were officially allowed to contact the Oxnard High junior, Herrera committed to the UCLA softball program during an official visit to Westwood Sept. 5.
"It was wonderful," Herrera said. "I couldn't say no. It's my dream school. The girls were so sweet."
UCLA's interest was obvious even before Herrera was named CIF-Southern Section Division 4 Player of the Year after pitching the Yellowjackets to the Division 4 **** le in May.
A member of The Star's All-County softball first team, she was 14-4 with a 0.96 ERA and 141 strikeouts in 139 innings as a sophomore.

#oxnard

BERKELEY, Calif. — Wayne Knight ran for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter following interceptions by Ta'Shawn James and UCLA opened the Bob Chesney era with a 45-24 victory over California on Saturday night.
Both teams entered the season with new coaches and high hopes but Chesney's team got the best against Tosh Lupoi's Golden Bears by capitalizing on the late miscues by quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele.
"It was a lot of fun," Chesney said. "That was a battle."
Knight, who came from James Madison along with Chesney, scored on a 31-yard run midway through the fourth one play after James' first interception on a pass that went off Ian Strong's hands. Knight then made it 38-24 when he scored on a 4-yard run with 2:58 to play following the second takeaway by James.
Anthony Woods sealed it with a 53-yard touchdown run as the Bruins used 37 new players in the win.

#knight #chesney #scored

Saturday evening brought big news: Vikings legend Harrison Smith, who never officially announced his retirement, is coming back for a 15th season with the franchise that drafted him in the first round back in 2012.
The fan reaction to that news has been almost entirely positive. Smith is an all-time great who has played at a high level across several different eras of Vikings football. About a month into this season, he'll pass Carl Eller and Fred ****** to move into third on the franchise's games played leaderboard, trailing only Jim Marshall and Mick Tingelhoff. He's an obvious Ring of Honor lock with a real chance to end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
And Smith's return isn't just about legacy. With his experience and instincts and communication abilities in Brian Flores' check-heavy defense, Smith is a big addition to the Vikings' roster right now, even at 37 years old. He can clearly still play, as we saw in his dominant performance against the Lions last Christmas Day.
Amidst the excitement, there have been a few Vikings fans who have pushed back. Their specific complaints have to do with the contract the team gave Smith for his 15th season. It's a one-year, $12.25 million deal that has incentives up to $16.25 million if Minnesota wins the Super Bowl. For some, that price tag is too steep for a 37-year-old safety.
There were enough of those tweets that a former longtime teammate of Smith's took notice. Anthony Barr, a first-round pick two years after Smith who played alongside him for nine seasons, took to X/Twitter to put those fans on blast late on Saturday night after a couple posts about his UCLA Bruins' Week 1 win over Cal.

#smith #season #first #years

James Madison made history in 2025, becoming the first-ever Sun Belt team to qualify for the College Football Playoff. But success came with a cost in the offseason. Head coach Bob Chesney left for UCLA, as did some of the Dukes' top players including running back Wayne Knight and defensive end Sahir West. Starting quarterback Alonza Barnett III wound up at UCF.
James Madison lost a bulk of the coaching staff and all but three primary starters from its CFP team. But the program is accustomed to handling adversity of this nature, not missing a beat when Curt Cignetti handed the reins to Bob Chesney two years ago.
Signs of a similar baton pass were evident Saturday when JMU defeated Liberty, 20-13, in head coach Billy Napier's debut.
James Madison fielded the nation's fifth-ranked total defense in 2025, and that was the team's calling card in the 2026 opener. Liberty was held completely out of the end zone until 10 minutes remained in the contest, thanks to the Dukes' ability to stonewall the run game.
Liberty's spread option attack ranked top-4 nationally in rushing in two of three seasons under head coach Jamey Chadwell. But through 38 attempts against JMU, the Dukes produced just 91 rushing yards, calculating to 2.4 per carry. They never broke off a big one, with the longest run of the day measuring to 10 yards.

#chesney

The Tosh Lupoi Era for the Cal football team began in Berkeley on Saturday night with a full house at Memorial Stadium and plenty of thrills. What it ultimately lacked, however, was a victory for the Bears, who saw UCLA score three fourth-quarter touchdowns to claim a 45-24 victory with a majority of Cal fans clearing out of their seats before the final whistle.
It seemed nothing could stop Cal after sophomore Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele delivered three consecutive completions to take the Bears 87 yards into the end zone in just 38 seconds to cut the Bears' deficit to 21-17 toward the end of the first half.
With the Memorial Stadium home crowd roaring and the powers of their star quarterback on full display in the moon-balls he summoned, it felt like nothing could stop the Bears from satisfying the hype that the team spent the last eight months cultivating. A start to what the program hoped could be a Cinderella season.
And then the clock struck midnight.
The UCLA offensive line began to mash Cal in the trenches. Bruins running backs Wayne Knight and Jaivian Thomas started to steamroll through tackles and break containment. And the Sagapolutele magic turned into dust as a mishandled snap on a fourth-down and two fourth-quarter interceptions - one off the hands of his receiver and the other right to defense (both to the Bruins' Ta'Shawn James) - gave UCLA the momentum to take the game and run.

#team

Social media shared their excitement for UCLA football's exhilarating 45-24 win over the California Golden Bears in their season debut at the California Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
The hiring of Bob Chesney to coach the Bruins brought a new level of energy into Westwood and as the game progressed that energy made it way over to social media. Here is some of what was said throughout the Bruins late blowout win to open their season.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Social media excited for Bob Chesney's Bruins first win

#bruins #ucla #golden

James Madison transfer running back Wayne Knight ran for three touchdowns and the UCLA defense found its footing in the fourth quarter, overpowering former conference rival California and kicking off the Bob Chesney era with a 45-24 win.
There was a brief injury scare to quarterback Nico Iamaleava, but by then, the Bruins had effectively won the game with two things they did poorly a season ago: rushing and defense.
UCLA outscored Cal 21-0 in the fourth quarter off two interceptions from transfer safety Ta'Shawn James, who picked off Cal's Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele on a deep third-down attempt. Knight ran for a 31-yard touchdown on the next play to help give UCLA a 31-24 lead with 8:46 left to go.
James' next interception with 7:31 left led to Knight's third touchdown on a four-yard run.
Anthony Woods broke free for a 53-yard touchdown run on the Bruins' final possession for his second touchdown of the game and UCLA's sixth — all on the ground. Last season, the Bruins ran for eight total.

#knight

The Bob Chesney Era is off and running for the UCLA Bruins. The Bruins outlasted the Cal Bears Saturday night, picking up a 45-24 victory to move to 1-0 on the 2026 season.
It was a hard-fought win to begin Chesney's tenure, as Cal and quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele battled late into Saturday night but UCLA's defense got three turnovers and three sacks in the win.
The UCLA offense shined too. Aside from a red zone interception by Nico Iamaleava, Dean Kennedy's offense shined. UCLA rushed for 279 yards with James Madison transfer Wayne Knight looking like a star, and finding the end zone three times in his UCLA debut.
It was a balanced rushing attack, with the Bruins' offensive line winning up front, creating holes on the ground for Knight, Anthony Woods, Jaivian Thomas and Iamaleava on the ground. While Knight found the end zone three times, Woods scored twice and totaled 118 yards on only eight carries. As a team, UCLA averaged 9.0 yards per carry.
UCLA left meat on the bone late in the first half, as an Iamaleava interception led to a Cal touchdown but that didn't instill fear in the offense, as Iamaleava found Matthews for a deep pass to set up a last-second field goal to give the Bruins a 24-17 halftime lead.

#ucla #three #zone #woods

The UCLA Bruins will take on the Cal Golden Bears on Saturday at California Memorial Stadium in a Week 1 college football matchup.
Nov 29, 2025; Berkeley, California, USA; California Golden Bears wide receiver Cole Boscia (82) gestures after catching a pass for a first down against the Southern Methodist Mustangs during the fourth quarter at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Date: Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026
Time: 10:30 PM ET
Channel: ESPN

#california #saturday #ucla

The UCLA Bruins first football game of the 2026 season comes against the California Golden Bears at the California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif. on Sept. 4.
Head coach Bob Chesney will reveal the new-look Bruins to the world as they battle against head coach Tosh Lupoi's Golden Bears. The Bruins still have some core pieces from last season like star quarterback Nico Iamalaeava, but Chesney brought plenty of star power with him from James Madison, which should be on full display.
UCLA vs California
TV Channel: ESPN
Livestream: Fubo (free trial)

#head

Everyone is excited for the start of the 2026 college football season until their team loses. While the UCLA Bruins are hoping to avoid that fate this weekend versus Cal. UCLA saw a conference rival begin the season in humiliating fashion.
Rutgers kicked off on Thursday versus UMass and the Minutemen pulled off a 37-21 road win at SHI Stadium. Rutgers came into the season looking like a Big Ten Conference bottom-dweller and that was all but confirmed with a blowout loss to UMass.
The loss to UMass is different from your run-of-the-mill upset. The Minutemen went winless in 2025 and were four touchdown underdogs against Rutgers.
Last season Rutgers went 5-7, winning two more games than UCLA, but things are looking worse to begin 2026 for the Scarlet Knights. USA TODAY writer Matthew Glenesk discussed buyout options for Rutgers' head coach Greg Schiano after the humiliating start to the season.
"Greg Schiano is the winningest coach in Rutgers football history. But that distinction can't sugarcoat the disaster Thursday night was as the Scarlet Knights — a 29.5-point favorite — lost at home to UMass," Glenesk said. "If the school was to make a change, Schiano is owed 76.875% of his remaining base salary when he is fired. If he is let go at the end of November, that number would be approximately $18.5 million, per documents obtained by USA TODAY Sports."

#season

If you're excited for Nico Iamaleava's 2026 season, you're not alone. Ahead of Iamaleava and the UCLA Bruins season debut on Saturday, college football ****** yst Todd McShay appeared on the Bill Simmons Podcast and gushed about UCLA's signal caller.
The former five-star recruit is flying a bit under the radar after a 2025 season where the Bruins offense struggled and the team finished 3-9 as a whole. Even amidst the struggles for the team, Iamaleava flashed moments of brilliance.
"I don't think people nationally have a clue how good Nico is," McShay said. "He's got a toughness about him that I didn't expect. He's got an ability to bounce-back from mistakes. This guy loves ball, you can't hide that on tape."
Even with those intangibles, it's the combination of Iamaleava's size and speed for the quarterback position. That skillset not only makes him an exciting college quarterback, it makes him a potential option at the NFL level.
"A 6'5" gazelle when he takes off to run. Then you watch the ability to, at 6'5", make guys miss in small ****** es," McShay said of the UCLA quarterback. "There's nothing he can't do. Now his deep ball accuracy was atrocious at Tennessee. I'm interested to see this year if he can improve that area."

#mcshay #bruins #you 're #college

The Philadelphia 76ers are going to need rookie Labaron Philon Jr. to step in and produce right away as the No. 22 pick in the 2026 draft. The Sixers selected Philon with the expectation that he will be the lead guard for the second unit alongside Anfernee Simons.
In order to prepare for what's to come in his maiden season, Philon has spent a majority of the offseason in the gym looking to work on his craft and get the much-needed reps he needs in the gym to show what he can do on a regular basis.
In the latest video footage of the Rico Hines Runs at UCLA, Philon continues to impress and show his skill alongside fellow Sixers teammate VJ Edgecombe.

#philon #sixers #alongside

Can first-year head coach Bob Chesney really replicate the magic that he created at James Madison University with the UCLA Bruins? That's become the expectation as Chesney has yet to scuffle so far in his NCAA coaching career.
To accomplish the feat, Chesney brought over many of his James Madison players through the transfer portal to UCLA. One of those players is tight end Josh Phifer, who spoke to California Post writer Ben Bolch about the similarities between JMU and UCLA.
"I was getting goosebumps," Phifer said to Bolch. "Because I was like, holy s–t, it's happening, I can feel it. … This almost feels like JMUCLA – it feels like the same thing except it's beautiful every day, it's 75 degrees and all that."
Bruin fans would love for their football program to turn into JMUCLA, with Chesney leading the Dukes to a conference championship and a College Football Playoff appearance in 2025. Chesney has been laying the groundwork for a smooth transition, bringing over much of the roster, coaching staff and values to the Bruins' program.
Kicker Mateen Bhaghani spoke on the difference between last year's UCLA program and what he has experienced so far this season, which has been a much more lively experience.

#james #madison #bruins #bolch

East Lansing — Michigan State could win enough games to earn a bowl bid in Pat Fitzgerald's first year at the helm. The Spartans could also finish worse than they did last season.
Heading into Friday's opener against Toledo, one thinks Michigan State's offense might be a little better with a retooled offensive line and a star running back in Cam Edwards. One thinks the defense will benefit from having Jordan Hall and Nikai Martinez running the show, and a crop of adequate starters who are healthy. However, ***** ody knows until pads start cracking, crowds start roaring and TV networks cram as many ads as they can into mandatory commercial breaks. I think even Fitzgerald is curious to see just what he has on his hands once his guys line up against somebody else.
With a roster full of transfers and a new coaching staff leading the way, what exactly Michigan State has to work with this season is unknown — especially compared to the rest of the Big Ten. And it's that comparison where things have gotten tricky for the Spartans in four straight losing seasons.
The great challenge for MSU has been to make some noise in conference play, in which it is 9-27 the past four years and went 1-8 last season. It's a bleak record for a program that once put fear into opponents who walked into Spartan Stadium and proceeded to crawl out. Fitzgerald's task is to make this program scary again. Frightening to some, that process might take some time — longer than some may be willing to wait.
Where Michigan State benefits this season is its schedule. Five of its opponents are ranked in the bottom half of USA Today's preseason Big Ten poll. Likewise, using that poll the Spartans tie for the fourth weakest schedule behind Penn State, Illinois and UCLA. That doesn't consider travel nor the usual attrition of injuries, but it does show that there are a lot of what should be winnable games.

#state #last #line #running