This post was updated Oct. 10 at 12:01 a.m.
Facing a top-10 opponent usually magnifies flaws.
But on Saturday, it exposed something else: a refusal to shrink under pressure.
UCLA football interim head coach Tim Skipper framed it simply.
“I’ve been undersized, underdog, whatever you want to call it, my whole entire life,” Skipper said. “Tackled some of the best backs there is that have ever played the game. … I came to a realization when I got to high school that we all are breathing the same air, so why not me?”
And that David-vs.-Goliath mentality has permeated the fibers and life force of his team.
UCLA entered its matchup against then-No. 7 Penn State averaging just 14.3 points per game, while conceding 31.3 per contest. A program of the Nittany Lions’ caliber should have only deepened those wounds.
Instead, UCLA leaned on preparation and trust to flip the script.
The Bruins’ offense, which has struggled to produce on the ground through the first four games of the season, generated an unexpected spark at the Rose Bowl on Saturday.
They exploded for 280 rushing yards, 128 of them from redshirt sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava – the most by a UCLA quarterback since 2014. That ground dominance created breathing room for the opposing defense as secondaries and the front seven had to respect the run, creating opportunities for pass catchers.
But the game-changing plays did not stop on offense.
Junior defensive back Scooter Jackson was ready when the game tightened.
Down seven with 39 seconds on the clock, the Nittany Lions shifted into motion on the fourth-and-two inside the Bruins’ nine-yard line, something Jackson recognized instantly before shooting through the backfield and making the tackle for loss that cemented UCLA’s win.
“Penn State was a big shift-in-motion team,” Jackson said. “I had told Key (Lawrence) before the play, ‘I’m about to end the game right now.’”
Jackson pointed to something new for UCLA – playing with an early lead – and how foreign it felt for the entire team.
UCLA’s first quarter against Penn State marked the first time this season the squad led at any point.
“It was an unexplainable feeling, playing with an early lead,” Jackson said. “And the defense was just rolling.”
Redshirt senior defensive lineman Jacob Busic shouldered his share of the victory. The Westminster, Maryland, local recorded a late tackle for loss and a sack for an 11-yard deficit. The sack came in the dying embers of the first half on fourth down, which forced a turnover on downs and a subsequent 54-yard field goal from junior kicker Mateen Bhaghani, giving the Bruins a 20-point lead going into intermission.
Busic tied his plays to the message of “strain” that has echoed across the roster, also crediting new defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle for helping simplify the unit’s mindsets.
“I was straining,” Busic said. “The less we think, the faster we play.”
And those adjustments proved to change the tide of the affair. UCLA held Penn State to 357 total yards while racking up 446 of its own, and went 10-of-16 on third downs.
Still, the early-season cracks are not gone.
Opponents retain a higher passing efficiency than the Bruins. Their defense has given up 1,088 rushing yards across their first five games, and their red zone defense has allowed scores on 83.3% of opponent attempts.
Mistakes remain costly, especially with the gauntlet of Big Ten slate awaiting in the remainder of the Bruins’ 2025 schedule.
But when tested by a ranked opponent, UCLA chose to show posture over panic.
Skipper’s underdog philosophy integrated into the team’s culture, culminating in a defense that, for once, had enough separation to breathe.
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