This post was updated Oct. 17 at 9:16 p.m.
Saturday had the makings of a childhood dream.
Two Southern California locals playing backyard football in Pasadena – with a rainbow gracing the San Gabriel Mountains at golden hour and a pack of corgis gracing the Rose Bowl at halftime.
However, football doesn’t afford a storybook ending to everyone.
Calabasas, California, local and senior quarterback Ty Dieffenbach led No. 12 UCLA football (6-0, 4-0 Big Ten) to a 17-7 win over Wisconsin (4-2, 2-1) and Newport Beach, California, local Colton Joseph.
“Five years ago, I’m sitting in the stands watching guys do this,” Dieffenbach said. “And now I’m there. It was special to me.”
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Dieffenbach completed 22 of his 33 passes – the most thrown by a Bruin all season – for 264 aerial yards against a Badgers defense that entered Saturday allowing the fourth-fewest passing yards in the Big Ten.
Senior Nico Iamaleava, who has been out since sustaining a leg injury against Oregon on Oct. 10, has a UCLA-career-high of 276 passing yards. His Sept. 19 win over Purdue is his only showing in the blue and gold where he put up more yards through the air than Dieffenbach.
“The progress that we’ve made from January, when we all arrived, to now is just out of this world,” said senior wide receiver Landon Ellis, who finished Saturday with two receptions for 57 yards. “It would be really hard to go back into history and find teams that have turned around this fast.”
The Cal Poly transfer wasn’t as agile as UCLA’s typical starter, however, totaling -10 rushing yards after a night spent all over the backfield – for better or worse.
And Dieffenbach certainly wasn’t as mobile as Joseph, who put up 71 rushing yards on 18 attempts and collected his fourth rushing touchdown of the year.
Joseph’s inability to move the ball through the air, however, took the wind out of the Badgers’ sails. He completed just six of his 16 passes for 66 yards and was sacked twice – mobility only moves so far.
Senior wide receiver Semaj Morgan threw a third-quarter interception that led to the Badgers’ only touchdown of the night, but he arguably ended the affair with a net positive impact – finishing with a career-high 84 yards on five receptions.
Joseph tried to power the Badger offense the same way he had all season – freely slinging the ball deep, scrambling when he needed some time, and taking off if he couldn’t get it.
But quarter after quarter, he put up fewer and fewer passing yards – 32 in the first, 21 in the second, 13 in the third and none in the fourth. It seemed like Joseph tried to do everything he could to move the ball on his own – he accounted for nearly half of the Badgers’ 148 rushing yards and over half of the team’s 33 carries.
“He (Joseph) makes you bend a little bit, but not break,” said coach Bob Chesney. “We were physical inside, but the pass game was what I was impressed with. … There were moments that they were throwing this thing up and our coverage was really spot on.”
Senior linebacker Sammy Omosigho finished with five solo tackles and his fifth forced fumble of the season – though Wisconsin would retain possession.
Fifth-year running back Wayne Knight punched in the Bruins’ first touchdown Saturday – his 12th of the season – but ended the night with arguably his worst performance as a Bruin. After entering the affair averaging more than 100 rushing yards per game, Knight put up just 23 against the Badgers.
Meanwhile, fifth-year running back Anthony Woods ran for 39 yards and a touchdown while senior running back Jaivian Thomas finished with 37 yards on the ground. The UCLA offense converted on 13 of its 20 third downs.
And junior wide receiver Jalen Saint Paul didn’t just record his first reception since Sept. 12 – he had the best performance of his collegiate career, collecting 45 yards off four receptions.
With their sixth win of the season, the Bruins will play a bowl game for the first time since 2023.
“Growing up here, you want to go play for UCLA,” Dieffenbach said. “It’s crazy, man. Just being here at UCLA, being 30 minutes from home, seeing my family all the time, it’s just a dream come true.”
