This post was updated Oct. 24 at 5:22 p.m.
The blue and gold just keep on dancing.
Or, at least this time, the baby blue and gold.
Regardless of the color, the four letters out of Westwood are undefeated through seven games for the first time since 2005.
And they’re doing so with smiles on their faces, maybe bigger than ever.
No. 9 UCLA football (7-0, 5-0 Big Ten) took down Michigan State (2-6, 0-5) 28-10 Saturday afternoon at the Rose Bowl in the team’s Homecoming game. The victory marks back-to-back wins under senior Ty Dieffenbach as the starting signal-caller, who powered through a late second-quarter hit where multiple defenders seemed to land on his lower body.
[carousel 634]
The timing of Dieffenbach’s scratch was eerily similar to that of senior quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s season-ending injury against Oregon on Oct. 10.
“It means the world to me (to) see all the support I’ve been getting these last couple of weeks,” Dieffenbach said. “It’s been a crazy last couple of weeks for this program, with our starting quarterback going down and all that. It’s just the way everyone’s been taking me in and being there for me.”
The Bruins were not alone in rolling out a backup quarterback. The Spartans utilized Kayd Coffman after Alessio Milivojevic was ruled out before the game, with the freshman throwing for 42 yards and one touchdown.
After third-string running back Marvis Parrish was helped off the field during the Spartans’ first drive of the game – with Jaziun Patterson also ruled out before the game and Cam Edwards sidelined since late September – Michigan State turned to depth piece Kenneth Williams, who concluded with 54 rushing yards on 17 carries.
Despite having just two carries entering Saturday’s affair, it wouldn’t take long for Williams to enter the scoresheet.
On UCLA’s first possession, what was making out to be a decent march up the field ended when fifth-year Anthony Woods had the ball stripped from his hands by safety Devin Vaught for a fumble recovery that brought Michigan State into the red zone. Shortly after, Coffman found Williams for a 14-yard score on a wheel route.
“I got to have better ball security,” Woods said. “Hold the ball higher and tight, and lock in in traffic.”
But there was little else the Spartans’ offense could muster. Any momentum Michigan State seemed to stumble into came from its defense setting up potential scoring drives, with Vaught forcing two fumbles against UCLA’s run game – the first such takeaways of his career. After the Bruins’ second fumble in the second quarter, the Spartans were immediately stopped when an underthrown pass gave senior linebacker Donavyn Pellot his first career interception.
As a whole, the Bruins consistently loaded the box and hurried the pocket to keep the Spartans to just 47 yards on the ground and Coffman – who was subbed out late in the third quarter – to just four total completions. Fifth-year linebacker Jalen Woods spearheaded the Bruins’ defense with nine tackles and one of the team’s six tackles for loss. The unit as a whole also posted four sacks, with senior linebacker Sammy Omosigho pitching in two.
Forcing seven total punts and standing tall on third downs, UCLA set itself up for a rebounded ground attack after an uncharacteristically quiet night against Wisconsin on Oct. 17.
“We love to be aggressive on third downs, so we like to mix it up on people,” Woods said. “Just being able to execute the moves that we’re making in practice goes back to the fundamentals – being able to pass rush and what it takes to pass rush. Just having that aggressive mindset takes us far.”
Knight had his worst yards-per-carry performance since 2024 against the Badgers, going for a season-low 23 yards on 13 carries. But Saturday was evidently a bounceback for Knight and the running back room, with the James Madison transfer rushing for 56 out of the team’s 245 total yards. Each head of UCLA’s Cerberus rushed into the end zone against Michigan State, with Anthony Woods responding to his early mistakes to finish the game with 112 rushing yards – his first triple-digit performance since the season opener.
Even before being momentarily sidelined, Dieffenbach came out to a slower opening than his initial start, throwing for just 84 yards in the first half and continually being forced to improvise plays. While his ball placement wasn’t completely faulty, costly drops by his receivers undermined the overall offense.
But perseverance shone through in the third quarter, when Dieffenbach trotted back on the field to throw for 90 yards in the frame – 63 of which came off a play action that found sophomore wide receiver Brian Rowe Jr. deep for his first score of the season.
“Going out there, got a good play – got the post against corners, safety came down, and I just launched it,” Dieffenbach said. “It was a great catch by Beezy (Rowe).”
Showcasing better poise under center, Dieffenbach helped steady the tide heading into a final stanza that was more of the same – a heavy-set ground game alongside a relentless defense that refused to surrender significant yardage.
As Michigan State turned to reserve quarterback Leo Hannan for the last stretch of the game, it was all she wrote.
“I love their mindset,” said coach Bob Chesney. “I love their progression. I love their process. They do a really good job of that. They don’t allow anyone to overinflate them or deflate them. They are consistent and steady with their work and the way they handle business. And we’re going to need a whole lot more of that for the rest of the season. It’s a long season.”
And with UCLA dancing toward a 7-0 record and a Halloween matchup against a non-Big Ten Nevada, it might be scary hours in Westwood.
