3 UCLA Football Players To Watch Against Wisconsin

Ty Dieffenbach

The first and most obvious answer is new starting quarterback Ty Dieffenbach, as he fills in for the injured Nico Iamaleava.

Iamaleava was recently revealed to have suffered a likely season-ending injury, which prompted Chesney and Co. to promote Dieffenbach to lead this team for the remainder of the season. His job as QB1 isn't completely safe, however, as Madden Iamaleava, Nico's younger brother, offers another potential solution if Dieffenbach isn't able to cut it.

This is not an easy first test for Dieffenbach, as Wisconsin has one of the better defenses in the Big Ten. This Badgers team is hungry to continue their winning streak, and we've seen that they have the potential to win big-time games on the road this season.

Chesney and offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy will need to dial up something manageable for Dieffenbach and allow him to lean on UCLA's elite run game to improve to 6-0.

Sammy Omosigho

In a game that will likely be a lower-scoring, defense-dominated contest, it could only take one play to completely flip this game in favor of one team.

Enter Sammy Omosigho, the captain linebacker for the Bruins, who has been exemplary in forcing turnovers and big-time plays for this Bruins defense. In Omosigho’s first three games, he forced at least one fumble in each of them, starting the season off hot, but he has since cooled down a little.

With a big-time performance from Omosigho, this UCLA defense can continue to win the turnover battle and hopefully send the Badgers packing with a loss.

Semaj Morgan

It can be easy to be rattled in your first start at quarterback, which is why Dieffenbach will likely need some help from his receivers.

The UCLA wide receiver room hasn't produced anything particularly special on the stat sheet, but that's largely due to the Bruins' style of a heavy ground game.

A player like Semaj Morgan could be of major importance in a game like this against Wisconsin. If he can find ways to get open and be reliable on third downs for Dieffenbach, it can allow both players to settle in and find a groove in this game. Morgan has been the most reliable wide receiver for the Bruins so far this season, and they’ll need him to continue that reliability in week seven against Wisconsin.