Key Takeaways From UCLA's Explosive Win Over SDSU

There were a lot of parallels between this win and UCLA’s win last week against Cal. Both games were run-heavy and stayed close until the fourth quarter.

Nico Iamaleava made the same mistake as last week, too. In the red zone, Iamaleava threw a cross-body floater to the opposite side of the end zone, which was intercepted by San Diego State, ruining the Bruins' chance to take the lead.  

Like last week, the Bruins pulled off a win with an explosion of offense in the fourth quarter, as UCLA sprinted away, scoring 21 points in the final stretch.

Wayne Knight Is the Real Deal

Wayne Knight improved on his performance last week by putting up another three-touchdown performance. On 13 carries, Knight sprinted for 97 yards and three scores on the ground to pull away with the status of RB1.

In fact, the entire running back room put together a solid night again, scoring four total touchdowns and 214 yards on 5.0 yards per carry.

I can imagine Knight will be the leading back moving forward, as Dean Kennedy and Bob Chesney have made it obvious that he’s a focal point of this offense and lethal in the red zone.

UCLA’s Deep Coverage Was Elite Against SDSU

All game, the Aztecs tried to go deep on the Bruins but couldn't get anything going. UCLA had all of San Diego State’s receivers blanketed all night, as the unit only managed to get 45 yards receiving.

Malik Hartford and Ta’Shawn James, the starting safeties, played exceptionally well, in my opinion, as they flew around the field and were very involved in the game. Malik Hartford ended the night with a team-high 10 total tackles, three solo tackles, and a pass deflection.

Ta’Shawn James was heavily involved as well, accounting for five total tackles, a pass deflection, a half sack, and a tackle for loss. There was some concern about the Bruins' deep coverage against Cal, but it looked like Colin Hitschler and Co. were able to improve greatly in that area.