Oct 4, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) looks to pass during the first quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

UCLA Bruins vs Michigan State Spartans Game Preview

Originally posted on UCLA Bruins on SI | By Connor Moreno | Last updated Oct 11, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The UCLA Bruins (1-4, 1-1 Big Ten) are one of the hottest one-win teams in recent memory, coming off a stunning win over No. 7 Penn State last week.

Bruins interim head coach Tim Skipper made sure his squad celebrated the win for just one day, because a new challenge is on the horizon -- Michigan State.

UCLA's Week 7 matchup against the Spartans is an intriguing one. The Bruins are coming off one of the biggest wins of the season, while MSU is on the heels of two straight losses. An important obstacle for the road Bruins, though, is the 9 a.m. kickoff time in East Lansing.

Ranking sixth on ESPN's FPI in remaining strength of schedule, the Bruins have a gauntlet ahead of them. And it starts with the Spartans.

The Scouting Report: Michigan State

The Bruins' road matchup against MSU presents a plethora of unique obstacles, namely the 9 a.m. PT start time because of the east-coast road matchup, which has become a regular occurance since the shift to the Big Ten.

But the Spartans are reeling off two straight losses, and the Bruins are coming off one of the biggest wins of the college football season. Still, a game needs to be played on the field, and UCLA interim head coach Tim Skipper shared his early takeaways from Michigan State during Monday's media availability.

"Well-coached team," Skipper said. "One thing that sticks out to me is that they're not penalized a lot. Their penalties are way down, so they're going to force you to play ball."

Penalties and discipline were major issues in UCLA's abysmal 0-4 start. The Bruins routinely cut off any momentum they could garner by committing a random false start here or an unnecessary holding penalty over there.

Defense was also an issued before the Penn State win. Which is why Skipper broke down the Michigan State offense first.

"On offense, they're a time-of-possession [team]. They want to win that category," Skipper said. "They're not going to go fast. They're going to take their time. They're an 11 and 12 personnel type team as their base. They'll get into their big boy stuff, too, when it's short yards and things like that.

"Another thing that sticks out; they're going to give us some old school football. They're going to have a quarterback under center and they'll give us some two-back looks."

Then, Skipper moved on to the Spartans' defense:

"On defense, they're a four-down operation. They're going to play man and they're going to play some Cover Four. When they get to third downs, that's when they're going to get a little exotic and try to heat us up and pressure us a little bit, so we have to be ready for their five-man and six-man pressures.

"They play hard, man. You see 'em on film, they tackle well, guys are pursuing when they're on defense. On offense, they're controlling it, they want to win on the ground. They have a very athletic quarterback that causes a lot of problems. So, this is going to be a huge challenge for us."

How to Watch

What: UCLA Bruins @ Michigan State Spartans
When: Saturday, Oct. 11
Time: 9:00 a.m. (PT)
Where: Spartan Stadium (East Lansing, Michigan)
TV: Big Ten Network
Announcers: Mark Followill, Yogi Roth, Rhett Lewis
Radio: AM 790, SiriusXM Ch. 372