No. 4 UCLA outlasts Illinois to remain unbeaten

UCLA Bruins quarterback Ty Dieffenbach (14) throws against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the first half at the Rose Bowl. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

No. 4 UCLA weathers the storm, outlasts Illinois to remain unbeaten with historic 10th win

By Ty Bronicel | Last updated Nov 14, 2026 9:09 AM ET

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No. 4 UCLA weathered the storm figuratively and literally Friday night to beat Illinois 22-14 at the Rose Bowl and improve to 10-0.

UCLA quarterback Ty Dieffenbach threw for 232 yards and two touchdowns on a rain-soaked night in Pasadena, Calif., to lead the victory.

Aidan Mizell had six catches for 176 yards and a touchdown.

It's the Bruins' best start since 1998, when the Cade McNown-led team also started 10-0, and ties the school record for most wins.

UCLA Bruins ties school record with 10th win of season

BRUINS WIN!! UCLA TIES A PROGRAM RECORD WITH 10 WINS!! https://t.co/YDMgiBJQPC
— UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) November 14, 2026

The Bruins had a scare when Dieffenbach went down with an apparent left shoulder injury just before halftime.

He was replaced by Madden Iamaleava, the third-string quarterback and brother of injured starter Nico Iamaleava.

But Dieffenbach was able to return and gut out the win.

After the victory, fireworks were set off at the wet Rose Bowl as Bruins coach Bob Chesney soaked up the moment and acknowledged the fans who rode out the storm.

A well-deserved ovation @CoachBobChesney https://t.co/bWjgj9R57n
— UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) November 14, 2026

Besides the 1998 team, the only other season a UCLA squad started 10-0 was in 1946.

UCLA's final two games are at Michigan on Nov. 21 and then its rivalry game against No. 18 USC on Nov. 28.

The Bruins were 3-9 a season ago.

History made, but the story is not over. https://t.co/BFM698V2Xv
— UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) November 14, 2026

Ty Bronicel

Ty Bronicel is a veteran sports writer/editor/blogger with over 30 years of experience creating web content and has worked for world-renowned companies such as MSN, Yahoo, USA Today, and ESPN. He graduated from the University of Utah (Go Utes!) and is a Salt Lake City native who currently lives in the Beehive State. His expertise is movies and streaming shows, college football, NBA, and college basketball.

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