PASADENA, CA – When Deshaun Foster was fired as the UCLA Bruins’ head coach a little over a month ago, many didn’t know what to expect from the program. Since then, the Bruins, led by interim coach Tim Skipper, have rattled off back-to-back wins vs. Penn State and Michigan State
Wearing their light blue throwback uniforms on homecoming night, the Bruins got an extraordinary effort out of their defense in a 20-17 win vs. Maryland for their third consecutive win.
The improbable win streak has attracted national media attention because of the upsets UCLA has pulled off, but lost in the mix has been the turnaround from the Bruins’ defense. They were able to keep UCLA in the game all night long despite serious offensive struggles vs. the Terrapins.
“Tough games, you are going to need everybody. We preach all the time, you never know when your moment is going to happen. It was a whole team effort. We talked strain, we talked grinding, every single play matters, we preach that. But literally tonight, every single played mattered,” UCLA coach Tim Skipper said.
UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava didn’t have the prettiest games, throwing for 221 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions, including one pick-six. However, Iamaleava’s touchdown came at a critical moment in the fourth quarter to help spur the Bruins’ comeback effort.
“I’m not going to put it all on Nico. There are a lot of things that happened. Maryland did a great job of giving us a lot of different looks. Our ground game was hit or miss. It was tough sledding out there. But for the whole entire offense, those guys had to stick together. It’s the whole unit. 11 guys and one heartbeat,” Skipper said.
The Bruins were able to hold Maryland to just three points in the first half. Apart from an early second-quarter Maryland field goal, UCLA’s defense looked like the same unit that’s been dominating in the previous two games.
“We took this game with pride. We knew it was going to be on us, they throw the ball a lot. That was our motto this week, put it on us, we have to do what we have to do. The guys played really good. I’m happy for Scooter and the rest of the guys. It was an exciting game. I can’t wait to watch it back,” UCLA defensive back Roderick Pleasant said.
Maryland quarterback Malik Washington got the Terrapins’ offense going in the second half. Playing off the momentum of Iamaleava’s pick-six that gave Maryland a 10-7 lead in the third quarter, Washington directed the offense down the field for a game-tying touchdown to tie the game up at 17 with 40 seconds left in the game.
Iamaleava proceeded to lead the Bruins down the field and set up kicker Mateen Bhaghani for a 23-yard game winning field goal with two seconds remaining.
The Bruins will head to Indiana next week and will be featured on Big Noon Kickoff as they look to shock the world once again vs. an AP Top 5 team.
