LOS ANGELES — Starting the season 2-0 under new head coach Bob Chesney has created positive energy around the UCLA football program, but the grind of Big Ten Conference play begins this week when Purdue (1-1) visits the Rose Bowl on Saturday night.
Read more Angels haunted by 1-run losses this season
Chesney recognizes the challenge Purdue provides. The Boilermakers are in their second season under Barry Odom and are coming off a 38-36 double-overtime loss to Wake Forest at home last weekend.
Purdue is led by 6-foot-4 redshirt junior quarterback Ryan Browne, who has shown marked improvements in his fourth season in the program.
Browne completed 32 of 42 passes for 329 yards and one touchdown against Wake Forest, while Fame Ijeboi and the running game provided balance. Ijeboi rushed for 117 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries while establishing a physical presence at the line of scrimmage that Purdue lacked at times last season.
View this post on Instagram
This is a more capable Purdue team than recent years, when the Boilermakers finished 2-10 in Odom’s first season in 2025 and 1-11 in 2024 under former coach and current Washington defensive coordinator Ryan Walters.
“This is a different team this year when you watch them play,” Chesney said. “They believe, and they have the players from the offensive line to the quarterback to the wide receivers and the cornerbacks and the linebackers that play so downhill.”
Perhaps the most intriguing matchup for UCLA is Purdue’s special teams, which is led by assistant coach James Shibest. Shibest was a former special teams coordinator at Virginia Tech, a program whose aggressive units were often among the nation’s best when it came to blocking punts or kicks under longtime head coach Frank Beamer.
Read more Dodgers clinch postseason berth behind Tarik Skubal’s dominant start
“Purdue is as complete as it can be right now,” Chesney said. “When you have the scheme, the people and the mindset, you have a chance to be successful.”
UCLA is coming off another strong performance from its offensive line, anchored by sixth-year senior Riley Robell and fifth-year senior Carter Sweazie, both of whom transferred in from James Madison, and senior tight end Brayden Loftin, a Kansas State transfer.
The O-line helped the Bruins average 5 yards per carry in the 28-10 victory over San Diego State after they rolled up 277 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground in the season-opening 45-24 win at Cal.
Robell, Sweazie were joined by another James Madison transfer, Wayne Knight, who rushed for 97 yards and three touchdowns. So far, the JMU transfers have proven more than capable of competing at a high level.
“I don’t think there’s a very big gap or huge separation when it comes to the divisions (within college football),” Robells said. “It’s a matter of how much work you’re willing to put in and how much time and effort you’re going to take to perfect your craft. I think a lot of guys from JMU came in here knowing what this was, put their noses down, and started to work. You’re going to see that transition continue.”