UCLA Starts Bob Chesney Era With Big Win Over Cal

UCLA kicked off the Bob Chesney Era with a big win against a rival in Cal, going on the road to start this new chapter of Bruin football.

UCLA was the underdog entering the game, though it was relatively even before kickoff. Cal boasts Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, one of the best quarterbacks in college football, along with former Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi as the head coach.

Cal had all the motivation to start a new era with a win, but UCLA created havoc defensively, forcing three turnovers while also running a competent offense.

Nico Iamaleava went 14 for 22 with 184 passing yards and an interception, not his best game, but the Bruins built their offense through the run.

UCLA rushed for 277 yards, using three different running backs and asking Iamaleava to step up as well to run when needed.

It was Wayne Knight and Anthony Woods who had five touchdowns among themselves, and they rushed for 189 yards just between the pair of them.

Along with two interceptions from secondary member Ta'Shawn James, UCLA was able to capitalize on Cal's mistakes.

"The word is the resolve of the team, and you felt it shift a little bit on the sideline at one point and got it a tie game, so it's not like we were in a tough spot; we just needed to make sure we maximized our next opportunity and these guys never wavered," Chesney said after the game.

Iamaleava suffered a leg injury on a running play, which left him limping and eventually unable to move on the ground, though the signal caller reports he is okay after getting beat up on the bottom of a pile.

"His calf kind of got cleated, so he tried – it just kept cramping up … so we've got to do some work on that and get that cleaned up," Chesney said of Nico Iamaleava.

Overall, it wasn't the kind of start Iamaleava would have wanted, but it was good enough to win a game and give him something to work on going forward.