The Bruins' chances at the College Football Playoff have continued to grow these past few weeks, and they’ll get better after another win at home to give UCLA a 7-0 record.
The Bruins are one of the last remaining undefeated teams in the country this season, and have found a way to win each week, despite seeing struggles in some phases.
Slow Start Leads to Strong Finish
This week, the first quarter didn’t look very promising for UCLA. Anthony Woods coughed up the ball on a fumble, which set Michigan State up in the red zone at the UCLA 15-yard line. Two plays later, the Spartans found the end zone for the first score of the game and the lead.
Fortunately for UCLA’s defense, that would be the only touchdown that Michigan State would go on to score. The Bruins' defense once again put together an elite performance, as they truly look like one of the best units in the Big Ten. Michigan State only had 156 yards of offense on the day, with three turnovers forced by UCLA’s defense.
UCLA's second-half offense fared much better. The Bruins put up 254 of their 443 total yards of offense with two scores, and looked much cleaner and more confident overall. If UCLA hadn’t been up by three scores late in the fourth quarter, they very well could have added more to that total.
Ty Dieffenbach Does It Again
For fans wondering if Dieffenbach’s first start last week was a fluke, I believe you should now have your answer. Dieffenbach put together another solid performance, and it’s clear that Bob Chesney has full confidence in his new quarterback.
Most of the time, when you see this situation happen in college sports, new starting quarterbacks rarely take the types of shots and make the kinds of passes Dieffenbach is making. It seems as if the fanbase has bought in, and rightfully so.
Dieffenbach ended the night with 198 passing yards while completing 18 passes on 31 attempts. As he continues to improve, this UCLA team’s ceiling continues to rise. He has been excellent through two games at keeping the ball out of harm’s reach and making tons of impressive throws down the field.
With UCLA’s defense playing at such a high level, it has given the Bruins offense a chance to work through any growing pains they may have and continually improve each and every week. If they can continue on their positive trajectory, this team could be a very dangerous team in the Big Ten and in the country.
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