PASADENA, CA – Imagine being told before the season the last undefeated team standing in the Big Ten or SEC wouldn’t be Ohio State, Texas, Indiana or Alabama.
You’d probably laugh.
Then imagine being told that team would be UCLA.
You’d laugh even harder.
Nobody’s laughing now.
The Bruins made another statement Saturday, brushing aside the absence of Nico Iamaleava as backup Ty Dieffenbach stepped in and helped UCLA grind out a 17-7 win over Wisconsin.
Now UCLA is 6-0, its best start since 2022, and one of college football’s most improbable stories keeps getting better.
Hollywood couldn’t have scripted this much better.
The entire country acknowledged first-year coach Bob Chesney when his team took down Oregon for its first win in Autzen Stadium since 2004, but that quickly turned to hesitation when UCLA revealed Iamaleava would be out for the season after he got hurt against the Ducks.
Mix that with a resurgent Wisconsin team coming into the Rose Bowl, and the fairy tale was bound to be crushed.
Instead, it’s only just beginning.
You wouldn’t have guessed Dieffenbach was making his first career FBS start.
The Cal Poly transfer showed no fear against a Wisconsin defense that had been playing its best football during a four-game winning streak. Whether standing in the pocket or using his legs, Dieffenbach found receivers and kept UCLA’s offense moving from the jump. The Bruins scored 10 points on their first two drives while chewing more than 16 minutes off the clock.
But there weren’t roses raining down on UCLA all night.
Wisconsin eventually tightened up and leaned on what had fueled its winning streak: stopping the run, even against a UCLA rushing attack that had yet to be contained.
The Bruins entered the day averaging 253 rushing yards per game, with Wayne Knight leading the charge. Wisconsin finally found the answer.
No matter who UCLA put in the backfield, there was nowhere to run. The Badgers bottled up the Bruins and clawed back to make it a three-point game entering the fourth quarter.
UCLA finished with a season-low 120 rushing yards. That should have been enough to give Wisconsin a chance to steal the game.
Unfortunately for the Badgers, they still had to stop Dieffenbach.
With UCLA backed up near its own end zone to start the fourth quarter and momentum threatening to swing completely toward Wisconsin, Dieffenbach calmly stood in the pocket and dropped a strike to Landon Ellis for 28 yards.
Three plays later, facing another critical moment, he found Semaj Morgan for 34 yards to move UCLA into the red zone. Two plays after that, the Bruins were in the end zone with the touchdown that effectively sealed the victory.
With his parents and extended family watching, Dieffenbach finished 22-of-33 for 264 yards. His lone interception came on a Hail Mary attempt before halftime.
Of UCLA’s six wins, this might be the most impressive.
Sure, escaping Eugene with a victory was an achievement. But this presented a different challenge. Suddenly, UCLA was being talked about as a College Football Playoff contender while preparing to face a quietly resurgent Wisconsin team in the kind of spot that screams trap game.
We’ve seen plenty of teams fall into that trap.
UCLA didn’t.
Instead, the Bruins flexed their muscle, thanks largely to Dieffenbach and a defense that held an opponent under 20 points for the fourth time this season.
All week, the college football world wondered whether UCLA’s glass slipper was beginning to slip off.
Turns out, it fits Dieffenbach just fine.
UCLA has its quarterback. The Bruins’ improbable march continues.
Now, would you believe that?
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UCLA’s fairy tale was supposed to end. Then Ty Dieffenbach happened