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UCLA’s football past will meet its present Saturday, in a melding of two glorious eras.
Wearing baby blue throwback uniforms inspired by their 1954 national championship team, the Bruins will honor their greatest moment in program history.
Of course, if their trajectory under coach Bob Chensey continues, their current iteration could challenge for that designation soon enough.
A homecoming win over Michigan State would give No. 9 UCLA (6-0 overall, 4-0 Big Ten) its eighth 7-0 start in program history and first since 2005.
The Bruins are one of six remaining unbeaten teams in the nation and have already clinched bowl eligibility, though they have far bigger aspirations than spending late December along the banks of the San Antonio River in preparation for the Alamo Bowl.
The uniforms that UCLA will wear when it faces the Spartans (2-5, 0-4) are also similar to the ones the team wore during its first Rose Bowl game victory, over Michigan State in 1966. Members of that team will be honored during a 60th anniversary celebration.
An even better way for the Bruins to celebrate their past will be to repeat it – one College Football Playoff quarterfinal will be played at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.
Here are five things to watch in a game that kicks off at 12:30 p.m. PDT on CBS:
Battle of the backup QBs?
UCLA might not be the only team playing a former backup quarterback Saturday.
Michigan State starter Alessio Milivojevic has been listed as questionable on the Big Ten’s availability reports, thrusting the Spartans quarterback situation into uncertainty.
With backup Cam Fancher remaining out, Michigan State might have to turn to freshman Kayd Coffman to make his first career start. Coffman has appeared in one game and has not thrown a pass.
Meanwhile, the Bruins have full confidence in Ty Dieffenbach after he went from third-stringer to starter upon Nico Iamaleava’s midgame injury against Oregon. Last week, Dieffenbach passed for a career-high 264 yards in leading his team over Wisconsin.
“It didn’t feel like we were in there with a backup or a second stringer at all,” wide receiver Semaj Morgan said.
Heavy favoritism
This will be the second time this season that the Bruins will be two-touchdown favorites after facing a similar situation against Purdue.
Chesney said his team is focused on beating the opponent, not the odds. That means completing the same process centered on competition and improvement.
“The standard doesn’t rise or sink, the standard is the standard,” Chesney said, “and I think our guys understand that. There are still elevations that need to happen, but it’s not anything based on your opponent, it’s based on yourself.”
Bob Chesney’s Friendly foe
Chesney said he’s long admired Michigan State counterpart Pat Fitzgerald going back to the latter’s days as an All-American linebacker at Northwestern.
They’ve also spent time together at coaching events in recent years, including Big Ten media days in July.
“I have a ton of respect for him,” Chesney said.
After leaving his job as Northwestern’s coach amid a hazing scandal for which he’s largely been exonerated, Fitzgerald arrived in East Lansing before this season. Michigan State nearly logged a Big Ten breakthrough the last two weeks before losing to Illinois in overtime and to Northwestern after a Wildcats field goal in the final seconds.
While reflecting its coach’s roots with a stout defense that’s giving up only 342.6 yards per game, the Spartans have struggled mightily to score. Michigan State is averaging 21.3 points, ranking No. 113 in the nation.
UCLA Support system
While UCLA’s crowd of 36,045 against Wisconsin last week represented a season high, the Bruins are hoping for a better turnout over their final four home games.
As part of his efforts to build a connection with the community, Chesney invited winners of a Greek life flag football tournament to attend practice this week. The students participated in a drill and caught punts at the end of practice.
“It takes a village and we need them,” Chesney said. “We need those people at the game and we need them to have a true connection to this team – not just like the team from what we’re doing on the field but also be connected.”
Injury report
In addition to having Iamaleava sidelined for a second consecutive game after undergoing surgery this week, the Bruins will play without injured cornerback Rodrick Pleasant and safety Tao Johnson.
Michigan State running back Jaziun Patterson, who has started the last few games after fellow running back Cam Edwards suffered a season-ending knee injury, is listed as questionable. If Patterson is unable to play, running backs Marvis Parrish and Brandon Tullis – who have carried the ball a combined 43 times for 145 yards this season – would assume larger roles.