< The Latest 2025-10-19T05:58:37+0000
The Pasadena Star-News | Sat 10/18 08:28pm PST | Benjamin Royer
PASADENA — Dozens of UCLA students ripped off their Bruin-blue T-shirts and waved them around at the top of the Rose Bowl stands.
First, there were a few. Then, there were many. Trotting up the steep stairs to empty cheap seats, the dozens became hundreds, a spectacle in the crowd for the red-hot Bruins. The vibes were high — and why wouldn’t they be?
UCLA, the talk of the town — not just of Westwood — but of the nation since its upset of then-No. 7 Penn State continued to walk the walk. UCLA, however, walked more of a tightrope act on Saturday.
Redshirt senior Anthony Frias II — a little-used tailback — picked up where the Bruins left off against Michigan State, leaving the Terrapins turning in their shells in the wake of his 55-yard rushing touchdown to grasp a 7-3 lead in the second quarter. His last run, however, was the most important.
Tied at 17 with 18 seconds left, Frias steamed forward for 35 yards to the five-yard line. Kicker Mateen Bhaghani connected from 23 yards with two seconds remaining, and UCLA escaped with a 20-17 victory.
“It feels amazing,” said Frias, who ran for a career-high 97 yards and a touchdown after not having a carry in 2025 until last week. “I’m just blessed and so happy that all the work that’s been going in, it’s finally coming, and I was able to get an opportunity and make the most out of it.”
It was one of those days again for UCLA (3-4, 3-1 Big Ten). The stunning season turnaround continued to churn along — and this time, it was the defense’s turn to have a go. Kevin Coyle, the senior defensive analyst whom interim head coach Tim Skipper tasked with calling plays following former defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe’s departure, has found sustained success since taking over before UCLA faced Northwestern.
Before the game, Coyle stalked the Maryland (4-3, 1-3) sideline with graduate assistant Shae Pitts, eyeing the pre-game developments in Terrapin territory. Maybe such preparation paid off. In the last eight halves, the Bruins have held their foes’ offenses to seven or fewer points in six of the halves.
“Coyle trust Skip, Skip trust Coyle,” former Fresno State linebacker Levelle Bailey told the Southern California News Group recently. “Those two guys right there, for sure, build a real dynamic duo.”
So far, since Skipper took over UCLA on Sept. 14, that’s proven to be the case.
“He’s the godfather of defense,” Skipper said of Coyle.
Skipper continued to gloat about the coach he first met in 1997 while a freshman linebacker at Fresno State: “He taught me how you play defense, so that friendship has just kept on building and building. It was awesome for me to work with him and learn even more. Like, I’m still learning from him; it has not stopped at all.”
UCLA stymied Maryland in the first half, recording three tackles for loss and a turnover — forced by linebacker Isaiah Chisom — to hold the Terrapins to just three points.
In the third quarter, after Maryland running back DaJuan Williams brought the Terrapins to first and goal, redshirt senior defensive back Andre Jordan Jr. secured a turnover on downs on 4th-and-2 with an acrobatic, one-handed pass breakup (of 13 team-wide, the Bruins’ most in a decade) to keep the score at 7-3.
“First thing I heard, I heard the crowd go crazy,” said Pleasant, who led the Bruins with three pass breakups Saturday. “So I’m looking, I’m like ‘Oh.’ And I see the clip. Andre Jordan’s a great player. That’s a spectacular play.”
UCLA forced Maryland quarterback Malik Washington to a career low for passing yards (210) in his young freshman campaign. A Big Ten foe had yet to slow Washington — who won the starting quarterback job over former Bruin Justyn Martin — but the Bruins’ secondary caused him problems, halting the Terrapins from scoring a touchdown in their first two trips to the red zone.
“I want to tip my hat to Maryland,” Skipper said. ‘Without having a spring ball and a training camp with the defense and to see how much we had in for this game and them to execute it, it’s phenomenal.”
And on Saturday, thanks to the stout defensive effort (holding Maryland to a six-of-17 effort in third down), they won ugly. Errors stunted the growth of a lead for the Bruins across the game.
In the first quarter, Bhaghani was moments away from attempting a 55-yard field goal. Instead, the often-reliable placekicker received a rare delay of game penalty, pushing the Bruins out of field-goal territory, forcing UCLA to punt. He later missed a 56-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
As the clock dwindled in the first half, Nico Iamaleava — who finished the game 21-of-35 with 221 passing yards — tossed an interception on an errant pass while being chased by Maryland edge rushers. He later forced a pass for a pick-six, lost a fumble and faced a fourth-quarter injury scare before returning to lead the Bruins on their game-winning drive.
The victory was not guaranteed. A gutsy play call from Skipper and offensive play caller Jerry Neuheisel led to a 4th-and-10 conversion from their own 49-yard line on an Iamaleava pass to Kwazi Gilmer. Three plays later, on 3rd-and-6 from the 14-yard line, Iamaleava caught Matthews wide open for a 14-yard touchdown with 3:33 remaining in the game to take a late 14-10 lead.
Iamaleava’s best throws of the day, combined with safety Scooter Jackson’s interception on the following drive, proved enough to get the Bruins within arm’s reach of three consecutive Big Ten wins.
It was UCLA’s star signal caller — who minutes earlier, hurled onto the Rose Bowl grass, grasping at his right knee — that threw the two passes to wide receiver Titus Mokaio-Atimalala to set up Frias II’s game-sealing 35-yard scamper.
“It just shows how much of a leader [Iamaleava] is, you know?” Matthews said, whose touchdown was his first as a Bruin. “He definitely wanted to be in that last drive to make sure he ended it out and won us the game, but he came back and pushed through, so that just shows he has that dog in him no matter what.”
UCLA had just enough oomph to triumph and keep the headlines rolling with an invitation to the Big Noon Kickoff on FOX next week.