– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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PASADENA, CALIFORNIA — The last time the UCLA Bruins football walked off their own field after a game, it soon ushered in a day of reckoning that saw coaching staff upheaval and, not too long afterward, made a once-proud program become a national laughingstock. Despite the incessant California sunshine, there were only dark clouds hovering around the program, and the tempest of a Top 10 team licking its wounds was next on the Bruins’ home slate.
Somehow, on Saturday, derision turned into determination in Westwood, and inside of the Rose Bowl, against all odds, things turned up roses for the Bruins in, inarguably, the biggest upset of the college football season.
UCLA racked up 370 yards of offense in the first half, building a 20-point halftime lead before holding on and defeating No. 7 Penn State 42-37 on Saturday afternoon, touching off wild celebratory scenes on the field of the Rose Bowl. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava accounted for five touchdowns, as his 128 yards on the ground spearheaded a ground attack that racked up 280 yards while controlling most of the game.
Just three weeks ago, the Bruins, who came into today without a win and without possessing the lead at any point in their four games this season, scored just 10 points in a 25-point home defeat to Mountain West Conference member New Mexico that saw head coach DeShaun Foster and a number of other coaches dismissed from the program.
And today? UCLA just snapped the Nittany Lions’ streak of 34 consecutive wins against unranked opponents while also making some shocking history: The Bruins are the first team with an 0-4 record or worse to defeat a Top 10 team since 1985.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Saturday afternoon’s game, with photos taken by staff photographer Phillip Peters. After clicking on a photo to enlarge the picture, press the left and right arrow buttons on either side of the caption to scroll through the rest of the pictures that appear on the first page, Also, click on the numbers and/or arrow appearing immediately below the picture grid to load the next set of photos. There are 41 pictures in total.
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