UCLA BRUINS NOTES:
THE MATCHUP
UCLA, a winner in 19 of its past 28 overall games, will remain in the Los Angeles area for the holidays and take on Boise State in the third annual Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk. The game will be played at SoFi Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams, in Inglewood, Calif. on Saturday, Dec. 16. The Bruins and Broncos, champions of the Mountain West Conference, have met just once before on the gridiron, a 38-7 UCLA victory in 1999 at Rose Bowl Stadium. UCLA has the Pac-12’s top-rated team in total defense (299.0 yards per game), rushing defense (69.9 yards per game), sacks (3.42 per game), tackles for loss (8.20 per game), rushing offense (191.1 yards per game) and yards per rush allowed (2.33). The Bruins are second in the Pac-12 in turnovers gained (23) and passes intercepted (14). UCLA has held eight of its 12 opponents this season to fewer than 20 points and ranks 15th in the nation in scoring defense (18.1 points per game). This was UCLA’s final Pac-12 season. UCLA joined the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) in 1928. The PCC disbanded and UCLA joined California, Stanford, USC and Washington in the Athletic Association of Western Universities in 1959, with Washington State (1962), Oregon (1964) and Oregon State (1964) joining the league a few years later. These schools formed the Pac-8 in 1968, which turned into the Pac-10 for the 1978 season after the additions of Arizona and Arizona State. The Pac-12 began in 2011 when Colorado and Utah joined the fold. Sixth-year head coach Chip Kelly took the reins at UCLA Nov. 25, 2017. Kelly owns a collegiate head-coaching record of 80-41, (.661, 0-1 versus Boise State) compiled across five-plus seasons at UCLA and four at Oregon. Saturday’s battle will be televised by the ABC, with coverage beginning at 4:30 p.m. PT. The Bruin IMG Radio Network will broadcast the contest, which will also be aired over SiriusXM, ESPN Radio and the Varsity App.
SERIES HISTORY
Boise State and UCLA have met just once before and that was in the season-opener for both squads in 1999. UCLA was coming off of back-to-back Pac-10 Championship seasons at the time but was looking to replace record-setting quarterback Cade McNown who had gone on to be a first-round selection of the Chicago Bears in the 1999 NFL Draft. New quarterbacks Drew Bennett and Cory Paus helped lead UCLA to a 38-7 decision. Running back DeShaun Foster, now a coach for the Bruins, also played a role in the win from his running back position.
AT A GLANCE
• UCLA has been invited to three straight bowl games and owns an overall bowl record of 16-20-1. Its most recent win came in the 2015 Valero Alamo Bowl against Kansas State. • UCLA is 7-0 this season when scoring at least 25 points. In the five games it has lost in 2023, UCLA has led for a total of 16 seconds. • UCLA has 99 tackles for loss (TFLs) on the season. The program record (since 2000, when NCAA began tracking TFLs) is 114 in 2007. The total of 99 is the most by a Bruin team since the 2012 squad had 100. The Bruins have been credited with 41 sacks on the season, which is the most since the 2012 team totaled a program high of 47. • UCLA leads the Pac-12 in rushing offense (191.1 yards per game) and averaged 237.3 yards per game in wins and 134.2 in losses. It scored 17 of its 19 rushing touchdowns in wins. • UCLA has forced 17 turnovers in its seven wins this season and six in its five losses. • DB Alex Johnson leads the Pac-12 with four interceptions (16th nationally). He also owns the Pac-12 lead with an average of 0.3 interceptions per game (20th overall). His four picks are the most by a Bruin player since Randall Goforth had four in 2016. No Bruin has had more than four interceptions in a season since 2009, when Rahim Moore had 10. • DL Laiatu Latu was named UCLA’s fifth-ever Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year last week, joining Brian Price (2009), Dave Ball (2003), Robert Thomas (2001) and Mark Walen (1985). • The Bruins lead the nation in rushing defense (69.6 yards per game) and have held four teams this season to 30 yards of rushing or fewer (USC three, Colorado 25, Stanford 24 and Washington State 12). UCLA had most recently held four teams to 30 rushing yards or fewer in 1985 (Oregon State two, Stanford seven, Arizona State 18 and San Diego State 14). • UCLA is allowing 18.1 points per game, which would be the lowest season average by a Bruin team since the 1991 squad gave up 15.8. A Bruin team previously finished a season with an average under 20 points in 2006 (19.9). • UCLA rates second in the nation allowing just 2.33 yards per rush this season (Penn State is first at 2.16). UCLA most recently had a lower mark in 1985 (2.12). • The Bruins lead the nation with just three rushing touchdowns allowed. Iowa has allowed four, while Ohio State has given up five. • UCLA opponents are averaging 4.55 yards per play, which is eighth in the nation. Penn State leads the country at 3.91. • UCLA is sixth in the country with 41 sacks this season. Penn State tops the nation with 48. The UCLA school record for sacks in a season is 47 in 2012. • The UCLA defense has allowed just 19 touchdowns on the year, which rates fifth nationally. Ohio State is the leader with 13 scores allowed. • The Bruin defense has given up multiple touchdowns in just five games, while opponents have scored a total of 19 touchdowns on 147 drives in 2023 … Possessions/touchdown drives: California 11/2, USC 12/2, ASU 11/2, Arizona 9/3, CU 13/1, Stanford 13/1, Oregon State 11/3, WSU 16/1, Utah 14/1, North Carolina Central 13/1, SDSU 13/1 and Coastal Carolina 11/1.
PREVIOUS MEETING
In the only previous matchup of the programs, the Bruin quarterbacking duo of junior Drew Bennett and freshman Cory Paus led UCLA past Boise State 38-7 in the season opener for both schools. UCLA was coming off back-to-back Pac-10 championships and looking to replace record-setting QB Cade McNown, who was a first-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears. Bennett started the game and completed 8-of-16 passes for 120 yards, including a 65-yard scoring strike to TE Randy Hakes just over six minutes into the second half that gave the Bruins a commanding 31-0 lead. Paus came off the bench and was 12-of-18 for 128 yards with a pair of interceptions. He found TE Gabe Crecion with a fiveyard touchdown pass with 5:30 left in the first half, staking UCLA to a 24-0 advantage by the intermission. DeShaun Foster rushed for 55 yards on 17 carries and gave UCLA a 10-0 lead thanks to a four-yard scoring jaunt with 11:21 left in the first half. CB Julius Williams’ 53-yard interception return made it 17-0 less than three minutes later. With the victory, UCLA ran its regular-season home winning streak to 11 games.
TEAM NOTES
• UCLA leads the Pac-12 in the following statistics: Rushing Defense (69.6 yards per game, first), Team Sacks (3.42 per game, fifth), Tackles for Loss (8.2 per game, third), Total Defense (299.0, 11th) and Rushing Offense (191.1 yards per game, 21st). • UCLA has held eight of its 12 opponents to fewer than 20 points this season. It most recently held more than eight teams to fewer than 20 in 1987 (nine). • UCLA has held the lead for a total of 16 seconds this season in the five losses to Cal, Arizona State, Arizona, Oregon State and Utah. That lead came against Cal. The Bruins trailed for the whole game against the other four teams. • The Bruin defense has yet to surrender a touchdown on an opponent’s first drive this season. Cal, Colorado and Oregon State each tallied a field goal for the only opponent first-drive points. • In its losses this season, UCLA had scored on 9 of 20 trips into the red zone: Cal 1/5, ASU 1/3, Arizona 2/5, Oregon State 4/5 and Utah 1/2. • With an eighth win in 2023, Chip Kelly would join Jim Mora (2012-15), Terry Donahue (1984-88) and Henry “Red” Sanders (1952-55) as the only UCLA head coaches to lead teams to at least eight wins in at least three straight seasons. • Under head coach Chip Kelly, UCLA is 26-7 when it rushes for at least 200 yards in a game. • UCLA has won 14 of the last 15 games when forcing multiple turnovers. The Bruins have forced multiple turnovers in seven of this season’s 12 games while earning six wins. • UCLA is 19-4 under Kelly when committing fewer turnovers than its counterparts and 4-20 when committing more than the opposition. • The USC game was UCLA’s third this season in which it did not commit a turnover (also Arizona and Stanford). • UCLA’s 24 second-half points at USC were the most scored in a game this season after the intermission by the Bruins. • The Bruins have given up fewer than 100 rushing yards in eight games this season: three to USC, 74 to ASU, 25 to CU, 24 at Stanford, 12 to Washington State, 90 to North Carolina Central, 63 at San Diego State and 56 to Coastal Carolina this season. UCLA previously held more teams in a season to fewer than 100 yards on the ground in 1985 (nine games). UCLA has held 18 teams under 100 yards rushing over the past three seasons. • This is the third straight season UCLA has entered the major polls, peaking at No. 18 in the AP Top 25 in 2023, No. 9 (AP) in 2022 and No. 13 (AP and Coaches polls) in 2021. • UCLA racked up 218 rushing yards versus CU for its fifth 200-yard rushing game of the season. It had 221 rushing yards at Stanford, 284 at Oregon State, 404 against NCCU and 254 at SDSU earlier this year. The 404 yards of rushing offense against the Eagles represent the most by a Bruin team since it racked up 437 ground yards in a 2010 game against WSU. In 2022, the Bruins compiled nine 200-yard rushing games — the most since the 1995 squad also produced nine. • UCLA became bowl eligible for the third straight season following its win against CU, which was played at the Rose Bowl before the largest crowd (71,343) in the Pac-12 to date this season. • The Bruins committed four turnovers this season against both Cal and Colorado. Prior to the CU victory, UCLA had most recently won a game while having at least four turnovers in 2012 against Houston. • The Bruins forced a 2023 season-high four WSU turnovers. A Bruin team most recently forced more than four turnovers in a game at WSU during the 2019 season (six). • In his 11-plus seasons as a coach at UCLA (five-plus as head coach) and Oregon (four as head coach and two as assistant coach), Kelly has had seven of his teams rank among the nation’s top 25 in total offense. Kelly has had eight rushers on his teams rank among the nation’s top 15. Nine of his teams have rated among the top 20 in the nation in scoring average. • True Freshman Watch: QB Dante Moore, DL Grant Buckey, LB Wyatt Mosier, DB Kanye Clark, DB R.J. Jones, DL A.J. Fuimaono, DB Marquise Villahermosa, DB Donavyn Pellot, WR Carter Shaw, WR Jerry McClure, RB Troy Leigber, LB Ty Lee, LB Mone Malafu, LB Larry Edwards III, OL Tavake Tuikolovatu, OL Jack Clarke and WR Grant Gray have seen action this season. • UCLA won all three of its non-conference regular-season games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2015 and 2014. In 2022, UCLA defeated South Alabama, Alabama State and BGSU. • The UCLA coaching staff features three former Bruin players: DeShaun Foster (associate head coach and running backs), Jerry Neuheisel (wide receivers) and Ken Norton Jr. (linebackers). • Foster UCLA playing career highlights: led Pac-12 in rushing in 2001 … first Bruin to reach 1,000-yard rushing mark in as few as seven games … then-school record 301 rushing yards in game versus Washington in 2001 … school-record tying 42 carries in win against Alabama in 2000 … UCLA freshman-record 673 rushing yards in 1998. • Neuheisel UCLA playing career highlights: led 2014 comeback win against Texas in AT&T Stadium.
BOISE STATE BRONCOS NOTES:
OPENING KICKOFF
Both teams enter the LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk with 2014 looming smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror. For the Broncos, 2014 (and 2015) marked the last time Boise State won consecutive bowl games. For UCLA, 2014 marks the last time the Bruins won a bowl game.
Boise State enters this week’s action with an offensive line ranked 12th in the nation in sacks allowed, yielding only 1.08 sacks per game so far this year. That number is the third-best of a Boise State squad since 2012 (when the Broncos ranked sixth) and is just behind the 2022 mark when BSU allowed just 1.00 sacks per game to rank 10th in the nation. That line has also been the reason the Broncos rushing offense ranks 10th in the nation, averaging 207.7 yards per game.
Did you know that Boise State has the second-longest active bowl eligibility streak in the nation? The Broncos have been bowl eligible for 26 consecutive years, just one year behind Georgia’s streak of 27 straight years (both streaks this season have already been extended).
Keep the streak alive! If the Broncos need any motivation for this week’s game, they should look to wide receivers coach Matt Miller. A product of Capital (Mont.) High School and Boise State, Miller proudly proclaims that he has never lost to Brock Osweiler in his career, either in high school or in college. Osweiler is a Flathead (Mont.) HS and Arizona State alumnus and between the two levels, they have met on five separate occasions. Sure, Boise State isn’t placing ABC on the gridiron, but we can’t help but mention an unblemished record
Grace seems to be on Boise State’s side currently, something that’s definitely a positive as the Broncos head to the City of Angels. Not only did the Blue and Orange have to win their final three games to be in a position to reach the MW Championship game, the Broncos needed help. Actually, a lot of help. In fact, probabilities show us that there was only a 0.1% chance the results would play out in the way Boise State needed them to play out. The result? Another Boise State title and a trip to Los Angeles.
SCOUTING UCLA
• UCLA enters this week’s contest with a 7-5 record (4-5 MW), hoping to upend Boise State’s hopes of winning consecutive bowl games since 2014-15 while UCLA is in search of their first bowl win since 2014. • UCLA enters this week’s contest hoping to win its second all-time meeting against the Bron- cos. • UCLA’s academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the California State Normal School. We appreciate that they were a nor- mal school, as opposed to that abnormal school across town, Southern Cal. • While we may be in California, yes we know that school across town likes to be called by their acronym but we just can’t bring ourselves to do that. Maybe it’s because we’re way too formal. Or maybe it’s because one of the writers of Game Notes is a graduate of South Caro- lina (Go Gamecocks!), a school that was established long before California was even a state. • Chip Kelly leads the Bruins and he is no stranger to Boise State. The Broncos ruined his de- but as head coach at Oregon with a 19-8 win over the Ducks back in 2009. • A win over the Bruins will mark Boise State’s 13th all-time win over a Pac-12 school. Or will it be the program’s first-ever win over a Big Ten school? • UCLA defensive lineman Laiatu Latu, this year’s winner of the Ted Hendricks (nation’s best defensive end) and Lombardi (top lineman) Awards, has opted out of the game and we don’t blame him. The last time he faced Boise State, he was limited to one assisted tackle in 22 snaps during the 2019 Las Vegas Bowl. With those awards and All-America First Team honors, there’s no reason to blemish your final days at UCLA. • Following this season UCLA will move to the Big Ten. If you are confused about the Big Ten, let us help you understand. The Big Ten was established as a collection of land-grant universities that commonly held AAU status, both of which UCLA qualifies for. But, despite the fact that since 1991 the Big Ten added an 11th member, they did not change their name to the Big Televen. Even in 2013, when Rutgers (surely for the NYC TV viewership market), Maryland and Nebraska joined the league, they still called themselves the Big Ten, despite having 14 members. Now, the Big Ten is growing to 18 teams with a Western collection of UCLA, Southern Cal, Oregon and Washington but will still call themselves the Big Ten, possibly because math is hard. • Merriam-Websters Dictionary defines a Bruin as “A disturbing and all-too-common sign of a feeding bear is an overturned garbage can … its contents scattered about as the bruin searched for something edible in the trash.” Should UCLA ever wish to refresh their logo, we might have a suggestion… • During its first 32 years, UCLA was treated as an off-site department of UC. As such, its presiding officer was called a “provost”, and reported to the main campus in Berkeley. Since the first 32 years fell between 1881 and 1913, we’re surprised they didn’t call the system President as “Daddy Warbucks.” • While San Francisco may be known for its fog, that does not mean Los Angeles is immune from the weather phenomenon. But do you know what you see when the rare fog clears out of Los Angeles? UCLA.
A TOAST TO BOISE STATE BOWL APPEARANCES
Boise State’s list of bowl appearances will proudly show anybody and everybody it’s identifying list of games as the Broncos look to complete their 21st bowl game since moving up to the Division I-A/FBS level in 1996. The Broncos are 13-7 all-time in bowl games and look to win their 14th bowl game in program history. However, the Blue and Orange haven’t been selected for 21 bowls, they’ve actually been selected for 23 bowl games (including this year’s game). No, that list of bowl appearances isn’t a Little League pitcher from the Caribbean, the identifying credentials are accurate. Boise State had the 2018 ServPro First Responder Bowl vs. Boston College canceled due to inclement weather while the 2021 Arizona Bowl was canceled after the Broncos withdrew due to a rise in COVID-19 cases among the team.
BOWL SUCCESS FOR THE BRONCOS
Boise State is no stranger to success in the bowl season so don’t be surprised if the team generates a favorable result against UCLA in Saturday’s game – it won’t be the first time. The Broncos have an all-time winning percentage of .650 (13-7) in bowl games, a mark that ranks third in the nation (minimum 15 bowl games played). Not only is that nearly a 2:1 ratio of bowl wins to losses, most of that success has come in recent years with nine bowl wins in Boise State’s last 12 completed bowl games.
IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN CALIFORNIA
While this may be Boise State’s first LA Bowl appearance, it is certainly not the first time the Broncos will play a postseason game in The Golden State. Saturday’s game marks the sixth time Boise State will compete in a postseason game in California, going 3-2 in the previous meetings including winning the NCAA I-AA National Championship with a 31-29 win over Eastern Kentucky in 1980 in Sacramento
