PREVIEW AND PREDICTION: UCLA Looks to Stay Undefeated in Big Ten Opener vs Purdue at the Rose Bowl

Purdue (1-1) at UCLA (2-0)

Saturday, Sept. 19 — 8 p.m. PT (11 p.m. ET) | Rose Bowl Stadium (Pasadena, CA)
Photographer: Peter Zhan

Live on: Big Ten Network

PREVIEW:

Nonconference is over. The first two Saturdays of the Bob Chesney era were decided after halftime. Saturday night is the first one that goes in the standings.

UCLA hosts Purdue in its Big Ten opener, looking to start 3-0 for the first time since 2023. The last meeting was 1980 in West Lafayette. UCLA won 23-14. Purdue has not played at the Rose Bowl since the 2001 Rose Bowl Game. Kickoff is 11 p.m. back in Indiana. That is the travel story. The football story is simpler.

The Bruins have outscored people 73-34. Forty-nine of those 73 points have come after the break. Ten offensive touchdowns. All of them on the ground.

Wayne Knight has six rushing scores in two games and is tied for the national lead. He went eight carries for 71 yards and three touchdowns at Cal. He went 13 for 97 and three more against San Diego State, including the 36-yarder that closed it. Anthony Woods added 118 yards and two scores in Berkeley and another 30 last week. Jaivian Thomas punched in the one-yarder after Jalen Woods’ interception. Nico Iamaleava is 28-of-44 for 335 yards, zero passing touchdowns, and two interceptions. He has also run 22 times for 86 yards and a score. The passing game has not exploded. The ground game has not needed it to.

Last Saturday at the Rose Bowl looked nothing like the fourth quarter in Berkeley for 30 minutes. UCLA and San Diego State played to a 0-0 stalemate. The Bruins reached the red zone once and left with an interception. Then Knight broke the ice from eight yards out in the third. The Aztecs got a 46-yard field goal. UCLA answered with 21 points in the fourth. Final: 28-10. The Bruins ran for 214 yards and four scores. They held San Diego State to 189 total yards and 45 passing. Malik Hartford led with 10 tackles. Jalen Woods had nine, a sack, and the pick. Semaj Morgan caught six for 73. Brian Rowe Jr. added five for 61, including a 45-yard strike that was the longest play of the afternoon.

That second-half version keeps arriving late. Saturday night is the first time it has to arrive on time in conference play.

Purdue is 1-1 for a reason that will not hide on BTN. The Boilermakers opened with a 44-19 win over Indiana State, then dropped a 38-36 double-overtime game to Wake Forest in West Lafayette. They outgained the Demon Deacons 455-411, converted 29 first downs, and went 7-for-7 in the red zone. They still lost.

Ryan Browne went 32-of-42 for 329 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions. He is 55-of-71 for 646 yards, four scores, and zero picks on the season. Fame Ijeboi, the Minnesota transfer, carried 27 times for 114 yards and three rushing touchdowns against Wake. He is the first Boilermaker to score four rushing touchdowns in his first two games since at least 1995. Chauncey Magwood caught five for 77. Asaad Waseem caught six for 65. De’Nylon Morrissette had the overtime touchdown catch. Purdue is averaging 489 yards a game. That is a real jump from 343.6 a year ago. The problem is the finish. Wake Forest kicked three field goals, scored twice in overtime, and left Ross-Ade with the win. Purdue has an 18-game Big Ten losing streak to snap. Notre Dame is next week at home. This is the game that cannot become 1-2 before that circus arrives.

The availability reports matter. UCLA is without WR Mikey Matthews, several defensive backs, and two offensive linemen. Matthews had four catches for 88 yards in Berkeley. Morgan and Rowe have to carry the middle of the field. Purdue is without starting corner Mister Clark and tight end Kylan Fox. Left tackle Joey Tanona is doubtful. Elo Modozie is questionable. Barry Odom’s group still moved the ball for 82 plays against Wake. Colin Hitschler’s Bruin Bullies have not seen a quarterback complete 76 percent for 329 yards yet.

The matchup on the ground is the one that decides it. Purdue’s front has been leaky against physical backs. Knight, Woods, and Thomas all run like they weigh more than the listed number. Iamaleava is a fourth option when the pocket collapses. If UCLA’s first half looks like the first half against San Diego State, Browne will have time and Ijeboi will have volume. If the fourth-quarter version from the last two weeks shows up for four quarters, the Rose Bowl becomes a track meet Purdue cannot win after a red-eye week.

This is still a new roster finding its speed. The first two wins were not clean. They were decisive when it counted. Purdue can score. Purdue has not closed. The Bruins have closed twice.

PREDICTION:

Purdue will move the chains early. Browne will find Magwood and Waseem underneath. Ijeboi will get his touches. Then the second half arrives the way it has arrived in Pasadena and Berkeley. Knight finds the end zone. The front seven shortens the field. Iamaleava does not have to be perfect. He just has to be better than last week.

JP’s Pick: Knight keeps finding the end zone and the front seven closes the edges after dark. UCLA 31, Purdue 17.