UCLA Bruins #6 Anthony Woods (RB) had a big day running the football against the Michigan State Spartans 14 carries 112-yards and one touchdown. This photo is by Tony Dunn/TGSportstv1 October 24, 2026.
PASADENA – It was a tale of two halves for the ninth-ranked UCLA Bruins (7-0) as they vanquished the Michigan State Spartans (2-6) late, 28-10 at the Rose Bowl.
The undefeated Bruins did not look sharp early and were minutes away from finding themselves down at the half to the two-win Spartans. Fortunately, UCLA Special Teams, combined with typical second-half defensive dominance, propelled the team to victory during their Homecoming game.
The Bruins ' defense limited Spartan freshman quarterback Kayd Coffman to a season-low 42 yards passing, with one touchdown and an interception a piece. Ty Dieffenbach managed an efficient, turnover-free game, throwing for 198 yards, letting his run game and defense seal the win.
“That first half was not our type of football,” said UCLA coach Bob Chesney. “What a great job for the defense to step up. Let’s talk about Ty a little in that situation too.”
Midway through the first quarter, Bruin running back Anthony Woods fumbled, which was scooped up by Devin Vaught, who returned it 56 yards to the UCLA 15-yard line. Two plays later, Coffman found Kenneth Williams for a 14-yard catch and run into the end zone, giving the Spartans an early 7-0 lead with 5:26 remaining in the opening quarter. Bruin fans were stunned by the unexpected turn of events as their team found themselves in an early hole to a Michigan State team currently in last place in the Big Ten.
Dread resonated on the Bruin sidelines after Dieffenbach threw an interception with 25 seconds remaining in the first quarter. After review it was the ruling was reversed to an incomplete pass, which would have gave the Spartans a huge momentum shift to end the frame.
In the second quarter, running back Kenneth Williams fumbled for the Spartans, giving UCLA their best field position of the game so far. Five plays later, Jaivian Thomas ran up the gut of the Spartan defense for a seven-yard touchdown, tying the game 7-7 with 11:04 remaining. It was the first of three rushing touchdowns, each by a different Bruin on the day.
“I think it’s a brotherhood in that (running back) room,” said Chesney. “When you go through a physical game like we did the last two you and then again today, you find you really need each other. As much as you might want to carry the ball 40 times a game, it’s not feasible at this level with that many carries, that many hits that your bodies going to take. That’s a room that’s talented, physical, and tough.”
Despite the trio of rushing touchdowns, fumbles remained an issue for the Bruin backs. A few possessions later Thomas later fumbled, which was recovered by Nikai Martinez who return in 56 yards for Michigan State. Giving up over one hundred yards in fumble return yards was sloppy, and while it may not cost them a win against bottom dwellers like the Spartans, it’s something the team needs to clean up before their postseason begins.
UCLA's special teams came up clutch two plays later as Donavyn Pellot jumped a route, picking off Coffman and returning it 67 yards with five minutes left in the second quarter. It was a jolt of life for the Bruins, who were at risk of going into halftime down to the last-place Spartans.
Five plays later, Wayne Knight churned his way through the Spartan defenses for a one-yard touchdown run, giving the Bruins a 14-7 lead with 3:04 left, which they took into halftime. It was the 12th rushing touchdown of the season for Knight, who is second among all running backs in the NCAA in that department.
Whatever Coach Chesney said to his team at halftime worked, riling up his team to strike pay dirt on their first possession. Dieffenbach uncorked a 63-yard dime to Brian Rowe Jr who waltzed into the end zone, giving UCLA a 21-7 lead and blowing the game wide open two minutes into the third quarter.
On the next Bruin possession, they went down the field 75 yards in ten plays, in under two minutes, culminating in an Anthony Woods scoring on a four-yard touchdown run, giving the Bruins a 28-7 lead midway through the third quarter. It was a much-needed score for the young back who Chesney trusted despite the early fumble in the first half, finishing with 112 rushing yards.
“I’ve got to have better ball security, hold the ball high and tight, but I finished the game doing what I do,” said Woods.
The Spartans would score a field goal late in the fourth quarter, capping the game 28-10.
With the Bruin win, Chesney became the first UCLA coach to start his career 7-0, the Bruins best start since 2005. It almost marked Chesney 17th consecutive win dating back to last season with James Madison.
The Bruins are expected to move up a few in the National Rankings after three top-ten teams; BYU, Mississippi and Texas Tech all lost today.
UCLA faces Nevada next Saturday at the Rose Bowl on Halloween, as they look to remain the conference’s only unbeaten team and strengthen their lead atop the Big Ten.