No. 9 UCLA scored 28 unanswered points across the second and third quarters to beat Michigan State 28-10 on Saturday at the Rose Bowl, improving to 7-0 on the season. The Bruins outgained the Spartans 443-156 and controlled the ball for nearly 36 minutes.
UCLA answered an early Michigan State touchdown with three rushing scores and a 63-yard touchdown strike from quarterback Ty Dieffenbach to Brian Rowe Jr. The Spartans, who managed just 47 rushing yards on 29 carries, fell to 2-6 and have now lost consecutive games after a lopsided defeat to Wisconsin the previous week.
Key Moments: How UCLA Pulled Away
Michigan State struck first. Kayd Coffman found Kenneth Williams for a 14-yard touchdown pass with 5:26 left in the first quarter, and Liam Boyd’s extra point made it 7-0. It was the Spartans’ only lead of the game.
UCLA answered in the second quarter. Jaivian Thomas punched in a 7-yard touchdown run with 11:00 left to tie the game, then Wayne Knight scored from a yard out with 3:04 remaining before halftime to put the Bruins ahead 14-7.
The third quarter belonged to UCLA. Dieffenbach hit Rowe for a 63-yard touchdown pass just seconds into the half, and Anthony Woods added a 4-yard touchdown run with 5:27 left in the quarter to make it 28-7. Michigan State’s only response came on a 46-yard Boyd field goal with 6:18 left in the fourth quarter, closing the scoring at 28-10.
Top Performers From The UCLA Vs Michigan State Score
Dieffenbach completed 18 of 31 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown without an interception. Woods led UCLA’s ground attack with 112 yards and a score on 14 carries, part of a rushing attack that totaled 245 yards on 48 attempts for a 5.1 average. Rowe finished with three catches for 74 yards and the long touchdown.
On defense, Sammy Omosigho recorded two sacks for the Bruins, while Jalen Woods led all tacklers with nine. Donavyn Pellot and Malik Hartford each intercepted a pass for UCLA, which forced three Michigan State turnovers total.
For Michigan State, Kenneth Williams carried 17 times for 54 yards and caught a touchdown pass. Leo Hannan went 9 of 15 for 67 yards with an interception before Coffman took over and threw for 42 yards with a touchdown and an interception of his own. Nikai Martinez paced the Spartans defense with eight tackles.
What It Means
UCLA’s 7-0 start keeps the Bruins among the unbeaten teams in the country as Big Ten play continues. The win followed a 17-7 defeat of Wisconsin the prior week at the Rose Bowl, extending UCLA’s home winning streak. The Bruins finished with 25 first downs to Michigan State’s 11 and won the turnover battle 3-2.
Michigan State’s loss marks its sixth of the season against two wins. The Spartans were held to 156 total yards, their offense managing just 1.6 yards per rush against a UCLA defense that limited them to 2 of 11 on third down.
What’s Next
UCLA will look to carry its unbeaten record into its next Big Ten matchup as the Bruins continue conference play. Michigan State returns home looking to snap its two-game losing streak after falling to both Wisconsin and UCLA in back-to-back weeks.
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