JMU averaged 7.5 penalties for 72.5 yards last year. This might be typical for Chesney teams. Last year, UCLA also averaged 7.5 penalties but for 65.5 yards.
They did cut down both the number of penalties and total penalty yardage significantly from lat week. Last week, it was 12 for 110. This week, 8 for 70. That's a significant dip in both number of penalties as well as penalty yardage.
It’s only fair to mention that 2 of those penalties were on our kicker kicking the ball out of bounds. That’s a bit out of character for him. Perhaps they wanted him to try and pin the returner in the corner.
Sure was a close game in the 1st half, LOL! Scoring 10 rushing TDs after their first 2 games versus only 8 rushing TDs for all of last season is just one painful reminder of how awful the Bruins were in 2025. Thank goodness Knight came over to Westwood with HC Chesney! Nico had a total of 15 passing TDs last year, but hasn't thrown any so far this year. Thought he had a great chance to get one instead of throwing his 2nd interception of the season. Hope Derek Carr can help him improve.
Maybe it's just my imagination, but it seemed that there were noticeably more camera shots of the Rose Bowl crowd and tarps during the BTN telecast compared to the games I saw last year (presumably because the stadium was so empty and too embarrassing to show on TV). Students should be back to start the Fall quarter soon, so hopefully they'll also help fill more seats this season. Anyway, congrats to HC Chesney and his staff on grinding out their first victory at the Rose Bowl!
If UCLA is going to live and die by the run without any semblance of a respectable passing game, this team is going no where, especially in a conference filled with run-stuffing defenses. Nico's 9.6 yards per pass completion at UCLA is not good.
Just think what it would be like if DTR was taking snaps for Chesney instead of that gigantic bag of hot air named Chip Kelly.
This team is going to surpass its 2025 win total by the fourth game of the season, and after watching Oregon last week and knowing they lost yesterday, it's very possible that the team could double last year's win total by Week 6.
Of course, that would mean that my expectation of six wins this season would have been met as quickly as possible.
After watching this team for two games, it is within the realm of possibility. They may not win all of their first six and it's ok if they don't. I'm determined to be patient, but it's possible.
Yes, there's plenty of room to improve, but for the first time in at least a decade, I actually believe that they will.
Being at the Rose Bowl, IMHO, it seemed like early on the Bruins weren't exactly matching SDSU's intensity... for the Aztecs, games against the California schools from the Real Pac are pretty much their Super Bowl (note - they beat UCB 31-0 last year) both from always wanting to be a part of it as a program and players trying to prove they should have been recruited by the Cali Pac 4 but, as it went on, the offense caught up to the defense in showing them to be a bit light in the khakis... by mid-4th quarter at 21-3 we had more rushing yards than SDSU had total yards - and more passing yards than their total yards as well. Maybe not pretty but a good, solid grind of a win.
One other thing, in the 4th, Chancellor Frenk walked down the stairs next to our section on his way to the field and we all applauded him as he passed by. He smiled back and gave us a head nod - glad to let him know he's appreciated!
I am going to make comments based upon things I have read on various sites and not directed at anyone in particular on this one. First off, the level of criticism directed towards Nico is silly. Is he playing well? Not particularly. If you watched the postgame presser, he stated that he didn’t play well. It’s also true, that the success or failure of the passing game does not rest solely on the quarterback. That’s just what the average football fan, like you and me, tend to see. Nico is playing for his 4th head coach and 4th offensive coordinator in 3 years. By all accounts, he is a hard working leader and excellent teammate. He is playing with 60 new teammates and a new receivers group. We have played 2 games. We have won 2 games. It seems reasonable to me that improvement and growth are going to happen over the course of the season. I expect that we will utilize our running game all year which should lead to some great play action opportunities. We saw some success in the 2nd half last night. Sometimes, it just takes a slight adjustment for an athlete in many sports to go from looking bad to looking elite. I trust this staff to figure out how to get the best out of Nico. This team deserves better. Chesney is VERY impressive. He has a great mix of intensity and poise. We are poised to be the surprise of the Big 10. Our fans need to show some patience and class. The negative comments regarding a team that has 2 victories by 3 possessions each are absurd.
Seems that is what Coach Chesney have brought along to UCLA and it has been instilled in these 60 young men that they can win irrespective of opponent!
Anyone who wants to talk about little or no improvement (especially after only two games!) take a gander at the 2025 team. I'll save you the trip! Not that they did badly but that they had four losses going int PSU only and more "surprise" victories after that and then five straight losses to complete the season. (And we thought 3-12 was a major triumph!)
We are extremely lucky for (1) rid our self that blivet butted phony, Kelly, (2) ditto the clueless moron AD, (3) acquired a chancellor like Dr Frenk (PBUH), and (4) hired Chesney and had half of the JMU folks go the Westward Ho! thing.
..for a codger like me, it seems like the second coming of Tommy Prothro!
Did a little snooping at the remaining Bruin schedule and came up with this...
Purdue (H) #81 (1-1)
Maryland (A) #48 (2-0)
Oregon (A) #21 (1-1)
Wisconsin (H) #50 (1-1)
MSU (H) #70 (2-0)
Nevada (H) #101 (1-1)
Minnesota (A) #38 (1-1)
Illinois (H) #32 (1-1)
Michigan (A) #18 (2-0)
USC (H) #10 (3-0)
The ratings are off the CBS college football ratings. (anyone suggest a better or more authentic list, please do so.) Anyway, they have UCLA as #33 and moved up 9 slots. Somehow, the B1G doesn't look so fearsome as it did!
It's the luck of the schedule. We could be as good as 10-0 going into the Michigan game or as bad as 6-4 if things break the other way. It's why I'm trying hard to be patient and not overly exuberant, but it is getting hard.
Understand. Appreciate your feelings on this. The schedule made the most sense but I also looked at the ENTIRE big 10 (which is really the big 16 or so) and realize that the teams are scattered throughout the 135 ranked D1 teams.
It became apparent to me that UCLA will not become a powerhouse overnight. However, if it can rise to the level where UCLA can be seriously competitive with its cross-town rival, then it will be competitive in the B1G.
It's and interesting phenomenon. When Coach Wooden was winning his NCAA titles, USC under Bob Boyd had very good teams. I always felt sorry for Bob because of the restrictions on the NCAA tournament in those days. A lot of crappier teams made it while USC sat home.
Same for Oregon and Stanford; even Digger Phelps. (But I always despised him.)
Wandering far afield here. Personally, I think this all flows from Chancellor Frenk (PBUH). He made it possible to bring back the magic that was once the UCLA of old: world class academics plus works world class athletics.
Your comment illustrates why it has truly become difficult to compare different eras of college sports because the NCAA tournament and rules had or have certain limits. We need to play by the rules as they exist now.
It is the job of the Athletic Department to change and adapt to to current landscape.
This is why the Harris hire is so important.
Chancellor Frenk understands that college sports is rapidly evolving and the the college sports business is becoming the business of college sports. The emphasis is on the "business."
Having someone like Tim Harris who has been the head of the business side of one of the top professional teams in the nation is a huge get for UCLA and I fully expect him to adapt some form of the mantra I learned when I got my MBA: Change and adapt or die.
This will necessitate many changes to Athletic Department. Some may be structural while others will certainly be in the form of personnel.
8 penalties for 70 yards. I’m not sure this is an improvement or is the team still getting careless?
JMU averaged 7.5 penalties for 72.5 yards last year. This might be typical for Chesney teams. Last year, UCLA also averaged 7.5 penalties but for 65.5 yards.
They did cut down both the number of penalties and total penalty yardage significantly from lat week. Last week, it was 12 for 110. This week, 8 for 70. That's a significant dip in both number of penalties as well as penalty yardage.
Are we there yet? No but it's an improvement!
It’s only fair to mention that 2 of those penalties were on our kicker kicking the ball out of bounds. That’s a bit out of character for him. Perhaps they wanted him to try and pin the returner in the corner.
Have to hope that was strategic gone wrong/not executed properly...
That's 20 extra penalty yards that should not ever reappear.
Sure was a close game in the 1st half, LOL! Scoring 10 rushing TDs after their first 2 games versus only 8 rushing TDs for all of last season is just one painful reminder of how awful the Bruins were in 2025. Thank goodness Knight came over to Westwood with HC Chesney! Nico had a total of 15 passing TDs last year, but hasn't thrown any so far this year. Thought he had a great chance to get one instead of throwing his 2nd interception of the season. Hope Derek Carr can help him improve.
Maybe it's just my imagination, but it seemed that there were noticeably more camera shots of the Rose Bowl crowd and tarps during the BTN telecast compared to the games I saw last year (presumably because the stadium was so empty and too embarrassing to show on TV). Students should be back to start the Fall quarter soon, so hopefully they'll also help fill more seats this season. Anyway, congrats to HC Chesney and his staff on grinding out their first victory at the Rose Bowl!
Go (JMUcla) Bruins!
If UCLA is going to live and die by the run without any semblance of a respectable passing game, this team is going no where, especially in a conference filled with run-stuffing defenses. Nico's 9.6 yards per pass completion at UCLA is not good.
Just think what it would be like if DTR was taking snaps for Chesney instead of that gigantic bag of hot air named Chip Kelly.
This team is going to surpass its 2025 win total by the fourth game of the season, and after watching Oregon last week and knowing they lost yesterday, it's very possible that the team could double last year's win total by Week 6.
Of course, that would mean that my expectation of six wins this season would have been met as quickly as possible.
After watching this team for two games, it is within the realm of possibility. They may not win all of their first six and it's ok if they don't. I'm determined to be patient, but it's possible.
Yes, there's plenty of room to improve, but for the first time in at least a decade, I actually believe that they will.
Want to compare SDSU week to week? Honest-to-God, they face off against JMU at Sparkling Daisies stadium (or whatever they call it).
That's after JMU polished off Wagner 87-3. That poor b@stard, Wagner, must be hurting!
Also, in re the Bruins' penalties, six or seven weeks of 40 new Bruins, (portal, recruiting, JMU transfers*) requires a bit of familiarization.
*I realize I'm double counting!
Being at the Rose Bowl, IMHO, it seemed like early on the Bruins weren't exactly matching SDSU's intensity... for the Aztecs, games against the California schools from the Real Pac are pretty much their Super Bowl (note - they beat UCB 31-0 last year) both from always wanting to be a part of it as a program and players trying to prove they should have been recruited by the Cali Pac 4 but, as it went on, the offense caught up to the defense in showing them to be a bit light in the khakis... by mid-4th quarter at 21-3 we had more rushing yards than SDSU had total yards - and more passing yards than their total yards as well. Maybe not pretty but a good, solid grind of a win.
One other thing, in the 4th, Chancellor Frenk walked down the stairs next to our section on his way to the field and we all applauded him as he passed by. He smiled back and gave us a head nod - glad to let him know he's appreciated!
I am going to make comments based upon things I have read on various sites and not directed at anyone in particular on this one. First off, the level of criticism directed towards Nico is silly. Is he playing well? Not particularly. If you watched the postgame presser, he stated that he didn’t play well. It’s also true, that the success or failure of the passing game does not rest solely on the quarterback. That’s just what the average football fan, like you and me, tend to see. Nico is playing for his 4th head coach and 4th offensive coordinator in 3 years. By all accounts, he is a hard working leader and excellent teammate. He is playing with 60 new teammates and a new receivers group. We have played 2 games. We have won 2 games. It seems reasonable to me that improvement and growth are going to happen over the course of the season. I expect that we will utilize our running game all year which should lead to some great play action opportunities. We saw some success in the 2nd half last night. Sometimes, it just takes a slight adjustment for an athlete in many sports to go from looking bad to looking elite. I trust this staff to figure out how to get the best out of Nico. This team deserves better. Chesney is VERY impressive. He has a great mix of intensity and poise. We are poised to be the surprise of the Big 10. Our fans need to show some patience and class. The negative comments regarding a team that has 2 victories by 3 possessions each are absurd.
..spirit, humility, teamwork.
Seems that is what Coach Chesney have brought along to UCLA and it has been instilled in these 60 young men that they can win irrespective of opponent!
Anyone who wants to talk about little or no improvement (especially after only two games!) take a gander at the 2025 team. I'll save you the trip! Not that they did badly but that they had four losses going int PSU only and more "surprise" victories after that and then five straight losses to complete the season. (And we thought 3-12 was a major triumph!)
We are extremely lucky for (1) rid our self that blivet butted phony, Kelly, (2) ditto the clueless moron AD, (3) acquired a chancellor like Dr Frenk (PBUH), and (4) hired Chesney and had half of the JMU folks go the Westward Ho! thing.
..for a codger like me, it seems like the second coming of Tommy Prothro!
Did a little snooping at the remaining Bruin schedule and came up with this...
Purdue (H) #81 (1-1)
Maryland (A) #48 (2-0)
Oregon (A) #21 (1-1)
Wisconsin (H) #50 (1-1)
MSU (H) #70 (2-0)
Nevada (H) #101 (1-1)
Minnesota (A) #38 (1-1)
Illinois (H) #32 (1-1)
Michigan (A) #18 (2-0)
USC (H) #10 (3-0)
The ratings are off the CBS college football ratings. (anyone suggest a better or more authentic list, please do so.) Anyway, they have UCLA as #33 and moved up 9 slots. Somehow, the B1G doesn't look so fearsome as it did!
https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/rankings/cbs-sports-rankings/
It's the luck of the schedule. We could be as good as 10-0 going into the Michigan game or as bad as 6-4 if things break the other way. It's why I'm trying hard to be patient and not overly exuberant, but it is getting hard.
Understand. Appreciate your feelings on this. The schedule made the most sense but I also looked at the ENTIRE big 10 (which is really the big 16 or so) and realize that the teams are scattered throughout the 135 ranked D1 teams.
It became apparent to me that UCLA will not become a powerhouse overnight. However, if it can rise to the level where UCLA can be seriously competitive with its cross-town rival, then it will be competitive in the B1G.
It's and interesting phenomenon. When Coach Wooden was winning his NCAA titles, USC under Bob Boyd had very good teams. I always felt sorry for Bob because of the restrictions on the NCAA tournament in those days. A lot of crappier teams made it while USC sat home.
Same for Oregon and Stanford; even Digger Phelps. (But I always despised him.)
Wandering far afield here. Personally, I think this all flows from Chancellor Frenk (PBUH). He made it possible to bring back the magic that was once the UCLA of old: world class academics plus works world class athletics.
Secretly Exuberant. WP
Your comment illustrates why it has truly become difficult to compare different eras of college sports because the NCAA tournament and rules had or have certain limits. We need to play by the rules as they exist now.
It is the job of the Athletic Department to change and adapt to to current landscape.
This is why the Harris hire is so important.
Chancellor Frenk understands that college sports is rapidly evolving and the the college sports business is becoming the business of college sports. The emphasis is on the "business."
Having someone like Tim Harris who has been the head of the business side of one of the top professional teams in the nation is a huge get for UCLA and I fully expect him to adapt some form of the mantra I learned when I got my MBA: Change and adapt or die.
This will necessitate many changes to Athletic Department. Some may be structural while others will certainly be in the form of personnel.