Iowa Football Opponent Preview: UCLA Bruins

For the first time since 2010 and just the third time under head coach Kirk Ferentz, the Iowa Football team will travel two time zones west for a regular season game. Coming off of a win over rival Wisconsin, the Hawkeyes will head to Pasadena for a Friday night meeting with the UCLA Bruins.

Under first-year head coach DeShaun Foster, UCLA has a 3-5 but enter this week on a two-game winning streak. The Bruins visited Lincoln on Saturday and left the Midwest with a 27-20 victory over Nebraska.

Friday will be the tenth all-time meeting between the two programs, with the last meeting coming in the 1986 Rose Bowl. The Hawkeyes opened as a 6.5-point favorite, but are just 1-3 in the Pacific Time Zone under Kirk Ferentz. That lone win was in the 2019 Holiday Bowl, with the Hawkeyes defeating USC 49-24.

Roll those Victory Sunday highlights ☕️🎞️

The best plays from the Bruins' 27-20 win over Nebraska ⬇️#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/9CKleaV2wU

— UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) November 3, 2024

BRUINS OFFENSE

2024 Numbers: 18.6 PPG (126th), 73.9 RUSH (133rd), 235.3 PASS (63rd), 309.1 TOTAL (124th)

The Bruins offense is led by senior quarterback Ethan Garbers, who has played some of his best ball the past couple of weeks. Although he has thrown nine interceptions, in his last two games, Garbers has completed 49 of 63 (77.8%) pass attempts for 602 yards, including six touchdowns and zero interceptions. He’s also rushed the ball 15 times for 105 yards and a touchdown.

Joining him in the backfield is the multi-faceted back, TJ Harden. He hasn’t had much rushing success, totaling 226 yards on 73 carries (3.1 ypc), but they use him heavily in the passing game. Harden has a team-high 27 receptions for 241 yards (8.9 ypr) and is averaging 12.5 touches per game. The other back to know is former Wisconsin/Michigan State back Jalen Berger. He has carried the ball 42 times for 148 yards (3.5 ypc) and has eight catches for 46 yards.

At wideout, the Bruins have a few main targets to keep an eye on. Senior tight end Moliki Matavao has 24 receptions for 303 yards (12.6 ypr), followed by the receiver duo of Logan Loya (20 rec, 200 yds, 3 TD) and Kwazi Gilmer (16 rec, 213 yds, 1 TD). Those are the top three, but UCLA has eight players with at least ten catches. In their win over Rutgers back on Oct 19, Titus Mokiao-Atimalala and Keegan Jones combined for ten catches, 168 yards and a touchdown. Ethan Garbers will spread the wealth.

Up front on the offensive line, the Bruins have struggled this season. Per Pro Football Focus, they rank 97th in run blocking grade (57.4) and 122nd in pass blocking grade (54.0). Ethan Garbers has been pressured on 105 of his 260 (40.3%) dropbacks and sacked 22 times. Offensive tackle Garrett DiGiorgio (70.3) is UCLA’s highest-graded lineman, ranking 29th-best in the Big Ten.

BRUINS DEFENSE

2024 Numbers: 27.9 PPG (92nd), 100.4 RUSH (11th), 261.3 PASS (115th), 361.6 TOTAL (59th)

The Bruins defensive line has struggled to generate a pass rush this season, ranking 130th in the country in team pass rush grade (58.4). They are last in the Big Ten in quarterback pressures generated (98), but edge rusher Oluwafemi Oladejo has been the one bright spot totaling 38 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss, and a team-high 18 quarterback pressures. Other names to know up front, include Devin Aupiu (13 tkls, 3.5 tfls), Siale Taupaki (23 tkls) and Jay Toia (16 tkls, 1.0 sk).

UCLA is one of just three teams in the Big Ten with two linebackers inside the top 15 of the PFF Big Ten Linebacker grades. Junior Carson Schwesinger (6th by PFF) leads the team with 85 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and 13 quarterback pressures. Meanwhile, sixth-year senior Kain Medrano (15th by PFF) is second on the team with 46 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss and nine quarterback hurries. Those two have combined to play 85.6% of the available snaps. The other name to know is sixth-year senior Ale Kaho (19 tkls, 1.5 sks). The Bruins rank 11th in the country in rush yards allowed per game, due in large part to the play of the linebackers and defensive backs in run defense.

In the secondary, the Bruins are led by corner Kaylin Moore. He has totaled 26 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and five pass breakups, while he has been solid in coverage. Moore’s 78.7 coverage grade ranks 6th-best amongst Big Ten corners, while he has allowed just 18 catches on 35 targets (51.4%). The other big name is safety Bryan Addison. The seventh-year transfer from Oregon is fourth on the team with 35 tackles and leads the team with two interceptions. His 76.1 coverage grade ranks 11th-best amongst Big Ten safeties. Other names in the UCLA secondary include corner KJ Wallace (34 tkls, 4.5 tfls), corner Jaylin Davies (20 tkls) and safety Ramon Henderson (27 tkls).

Opponents have had a lot of success when throwing away from the Moore/Addison portion of the secondary, completing 105 of 147 (71.4%) passes for 1,272 yards (12.1 ypr).

BRUINS SPECIAL TEAMS

Kick Returner Keegan Jones: 10 returns, 187 yards, 18.7 AVG, LNG 24

Punt Returner Logan Loya: 4 returns, 57 yards, 14.3 AVG, LNG 18

Kicker Mateen Bhaghani: 12/14 FG, 14/14 PAT, LNG 54

Punter Brody Richter: 28 punts, 1,215 yards, 43.4 AVG, 12 In20, LNG 61

FINAL THOUGHT

Don’t look at UCLA’s 3-5 record and assume the Hawkeyes have this game won. The Bruins have won back-to-back road games against Rutgers and Nebraska, while their rush defense is one of the best in the country. I am concerned about how Iowa plays on a Friday night on the west coast. Big Ten teams are 7-16 when traveling two times zones this season, and the Hawkeyes will be doing it on a short week. I very nearly picked the Bruins at the beginning of the year; this game has been on my radar as a concern for a while.