Nobody expected the UCLA Bruins to emerge as one of the top teams in the Big Ten this year. After last season's painful 3-9 season, it seemed the Bruins would have been happy with a .500 season.
Nobody gave that message to first-year head coach Bob Chesney. He was hired to take over the UCLA program after his successful run at James Madison, and he has put together a brilliant year. The Bruins improved their record to 9-0 (6-0 in the Big Ten) after the Bruins defeated Minnesota 34-20 in Minneapolis.
The Bruins are 9-0 for the first time since the 1968 season
Not only did the Bruins take it to the Gophers, they did it in an early start that was the equivalent of 9 a.m. Pacific Time. There was no hesitation as the Bruins moved down the field smartly on their opening possession before going ahead on a field goal.
However, the story of the game for Chesney's team was its big play ability, particularly in the second half. Quarterback Ty Dieffenbach threw a pair of 75-yard TD passes to wide receiver Aidan Mizell in the fourth quarter to give the Bruins full control of the game.
Diffenbach received brilliant protection by the UCLA offensive line on both TD passes, and Mizell's speed allowed him to run through the Golden Gophers secondary and into the end zone.
Diffenbach took over at quarterback for injured Nico Iamaleava one month ago. He passed for a career-best 303 yards as he completed 8 0f 16 passes with 3 TDs and 1 interception. The UCLA offensive line allowed just 1 sack.
The Bruins (ranked 8th in the CFP rankings, 5th in the AP poll) have regular-season games remaining against Illinois, Michigan and archrival USC.