UCLA football continued its unbeaten start on Saturday as Bob Chesney’s team beat Maryland, 54-3. With Chesney leading the program, UCLA has now opened the season 4-0, and the remarkable start has already earned the head coach a notable place in Bruins history.

According to Ben Portnoy of Fox Sports, Chesney became the first UCLA head coach to begin 4-0 in his first season since Henry “Red” Sanders accomplished the feat in 1949, when Sanders actually started his tenure 6-0. UCLA’s offensive explosion has also reached a historic level, with the Bruins scoring at least 50 points in consecutive games for the first time since the 1993 season.

UCLA struggled to establish itself in the Big Ten during its first two seasons in the conference, and the program entered the 2026 season looking for a significant turnaround. After UCLA finished the 2025 season with a 3-9 record, Chesney was hired on a five-year contract to replace DeShaun Foster. So far, Chesney has provided an immediate response to those expectations.

Following Saturday’s victory, Chesney praised the way every phase of his team contributed to the result and highlighted the importance of UCLA playing a more complete game.

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“I thought we finally played a complementary game of football, where offense, defense and special teams all got each other's back,” Chesney said. “And at the same point, when you got to make some plays, we made some plays. So I thought overall, a good day at the office.”

Chesney took over the UCLA coaching job after spending two seasons as the head coach at James Madison from 2024-25. During his final season with the Dukes, his 2025 team produced just the 10th unbeaten conference record in Sun Belt history.

Now, Chesney’s success has continued at UCLA as the Bruins have transformed their fortunes under his leadership. Analysts and veteran writers are already identifying Chesney as an early candidate for Big Ten and National Coach of the Year honors.

UCLA will have a bye next week before returning to action in Week 6, when the Bruins are scheduled to face the No. 20 Oregon Ducks.