UCLA tramples Michigan State: No. 9 Bruins flex muscles to stay undefeated and atop the Big Ten standings

UCLA's chances of reaching the College Football Playoff improved to 35.2% with the win, according to the CBS Sports CFP Forecaster. Assuming the Bruins win as a heavy home favorite against Nevada next week, their chances will creep up to 39%. From there, they finish with Minnesota (road), Illinois (home), Michigan (road) and USC. 

The Bruins have played a light schedule, which means their chances of reaching the CFP with two regular season losses are slim compared to what they might be for other Big Ten teams. But at this point, the Bruins haven't even suffered one loss. The path ahead isn't a murderer's row, but it's by no means easy. Minnesota is physical and competent. Illinois beat Oregon on Saturday, while Michigan pushed Indiana into overtime. No. 16 USC is still a potential playoff team. 

It's still far from a sure bet, but with each passing victory, the idea of the Bruins reaching the 12-team field starts to become more and more realistic.

UCLA's defense capitalized on Michigan State's worsening injury situation by holding the Spartans to a cumulative total of two first downs over the second and third quarters. Michigan State totaled just 13 yards over those two miserable frames as the Bruins scored 28 unanswered points to break the game open. 

Spartans running back Marvis Parrish left the game in the first quarter due to injury and did not return. Michigan State was already without top backs Cam Edwards and Jaziun Patterson. Once Parrrish left, the Spartans operated with their third-string quarterback and fourth-string running back Kenneth Williams. The Spartans cashed in a UCLA fumble in the first quarter as quarterback Kayd Coffman hit Williams for a 14-yard touchdown pass to open the scoring. But the Spartans hit the skids from there.

Another UCLA fumble set Michigan State up in the red zone with the score tied 7-7 in the second quarter. But Coffman threw an interception that led to a UCLA touchdown, and he never got back on track.

UCLA quarterback Ty Dieffenbach doesn't look like a downgrade for the Bruins. Making his second straight start in place of the injured Nico Iamaleava, The 6-foot-6 Cal Poly transfer showed strong command of the Bruins offense, completing 18 of 31 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown. Most importantly, he took care of the football. On a day when two fumbles by UCLA running backs created Michigan State's only two red-zone opportunities, Dieffenbach was not intercepted. He also showed his elusiveness while avoiding any sacks and picking up a few nice gains as a runner.

No. 9 UCLA improved to 7-0 for the first time since 2005 on Saturday with a 28-10 win over Michigan State that amounted to a systematical dismantling of a banged up and offensively lifeless conference foe. The Bruins fell behind 7-0 early before overcoming a blunder-filled start to pull away and dominate the visiting Spartans (2-6, 0-5 Big Ten).

The win preserved UCLA's status as the last unbeaten team in the Big Ten and brought its College Football Playoff dreams one step closer to reality. The Bruins handled a Spartans offense that was down to third-string quarterback Kayd Coffman amid injuries to starter Alessio Milivojevic and backup Cam Fancher. After Coffman went more than two quarters without a completion, the Spartans turned to fourth-team QB Leo Hannan in the fourth quarter to spark an offense that finished with 156 total yards.

UCLA committed two costly fumbles inside the Michigan State 30-yard line during the first half and struggled with penalties and dropped passes before it began asserting its will. The Bruins also dealt with a quarterback injury scare of their own, when Ty Dieffenbach needed help leaving the field at the end of the first half.

The Cal Poly transfer, who is playing in place of injured starter Nico Iamaleava, returned in the third quarter and promptly threw a beautiful 63-yard touchdown to Brian Rowe Jr. That strike put UCLA ahead 21-7. A hapless Michigan State offense was powerless to mount a comeback and completed its victory march behind a rushing attack that totaled 246 yards. Anthony Woods led the way with 112 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries while Wayne Knight contributed 56 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.

6:18 4Q: UCLA 28, Michigan State 10

Fourth-team QB Leo Hannan is doing some good things for Michigan State. He entered in place of the struggling Kayd Coffman to start the fourth quarter and is 8 of 13 passing for 72 yards. He just helped Michigan State get in position for a 46-yard field goal from Liam Boyd.

End 3Q: UCLA 28, Michigan State 7

Michigan State just picked up its only first down of the third quarter to escape its goal-line after a perfect from Curtis Gerrand that pinned the Spartans deep. The Bruins have been almost perfect defensively since the first quarter and are well on their way to a 7-0 start against a banged up Michigan State team that has been offensively lifeless while relying on reserves in key positions.

Michigan State's top defensive playmaker on the day, safety Devin Vaught, is receiving attention from the MSU training staff. He's forced two fumbles and returned one of them deep into UCLA territory to set up the Spartans' only touchdown of the game. He's also leading the team in tackles with eight and has a pass breakup. His injury is just the latest for a Spartans team that is playing backups all over the field

Michigan State quarterback Kayd Coffman has not completed a pass since throwing a 14-yard touchdown with 5:26 remaining in the first quarter. That was more than two quarters ago. The Spartans have just 69 total yards and have accumulated -1 yards and just one first down since the end of the first quarter. MSU is down to 2.1 yards per play for the game, and that's being propped up entirely by the first quarter.

5:27 3Q: UCLA 28, Michigan State 7

UCLA is now imposing its will on Michigan State. The Bruins just ate 5:27 on a 10-play, 70-yard touchdown drive capped by a 4-yard run from Anthony Woods. Michigan State's offense has absolutely no juice, which is resulting in the Spartans' defense spending a ton of time on the field. The Bruins are up to 150 yards rushing on 31 carries. But Ty Dieffenbach is bringing plenty of balance, too, at 15 of 24 passing for 174 yards.

After getting banged up at the end of the first half, UCLA quarterback Ty Dieffenbach returned to the field for the opening drive of the third quarter and uncorked a bomb to Brian Rowe Jr. for a 63-yard touchdown. Rowe needed every bit of his extension to reel it in, but he did. Beautiful play and a big moment. Michigan State's back is now against the wall as the Bruins have scored 21 unanswered.

Michigan State will need to get Kayd Coffman in a rhythm if it's going to have a shot in the second half. The three-star freshman is in a brutal spot, making his first career start on the road against a really good defense. But he started strong — completing his first four passes — before a rough ending to the half. Unfortunately, the Spartans are also dealing with a litany of other injuries, including injuries to their top three running backs. Trying to run the ball while trailing against this Bruins defense probably isn't going to get Michigan State very far.

Half: UCLA 14, Michigan State 7

Michigan State averaged only 2.7 yards per play in the first half, notching just two first downs after its game-opening drive. Two turnovers hurt the Spartans, but UCLA didn't gain much separation because of some miscues of its own. The Bruins coughed it up twice while also dealing with costly drops and penalties.

On injured quarterback Ty Dieffenbach, Bob Chesney just told Jenny Dell in a halftime interview that, "he'll be fine, I think."

UCLA quarterback Ty Dieffenbach is banged up after getting hit on a third down pass attempt. If needed, UCLA will turn to third-stringer Madden Iamaleava. He is the younger brother of injured Bruins starter Nico Iamaleava. Michigan State is already using its third string quarterback. Its opponent may soon be in the same boat.

3:04 2Q: UCLA 14, Michigan State 7

Kayd Coffman just made his first big mistake. The Michigan State freshman quarterback — making his first career start — made an ill-advised throw that UCLA linebacker Donavyn Pellot saw coming. Pellot caught it with a running start at the UCLA 12-yard line and ran it back 67 yards to the Michigan State 21-yard line. A couple plays later, the Bruins scored to make it 14-7. This is starting to feel like the UCLA vs. Oregon game from two weeks ago, when the teams traded turnovers for 60 minutes. With three minutes still remaining in the first half, the turnover tally is at two apiece.

For the second time in the first half, Michigan State used a UCLA fumble to 1) stop a promising Bruins drive and 2) set itself up in great field position. This time, it was Jaivian Thomas who coughed it up. Devin Vaught forced it, and Nikai Martinez returned it 56 yards to the UCLA 19-yard line. Vaught forced the first fumble as well. If you were drawing up a blueprint for how to stay in the game as an injury-plagued road underdog, this would be it.

Fumbles have been the defining plays of this game.

11:00 2Q: UCLA 7, Michigan State 7

A fumble by fourth-team Michigan State running back Kenneth Williams at the end of a run gifted UCLA great field position. Williams is a shifty return man but an inexperienced runner who has been forced into action because of numerous injuries. The Bruins capitalized with a 19-yard touchdown "drive" if you can call it that. Jaivian Thomas finished it with a 7-yard touchdown run. Both touchdowns in this game have come off turnovers that created red-zone possessions. 

End 1Q: Michigan State 7, UCLA 0

Little went UCLA's way in the first quarter. Take the final play of the frame, for example. A 12-yard Wayne Knight carry was negated by a holding penalty. UCLA's first drive was killed by a fumble and its next two drives killed by penalties. The Bruins are in the relatively new position of being the "hunted," and Michigan State played like the team with nothing to lose in the first quarter. Spartans third-string quarterback Kayd Coffman looked up for the challenge of making his first career start on the road an against a top-10 team. He completed 4 of 4 passes for 42 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter. 

After a devastating fumble ended its first drive and led directly to a Michigan State touchdown, UCLA's second series was inhibited by a holding penalty and a dropped pass, leading to a Bruins punt.

5:26 1Q: Michigan State 7, UCLA 0

Michigan State safety Devin Vaught just made an unbelievable defensive play, stripping Anthony Woods as the UCLA back toted the rock on a promising opening drive for UCLA. Vaught then ran it back 56 yards to establish the Spartans in the red zone. Kenneth Williams finished it off from there by taking a short pass from Kayd Coffman to the house for a 14-yard touchdown. Early adversity here for the Bruins after a potential 14-point swing.

Chrishon McCray made a slick one-handed catch on a back shoulder throw to pick up 19 yards as Michigan State moved the football into UCLA territory on its first possession. The Spartans stalled out and nearly downed a Rhys Dakin punt at the 1-yard line. But it trickled into the end zone for a touchback. All things considered, that was a decent start for the Spartans offense in quarterback Kayd Coffman's first legitimate collegiate time. They picked up three first downs and burned over six minutes of clock.

This battle between UCLA backup quarterback Ty Dieffenbach and Michigan State backup QB Kayd Coffman is officially underway with the Spartans getting the football first.

Michigan State running back Marvis Parrish was injured a 4-yard carry for a first down on a third-and-3 play. The Spartans are already dealing with lean running back depth amid injuries to Cam Edwards and Jaziun Patterson. That depth will get even leaner if Parrish is unable to return.  Nebraska transfer Kenneth Williams — known best as a returner — will likely be Michigan State's primary back now.

UCLA starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Bruins' Week 6 win over Oregon, leaving the Bruins in the hands of Ty Dieffenbach. The Cal Poly transfer held his own in UCLA's 17-7 win over Wisconsin last week and profiles similarly to Iamaleava. At 6-foot-6, he can see over the defense, and he takes long strides as a runner. His 264 passing yards against the Badgers marked a season-high for UCLA's passing game.

Pat Fitzgerald's second stint in the Big Ten isn't off to an encouraging start. The Spartans are the only Big Ten team that finds the end zone less frequently than Michigan, averaging 21.3 points per game, and there appears to be no end in sight for those woes. As a result, Michigan State is 0-4 in Big Ten play, and the easiest portion of the team's schedule is in the rearview mirror. Road trips to UCLA and Michigan are up next, followed by home games against Washington and Oregon. If you're looking for a silver lining, the Spartans are getting closer. They've lost their last two games by a combined four points. Grade: D-

Big Ten midseason grades: UCLA aces first half, while Penn State has failed every test

Austin Nivison

UCLA rushed for 200-plus yards in each game during its 4-0 start before getting slowed down in wins over Oregon and Wisconsin the past two weeks. The Bruins totaled just 140 yards on the ground against the Ducks and dipped to a season-low 120 against the Badgers. Wisconsin limited UCLA star Wayne Knight to 23 yards on 13 carries. If the Bruins are going to reach the full potential they flashed during the season's first half, getting the most out of Knight will be pivotal, especially now that UCLA is using its backup quarterback.

UCLA has a 28.4% chance of making the College Football Playoff entering the game, according to the CBS Sports CFP Forecaster. That mark improves to 35.2% with a win but plummets to 11.4% with a loss. Because of their light schedule strength, the Bruins would be in grave danger of missing the playoff at 10-2. A 5-1 (or 6-0) finish will likely be required for this team to reach the 12-team field.

UCLA is well-coached and does not beat itself. Those are signs of a great team. Only Notre Dame and Kentucky have a better turnover margin (plus-10) right now, and the Bruins have pounded the opposition into submission with the Big Ten's top-ranked rushing attack (231 YPG). That's part of the reason why losing quarterback Nico Iamaleava might not be fatal for this team. The physical-first mindset doesn't change for Bob Chesney's group, and Saturday's 17-7 win over Wisconsin revealed more grit. Since Purdue scored 38 points against the Bruins on Sept. 19, UCLA has given up just 25 total points over its last three Big Ten outings. This group has figured it out defensively and only faces one ranked opponent -- USC -- over its final six contests. This looks like a playoff team given the schedule.

Evaluating the remaining Power Four unbeatens: Experts name pretenders, contenders, favorites to run the table

John Talty

Let me start here: I love what Bob Chesney is doing in his first year at UCLA. He has as good an argument as any for Coach of the Year right now. UCLA is the story of the college football season. But (you knew one was coming) I still view the Bruins as a notch or two below college football's best teams this season. Outside of a top-25 win over Oregon, UCLA has largely beaten up on mediocre to outright bad opponents. The comparisons to the 2024 Indiana team are obvious, but UCLA also reminds me a lot of the 2024 Minnesota Vikings, who went 14-3 in the NFL regular season but never quite looked as elite as their record indicated, and got knocked out in the first round of the playoffs. UCLA's path to making the playoff is realistic, even without quarterback Nico Iamaleava, with a star running back (Wayne Knight) and stout defense leading the way. But UCLA's ceiling for a deep playoff run feels lower than that of the other four unbeaten teams. 

Evaluating the remaining Power Four unbeatens: Experts name pretenders, contenders, favorites to run the table

John Talty

Michigan State has allowed only one team this season to average more than four yards per carry. The Spartans are capable of slowing down the Bruins' rushing attack, which is already trending in the wrong direction. It's hard to imagine the Spartans scoring enough to win the game outright against UCLA's stout defense. But a two-touchdown spread is a lot to cover for a Bruins team playing with its backup quarterback. Look for this to be a low-scoring game won by UCLA's defense. Pick: Michigan State +14

With No. 9 UCLA already down to backup quarterback Ty Dieffenbach, Michigan State will be without starting quarterback Alessio Milivojevic, according to CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz.

Milivojevic was listed as questionable on the Friday night injury report, but he will be unable to go against the Bruins. The issue for the Spartans is that backup quarterback Cam Fancher is also dealing with an injury, so third-string freshman Kayd Coffman is in line for his first career start. 

A three-star recruit in the 2026 signing class, Coffman was the No. 24 quarterback in the recruiting cycle, per 247Sports.

A pair of Big Ten programs heading in divergent directions under first-year coaches will square off Saturday, as No. 9 UCLA hosts Michigan State at 3:30 p.m. Eastern on CBS. The Bruins (6-0, 4-0 Big Ten) have emerged as a stunning success story under first-year coach Bob Chesney, while the Spartans (2-5, 0-4) are still trying to find their footing under new coach Pat Fitzgerald.

Across the Big Ten and SEC, UCLA is the last remaining undefeated team as the Bruins continue building a profile with eery similarities to the 2024 Indiana team. Chesney is just the second head coach in FBS history to start his tenure 6-0 for a team that was coming off a 9-loss season. The other was Curt Cignetti with the Hoosiers in 2024.

Both coaches came from James Madison and immediately ignited struggling Big Ten outfits. It's been a tougher road for Fitzgerald, the former longtime Northwestern coach who returned to the sideline this season after three years away from the college game. The Spartans' last two losses have come by a combined total of four points against Illinois and Northwestern.

Michigan State is now seeking to avoid starting 0-5 in Big Ten play in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history as it heads west for its first road game against UCLA since 1974.