UCLA football is back in action after struggling to find enough rhythm to beat Hawaii’s Rainbow Warriors two weeks ago. Now, after a week of licking their wound while trying to sort out all that went wrong in that game to prepare for their first-ever inter-Big 10 matchup against the Indiana Hoosiers.
While not much went to plan for the Bruins in Week 1, the Hoosiers have cruised to 2 and 0 under new head coach Curt Cignetti. In their opener against Florida International, they put up 21 points while allowing the Panthers just 27 yards of total offense in much of the first half. That was followed by a 77-3 shellacking of the Western Illinois Bulldogs.
Hoosiers Riding High Heading Into Big10 Opener Against UCLA Football
While those schools certainly aren’t among the elite college football programs, the domination speaks for itself. Or as Bruins linebacker Carson Schwesinger put it, “Any time you score 77 points, it’s a dynamic offense.”
And much of that dynamism has come from a staple of the Big 10, the running game. The Hoosiers lead all of its conference teams in yards per game, 279 ypg, and are second in yards per rush with 6.4 yards
And that is where the UCLA defense has focused its attention in its preparation for this game. Against the Warriors the Bruins ceded just 51 yards on the ground on 28 attempts.
“If they’re getting four, five or six yards per carry,” UCLA defensive end Jacob Busic said, “we’re not going to be able to rush the passer, they’re going to just keep running it all day.”
Coach Cignetti is riding high on the confidence of his wins and his track record of a 77.2 combined winning percentage from his previous head coaching stops.
As the old proverb states, a fall is often preceded by a haughty spirit. That includes underestimating a perceived lesser opponent. (Ask Notre Dame about that.) And it is apparent that Cignetti doesn’t think the boys from Westwood can match the Hooisers’ physical style of play.
“What I would say about them overall is a lot of really good athletes, a lot of pretty guys.”
He praised the team’s speed, Jay Toia, and ‘the Notre Dame kid’ Rico Flores and his ten catches, but the implication was clear. They are expecting to push UCLA football around the Rose Bowl on Saturday.
The Bruins’ burden to bear is to prove them wrong, prove all the wondering pundits wrong that a west coach school can hang in the Big 10.
