This post was updated Sept. 11 at 3:48 p.m.
Ahead of UCLA’s matchup against San Diego State on Saturday, its new-look staff is bringing an unwavering focus on maintaining competitive intensity and building brotherhood in its deep roster.
UCLA will continue its Golden State start to its 2026 season following a 45-24 victory over California by welcoming San Diego State to the Rose Bowl. While playing the Aztecs likely won’t result in a classic Big Ten-Pac-12 showdown, Saturday offers the opportunity for the Bruins to continue their momentum and show why three AP voters were correct to put UCLA in their AP Top 25 Ballots.
[Related: The Bruins are back: UCLA football opens season with late-night triumph over Cal]
“Take the result out of it – what’s the standard?” coach Bob Chesney said during Monday’s press conference.
Whether it was Chesney remarking on senior defensive back Scooter Jackson’s intelligence in not making the same mistake twice on a vital third-down Golden Bear drive or defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler regretting getting too aggressive in play-calling at the end of the first half, the Bruin staff has been focused on mistakes – and how to improve from them – since opening night.
With every point of criticism, there was just as much praise. Most importantly, athletes who made the big plays showed a particular attention to detail.
“I let them (the offensive line) set up, and whatever hole I see, I try to hit it,” said fifth-year running back Anthony Woods, who had 118 rushing yards against Cal, including two touchdowns. “If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be able to do it by myself. … We feed off of each other’s energy, and we’re able to play hard and make plays for the team.”
However, the staff said the group looked focused and maintained the intensity of last week when practicing ahead of the Bruins’ Week 2 affair, with a handful of names facing uncertainty after a Cal matchup in which both errors and physical scratches were apparent.
Working through health and remaining game-time decisions is senior wide receiver Landon Ellis, who flashed shades of confidence – literally – on the sidelines following a concussion protocol last week against Cal.
Senior wide receiver Aidan Mizell – a former four-star recruit and one of the fastest receivers in the 2023 class – returns from injury and will presumably see more opportunities if Ellis is unavailable.
The Bruins, who lost their opening-week game 43-10 against Utah in 2025, looked much sharper out of the gate on both ends of the ball, with many new transfers making early impacts.
But if one thing is possibly comparable to the beginning of last season’s UCLA squad, it was penalty struggles. Chesney noted that 12 penalties for 110 yards is not something the Bruins can amass in the future if they want to take down top-level opponents.
“They’re either going to be revealed for the work they’ve done up to this point, or they’re going to be exposed for the work they did not do,” Chesney said Monday.
Amid sweeping changes in UCLA’s athletic direction, including firing former athletic director Martin Jarmond, UCLA is looking to get more fans and students in seats at the Rose Bowl. UCLA Athletics announced Wednesday the “BruWin Rewards” program – in which the Westwood faithful can receive points for attending matches in 25 different Bruin sports. UCLA Athletics consulted with the Bruin Sports Business Association – a student-run club that received inspiration from a similar program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa – to launch the initiative.
“We need this community to come out and support at a level that they’ve never done in the past bunch of years,” Chesney said.
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