Can Tim Skipper concoct an upset special for UCLA? Five things to watch vs. Ohio State
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Since Terry Donahue retired in 1995, UCLA football coaches have done something really special, what, a few times a decade?
That 20-game winning streak under Bob Toledo qualified, the Bruins whirling toward a berth in the first-ever Bowl Championship Series title game at the end of the 1998 season until getting spun away thanks to that dreadful Hurricane Bowl loss to Miami.
A 6-0 start under Toledo in 2001 was lots of fun, the Bruins rising as high as No. 4 in the rankings before a loss to Stanford and that extra-benefits SUV controversy involving a star running back named DeShaun Foster.
For all his shortcomings, Karl Dorrell produced a 10-win season in 2005 and a victory over second-ranked USC a year later.
Read more:'I love what I’m doing': UCLA's Tim Skipper focused on winning, not taking credit
Jim Mora really had things rolling his first three seasons, the Rose Bowl filled with enough fans to keep UCLA administrators from contemplating the abandonment of the longtime lease at their home stadium.
Chip Kelly and Foster . . . well, let’s move on.
That brings us to the endearing Tim Skipper, who has a chance Saturday to do something that no UCLA coach has pulled off since Dick Vermeil in his final game with the Bruins — beat a No. 1 team.
That’s right, it’s been nearly 50 years since UCLA topped a team atop the polls.
Vermeil and the No. 11 Bruins did it in the 1976 Rose Bowl, upsetting No. 1 Ohio State thanks to two touchdown passes by quarterback John Sciarra and a memorable 54-yard touchdown run by Wendell Tyler that clinched his team’s 23-10 victory.
The outcome precipitated Vermeil’s departure for the Philadelphia Eagles and marked Buckeyes coach Woody Hayes’ final appearance in the Rose Bowl. The Official Ohio State Football Encyclopedia — wait, it’s not called The Official The Ohio State Football Encyclopedia? — would list the loss as one of the most devastating in school history.
Can UCLA, as a 31.5-point underdog, hand the top-ranked Buckeyes an even more unsettling setback? Here are five things to watch when the Bruins (3-6 overall, 3-3 Big Ten) face the Buckeyes (9-0, 6-0) at 4:30 p.m. PST Saturday at Ohio Stadium:
A faster start?
UCLA fell behind big in each of its last two losses.
There was a 28-0 deficit midway through the second quarter against Indiana and a 28-7 deficit early in the third quarter against Nebraska, leaving the Bruins in need of massive comebacks.
That’s not a formula for success against anyone, much less the top team in the nation.
“We want to make sure we put a big-time emphasis on starting fast,” Skipper said, “that’s going to be the big thing.”
During its three-game winning streak, UCLA took early leads, going ahead 27-7 against Penn State, 24-7 against Michigan State and 7-3 against Maryland.
The running man
UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava is far and away his team’s leading rusher.
His average of 52.7 yards per game nearly doubles that of running back Jaivian Thomas (30.8), the team’s second-leading rusher.
What makes Iamaleava’s success on the ground all the more impressive is his fearlessness, the 6-foot-9, 215-pound redshirt sophomore refusing to slide or run out of bounds while in pursuit of extra yardage.
“Nico’s the first like tall, skinny dude that I know that will lower the pads on you and is not afraid, he’s going to always be going forward and getting yards and things like that,” Skipper said. “He’s got little legs and skinny arms but has no fear at all.”
Does Skipper cringe every time Iamaleava gets hit given the possibility of an injury?
“Obviously, he's your starting quarterback,” Skipper said. “You don't want him taking big hits and things like that, but if they're going to give him running lanes, you might as well take them. I kid with him all the time, 'Hey every now and then, you might want to slide a little bit.' But you know, when you have a natural runner like he is, you kind of just let them go do their thing.”
A tough job
The most important player at UCLA practice this week might have been a wide receiver who has made two catches this season.
Jaedon Wilson had the challenging assignment of simulating Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith, the sophomore who might be the top player taken in the 2027 NFL draft.
Smith made a career-high 10 catches against Purdue last weekend while becoming the fastest Ohio State receiver to catch 25 touchdown passes, needing only 25 games. He’s caught 65 passes this season for 862 yards and 10 touchdowns.
UCLA used two quarterbacks to simulate Buckeyes counterpart Julian Sayin, who could win the Heisman Trophy as a redshirt freshman. He’s completed 80.9% of his passes this season for 2,491 yards with 24 touchdowns and four interceptions, joining West Virginia’s Geno Smith (2012) as the only quarterbacks in the last 30 years to produce three games with at least 300 yards passing, three touchdowns, no interceptions and 80% accuracy on their passes.
More pressure needed
UCLA has not recorded a sack in its last three games, but there could be an opportunity for a breakthrough Saturday.
Ohio State starting right tackle Phillip Daniels and top backup Josh Padilla missed the team’s last game because of injuries, leaving their status uncertain against the Bruins.
Statistically, this will be a mismatch — UCLA ranks last in the nation in sacks (0.67 per game) while Ohio State ranks fourth in sacks allowed (0.56). What do the Bruins need to put more pressure on the quarterback?
“You’ve got to stop the run,” edge rusher Jacob Busic said. “You’ve got to earn the right to rush the passer, is what we say.”
Ohio State hasn’t been great at running the ball, averaging 155.1 yards per game on the ground to rank No. 69 nationally.
Night moves
This will be a rare home game for the Buckeyes this time of year under the lights.
Ohio State has played only five home night games in November in its history, going 5-0. The Buckeyes haven’t just won but dominated, winning those games by an average of 34.2 points per game.
Ohio State’s current 13-game winning streak overall is the longest in the nation.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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