Wayne Knight runs wild as UCLA survives Big Ten scare to stay perfect

For a few uncomfortable minutes Saturday night, the honeymoon looked like it might end before UCLA even finished unpacking. 

Purdue came to the Rose Bowl riding an 18-game Big Ten losing streak and without a victory over a Power Four opponent since 2023. The Boilermakers were two-touchdown underdogs, playing more than 2,000 miles from home and seemingly arriving at exactly the right time for UCLA to continue the feel-good start to the Bob Chesney era.

It should have been an easy, blowout victory for the Bruins. 

Instead, they got punched in the mouth. 

But in a possible sign of what might be the new identity of the Bruins, they got up off the mat and punched back. 

UCLA overcame an early second-half deficit and a career night from Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne to pull away for a 52-38 victory, improving to 3-0 under Chesney and surviving its first Big Ten test.

It wasn’t always pretty. It certainly wasn’t comfortable. But the Bruins remain perfect.

And Wayne Knight continues to look like the best thing Chesney brought with him from James Madison.

Knight ran for 177 yards on 18 carries and scored two more touchdowns, giving him eight rushing scores through three games. The 5-foot-7 bowling ball has rushed for 345 yards this season and is quickly becoming the centerpiece of UCLA’s rebuilt rushing attack.

UCLA repeatedly appeared ready to put Purdue away, building multiple 14-point leads, only for the Boilermakers to climb back into the fight. Browne shredded the Bruins’ secondary for a career-high 378 yards and three touchdowns on 19-of-30 passing, while running back Fame Ijeboi added two rushing touchdowns.

Purdue actually took a 28-24 lead early in the third quarter when Browne connected with George Burhenn for a 30-yard touchdown.

Everyone in the Rose Bowl started to get nervous, and the Boilermakers had the belief they could pull off the upset. 

But UCLA responded like a team that might be growing up.

The Bruins ripped off a 21-3 run, reclaiming the lead on Anthony Woods’ 16-yard touchdown run before Knight added a 7-yard score. What had briefly looked like a potential disaster became another lesson in the infancy of the Chesney era.

What it means

UCLA is 3-0.

Don’t ask any more questions and don’t apologize. 

The Bruins haven’t been perfect, and their defense should have plenty of uncomfortable film to watch after allowing Browne to throw for nearly 400 yards. Better Big Ten teams will turn some of Saturday’s defensive breakdowns into losses rather than scares.

But after everything this program has endured in recent years, winning imperfectly beats losing spectacularly.

Chesney has already given UCLA something it desperately needed: belief.

Turning point

Purdue had just taken a 28-24 lead and suddenly had UCLA wobbling and against the ropes.

But the Bruins answered back immediately.

Woods broke loose for a 16-yard touchdown to put UCLA back in front, and Knight followed with another score as the Bruins seized control. They would not relinquish the lead again.

MVP: UCLA RB Wayne Knight

Who else?

Knight has gone from James Madison transfer to the engine of UCLA’s offense in three weeks.

His 177-yard performance marked his biggest game yet as a Bruin, and his eight rushing touchdowns through three games have put him in territory that evokes memories of the great UCLA backs who came before him.

Maurice Jones-Drew is the only other UCLA player to have three consecutive games where he scored two or more non-throwing touchdowns. 

Did you see that?

Nico Iamaleava finally threw a touchdown.

After failing to throw a touchdown in UCLA’s first two games — the first Bruins quarterback to open a season that way since 1995 — Iamaleava broke through with 276 yards and three touchdown passes.

That’s an encouraging development because UCLA can’t spend an entire Big Ten season asking Knight to drag the offense down the field by himself.

Saturday was the first glimpse of what this offense could become if its quarterback and running game start clicking simultaneously, and the 52 points is the most the Bruins have scored since they scored 59 points against North Carolina Central in September of 2023. 

Up next

UCLA now heads on the road for two huge Big Ten conference tests as they put its perfect record on the line against Maryland and Oregon.

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