Mason Rivera (28) and Malik Hartford (12) celebrate in the end zoneMason Rivera (28) and Malik Hartford (12) celebrate in the end zone
Isabella Serafini

Mason Rivera and Malik Hartford (Photo: Isabella Serafini)

Postgame Notes - UCLA at Maryland

Football

UCLA's 51-point victory marked the Bruins' largest margin of victory since Nov. 3, 2012.

POSTGAME NOTES
UCLA 54, Maryland 3
College Park, Md. (SECU Stadium)
September 26, 2026

Records: UCLA (4-0, 2-0 Big Ten), Maryland (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten)
Up Next: UCLA at No. 20 Oregon – Autzen Stadium (Eugene, Ore.). – Oct. 10, 2026

TEAM NOTES

  • The Bruins’ 51-point margin of victory was the program’s largest ever in a Big Ten game, and the largest overall against a conference opponent since defeating Arizona by a margin of 66-10 on Nov. 3, 2012.
  • More specifically, UCLA’s 51-point margin of victory was its most in a conference road game since blanking Washington State 55-0 in 1955.
  • UCLA’s three points against are the fewest allowed to an opponent since blanking Oregon State, 41-0, on Nov. 7, 2015.
  • The Bruins are off to a 4-0 start for the first time since 2022. It also marks UCLA’s first four-game winning streak since the 2022 campaign.
  • Bob Chesney is the first UCLA head coach to start his tenure 4-0 since Henry Red Sanders in 1949.
  • Paired with last week’s 52-38 home win over Purdue, UCLA has scored 50+ points in back-to-back games for the first time since 1993. It’s the first time the Bruins have notched 50+ points in back-to-back conference games since 1973.
  • This is the seventh time since 2000 that the Bruins have opened a season 4-0 (2001, 2005, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2022, 2026).
  • UCLA has outscored its opponents 76-17 in fourth quarter through the first four games of the season.
  • Coach Chesney has now won 14 consecutive regular season games dating back to 2025.
  • UCLA had a pair of interception returns that went for touchdowns. It was the Bruins’ first game with multiple pick-sixes since Aug. 30, 2014 vs. Virginia. It was the seventh time in program history that UCLA recorded multiple interception returns for TDs.
  • The Bruins had four interceptions overall, a first for the program since grabbing six at Utah on Oct. 3, 2013.
  • The Bruins have now recorded an interception in four straight games, a first for the program since Oct. 19 to Nov. 15, 2024 (Rutgers-Nebraska-Iowa-Washington).
  • UCLA’s seven interceptions on the year have already surpassed the team’s total from the 2025 season (four).
  • UCLA scored 20 points in the second quarter. It was the team’s fourth straight game with a 20-point quarter. The last time UCLA had four games with a 20-point quarter was the 2021 season (six games).
  • The Bruins scored on a 83-yard catch-and-run by Aidan Mizell in the fourth quarter. It was the squad’s longest TD pass since a 94-yard Dorian Thompson-Robinson to Demetric Felton connection at Washington State on Sept. 21, 2019.
  • UCLA improved to 3-1 all-time against Maryland, recording its first-ever win in College Park (previously 0-1).
  • Every defensive player that dressed for the Bruins on Saturday entered the game.

PLAYER NOTES

  • DB Mason Rivera had an interception, the third of his career and his first as a Bruin.
  • RB Wayne Knight scored a 45-yard rushing touchdown to open the scoring on Saturday. It’s his fourth straight game with a rushing TD, the longest streak of his career.
  • He’s the first Bruin with a rushing TD in four straight games since Zach Charbonnet in 2022.
  • Knight’s nine rushing TDs are most in a single season by a Bruin since Charbonnet in 2022 (14).
  • Knight finished with 100 rushing yards (on 10 carries) and 153 all-purpose yards. It was his seventh game with 100+ rushing yards, and 15th with 100+ all-purpose yards.
  • DB Ta’Shawn James recorded a pick-six in the third quarter. It was his third-career interception, all occuring this season, and first-career pick-six.
  • James is the first UCLA player with three interceptions in a single season since Alex Johnson in 2023.
  • The pick-six was the first by any Bruin since Kain Medrano had one against Nebraska on Nov. 2, 2024.
  • DB Scooter Jackson also had a pick-six in the third quarter. It was his fourth-career interception, and third as a Bruin. It marked his first-career pick-six.
  • QB Nico Iamaleava and WR Aidan Mizell linked up for an 83-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. It was a career-long reception for Mizell. It was also Iamaleava’s longest completion as a Bruin, and the second-longest of his career (86 yards).
  • LB Trent Hendrick recorded an interception in the fourth quarter. It was the first pick of his career.
  • RB Troy Leigber rushed for a 63-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. It shattered his previous career-long rush of 15 yards, and is the longest run by a Bruin since Kazmeir Allen had a 75-yard rush against ASU in 2022.
  • RB Dylan Lee and WR Kenneth Moore III made their first appearances as Bruins.