UCLA Bruins
Bob Chesney
The Angelo M. Mazzone III UCLA Head Football Coach
on if he thought this game would finish with a 54-3 victorious result when the day began
“No, I wasn’t thinking along those lines. I was not thinking along any lines. We want to play our best football and do it one play at a time, and I think that is where our guys have done a really good job. I don’t want to be in a situation where we are limiting ourselves or where we make excuses. For us, just playing our best football. And I thought that we finally played a complementary game of football, where the offense, defense and special teams all got each other’s backs. Overall, it was a good day at the office.”
on if he believes this is the best game his team has played this season
“I would say on all three phases. To put pressure on a punt returner, the kickoff, the field goals, the coverage down on kickoff itself, there is a lot in there that is good on the special teams side. Offensively, it got a little wet a littlie slippery, so throwing the ball was not a huge option in that second half. But at the same point in time, I thought we ran the ball well and understand the plays we wanted to get. And then defensively, any time that you two pick-sixes, it’s just an impressive game. Especially, against a team that has not really turned the ball over at all throughout the course of the season to this point.
on Maryland QB Malik Washington throwing four interceptions
“I think that, the one in particular, our safety did a nice job of bluffing with going one way and then going back the other way – that was on Ta’shawn [James], and then with Scooter [Jackson], we were showing something, putting ourselves in a spot where he could jump something. The quarterback and the receiver for them just were not on the same page, when Scooter stepped in and took the ball. Ultimately, we did our jobs like we should.”
on a 34-0 second half for UCLA and the Bruins continuing to adjust
“The run game, in particular, on offense, there's a lot that takes a minute to feel out and see what kind of new wrinkles and things they're doing. But I think that we got into the calls that we needed to, we got into the proper calls. Defensively, it was one of those things that 13 [Chris Durr Jr.] is a problem, and 2 [Kaleb Webb] is a problem, and 1 [Na'eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding] is a problem, but it was really ultimately Durr, that we were ultimately focused on, and we wanted to try to get hands on him on almost every single play, and I thought we did that in a successful way where there was two of them where I think he could have hurt us, but they just didn't connect on. But overall, I thought, you know, we executed a good game plan. We knew what we wanted to do. It stayed the course of what we thought it would be, and we were able to come out with a win.”
on UCLA’s offense using direct snaps, and what he saw there as the game went on
“You don't want to just hand the ball off and play with 10 guys all the time, right? So, you get into this read game where the quarterback's going to keep it, et cetera. We just didn't want him to get hit too much, either, right? So, I thought the wildcat option was something that we could employ and put ourselves in a position where we still could get the same advantage, numerically speaking, but not put him in a whole lot of danger. So, I think he did a good job of staying in that game today, even on that one, whatever yard touchdown pass it was. It was probably a little too late for him to be getting hit in that game, but at the same point, to stand in there and throw that touchdown was really good by him, and to see [Aidan] Mizell open it up and run, it was exciting as well. But that wildcat all started from the desire to have a plus one quarterback run game without getting your quarterback hurt.”
on what he learned about his team throughout the game
“I think that we are capable of that complementary game of football. Ultimately, this is a situation where our guys have to be able to step up and can't listen any outside noise throughout the week. And when we come in there tomorrow, we're going to say, it doesn't matter, get better. That's ultimately it, find a way to get better. So that defense did a really good job, especially in the secondary. Obviously, the weather helped a little bit. Offensively, a couple weeks ago, when we were all questioning that, right? They stepped up and did what they needed to do. And then special teams stepped up. Being able to play some consummated football and put ourselves in a situation where we defy the odds in so many different ways, so to speak, and we learn from our mistakes a week before and grow. That's really what we did.”
on coaching players to bounce back
“Well, I think that's it, is that you got to coach that. I think that as a new team, an early team playing what, three games at that point, it was the third game. So, they had two, you know, experienced two prior. And you get in pressure situations, and you don't necessarily know how you're fully going to react. We do our best to practice, you're there, and you have an idea of that, and we try to make sure it's competitive as it can be, and we try to add pressure as much as we can, but games are, obviously, a little bit different. So there are going to be fracture points that are a little closer to the surface on some guys, and I think us being able to learn where those are, and then fight to bury those things, and put them at a point where they'll never break, and I think that's what our guys do. They just have confidence and trust, and they don't try to fake it. They try to work at it, and that's important.”
on his journey to coaching in the Big Ten
“Well, I think that it's a journey that you're on, obviously, and for me, I never really had major goals or aspirations of anything other than growing where I was planted and being the best I could be, wherever that might be. And if things work out, they work out, but for me, it was never about, again, putting limitations on myself, or letting anybody put limitations on me, and understanding that there's a whole lot out here that you could accomplish in this world, period. And I think, just continuing to fight hard every single day through my D-3, D-2, all the way up, is something I'm really proud of.”
on his regional friends and family support on the East Coast
“Well, I think it's family, right? I think is ultimately it. Like, you grew up in a town like that, as kids we were all running around the streets, and I knew Juice’s grandparents, both sets. I knew his mom, I knew his dad, I knew his brothers, still do. They're out there today. And I think that was all part of it. You were a town that took care of a bunch of little kids running around and supporting each other, and it was all family. So, when they're here today, I'm obviously a son of that town, and a one that's really proud.”
on what he sees with specific matchups at the running back position
“So I think that ultimately, it's an ability to rotate guys through, its ability to get guys in the best position possible. Obviously, that's a position where you're trying to take hits off guys as well. You don't want to put yourself in a spot where you have one guy carrying a ball 40 times a game; something is bound to happen. So, ultimately for us, that was a big part of it, is that we feel like we got three that are very capable, and we're just rotating them through. When one gets hot, though, it's good to stay with him a little bit longer than maybe you would prior.”
on Troy Leigbert’s opportunity in the game
“I mean, the guy works his ass off. Like, works his ass off every, in the weight room. If we ask him to go run scout team plays at times and he just never complains. He just fights. It's really awesome to watch him be able to do that and come away with a big play because he's earned it, and he's worked so hard for it. I think that he's just a kid that exemplifies what we're trying to be as a program, and never counted out, and guys are going to get better every opportunity to get. And when that light shines on, make the most of it. Proud of him.”
UCLA senior quarterback Nico Iamaleava
on the Big Ten road game, and winning 54-3 at Maryland
“It was great, man. I think offense and defense played complementary football. Defense had two pick-sixes in the second half, and offense was doing their thing on the run game, and I think our offensive line played a tremendous game, so we have to keep going stacking days.”
on the game’s final outcome
“Yeah, that was just fundamentals; fundamentals are really our thing, like last week, and we are really trying to focus on that each week. Of course, we had a better outcome this week, but we still have to get better. Just making sure that we are locking in our fundamentals and technique and getting better as football players, as a whole team.”
on getting good looks but not converting
“I think both of us are just getting on the same page. The looks we had last week with Purdue, they studied those and played our slide fades a little differently. So we have to study that and get on the same page.”
on helping to produce points for the offense
“I think it’s just our offensive line. I think every week our offensive line has played great. Coach Chesney does a great job getting those guys going and creating seams and holes for our running backs to get them."
on that first carry play call
“My job was to try and pull any defenders out to the flat, and Wayne just being Wayne. He had a great league blocked, and the offensive line opened up a great hole for him, and he hit it.”
on the next steps for the upcoming matchup
“I feel like we still haven’t played to our full potential, and we are putting up 54 points like this. The emphasis doesn’t matter. It’s to get better. Like Coach Chesney says, that’s the main focus. Trying to put the offense, defense, special teams, complementary football together.”
on cohesion between the old team and new transfers
“Yeah, for sure. I think after I met Coach Chesney, I knew what he was about and I knew the type of winning programs he has been with, so I knew he was going to bring in some great character guys and guys that want to win. I think that was the main thing is he brought in guys that had character and wanted to be here, wanted to be with us, and wanted to win football games. Credit to Coach Chesney for sure.”
UCLA senior linebacker Sammy Omosigho
on defense having a jump on the offense and coaching staff praise
“They always do a good job from week one. They make it easy and simple for us to find and read and be able to see on the field. It’s been a blessing to have our coaches.”
on the key to winning a game and traveling across the country
“It was just focusing on the details and focusing on us, because we have everything going against us. We are traveling, three-hour time difference, long plane flight, windy conditions, rain, all that stuff. Just focusing on what we know how to do and focusing on the controllables that we can control. And we did that."
on the next steps for the upcoming matchup
“Defensively, we know that Oregon is a talented team, but we are not going to try to change, the only difference is because we are going against a talented team. We try to get better ourselves, focus on ourselves, and make ourselves better football players in each and every week and each and every day. We have a bye week to get better, make sure we are getting healed from any injuries, but just get better every week.”
on having that 4-0 record as UCLA goes into a bye week
"It’s just being us. We don’t worry about the outcome, we don’t worry about what’s going on, we just focus on each day by day, getting better each day. Each practice, each walk-through, each everything. Each meal, it’s everything you do, get better. And then the outcome that you want will come out.”