POSTGAME NOTES
UCLA 45, California 24
Berkeley, Calif. (California Memorial Stadium)
September 5, 2026

Records: UCLA (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten), California (0-1, 0-0 ACC)
Up Next: UCLA vs. San Diego State - Rose Bowl Stadium (Pasadena, Calif.) - Sept. 12, 2026

TEAM NOTES
• The Bruins improved their all-time record in season-opening games to 70-33-5.
• UCLA improved to 59-35-1 all-time against Cal. 
• The Bruins improved to 26-21 against the Golden Bears in games played in Berkeley. 
• UCLA totaled six rushing touchdowns, the program’s most in a single game since Sept. 23, 2023 vs. NC Central and most against an FBS-level opponent since Sept. 26, 2015.
• UCLA out-scored Cal by a margin of 21-0 in the fourth quarter. The 21 points scored were more for the Bruins than in any single quarter during the entire 2025 campaign.  
• Explosive plays: UCLA had 10 individual plays that went for 20+ yards on Saturday. The Bruins had seven such plays in the first half alone against Cal, matching last year’s single-game season high (accomplished vs. Penn State). 
• UCLA head coach Bob Chesney improved to 13-4 in season-opening games in his career. He has now won seven consecutive season openers (last loss: 2019). Chesney has now won each of his last seven season openers by at least two scores.
• Coach Chesney has now won 11 consecutive regular season games dating back to 2025. 
• UCLA’s 277 rushing yards were its most in a single game since its 2023 LA Bowl victory over Boise State (280). 
• UCLA’s 461 yards of total offense were the program’s most since Oct. 19, 2024 at Rutgers (478). 
• UCLA averaged nearly nine yards per rush in the win (8.7 yards per carry average on 32 touches). 
• At least 38 Bruins made their official debut in a UCLA uniform on Saturday: Brian Rowe Jr., Wayne Knight, Semaj Morgan, Landon Ellis, Harry Lodge, Riley Robell, Carter Sweazie, Derek Osman, Hall Schmidt, Jordan Davis, JD Dean, Mack Indestad, Brayden Loftin, Josh Phifer, Tao Johnson, Sammy Omosigho, Nico Davillier, Malik Hartford, Sahir West, Osiris Gilbert, Dante Lovett, Jhase McMillan, Trent Hendrick, CJ Lavender, Ta’Shawn James, Mason Rivera, Derrick Barksdale, Dallin Havea, Anthony Sacca, Drew Spinogatti, Matt Muasau, Amier Washington, Darold DeNgohe, Tyson Ford, Aiden Gobaira, Maxwell Roy, Curtis Gerrand, and Giancarlo Cereghino.
• Seven different Bruins caught a pass, and five recorded a rushing attempt in Saturday’s contest.

PLAYER NOTES
•  RB Wayne Knight totaled three rushing touchdowns, marking his first career performance with multiple rushing TDs. The three total TDs were also a career high. 
•  Knight also led the Bruins with 157 all-purpose yards, marking the 13th game of his career in which he eclipsed 100 all-purpose yards.
•  RB Anthony Woods also had his best game to date as a Bruin, posting 118 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries. It was his first 100-yard game as a Bruin, and marked his first two rushing touchdowns in a UCLA uniform. 
•  DB Ta’Shawn James intercepted two passes in the fourth quarter to help the Bruins seal the win. It marked the first two picks of James’s career, and he became the first Bruin with two interceptions in a game since Carson Schwesinger did so against Iowa during the 2024 campaign. 
•  WR Mikey Matthews reeled in a 43-yard catch late in the first half to set up a late field goal for the Bruins. It marked Matthews’s longest catch as a Bruin, and was the second-longest of his career (46).
•  Matthews set a career high with 88 receiving yards. He also added 12 yards off two punt returns to hit the 100 yards of total offense mark for the first time as a Bruin. 
•  LB Sammy Omosigho shattered his previous career high of eight tackles, posting nine tackles in the first half alone and finishing with a team-high 14.
•  Omogsigho recorded a sack and forced a fumble on the same play late in the second quarter. It was the second forced fumble of his career, and first as a Bruin. It was also his third-career sack (first as a Bruin).
•  Omosigho matched a career high with 2.0 tackles for loss (TFL).
•  DB Malik Hartford set a career high with five tackles.
•  DB Derrick Barksdale picked up a 10-yard sack off a blitz in the second quarter. It was his second-career sack and first as a Bruin. 
•  LB Jalen Woods logged a career-high 11 tackles. It was his first-career double-digit tackle performance.