LOS ANGELES – The No. 4 UCLA football team hosts Illinois in a Big Ten contest at Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif., on Friday, Nov. 13. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. PT on FOX. A Bruins (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) win over the Fighting Illini (6-3, 4-2 Big Ten) would tie the program single-season record for wins in a season (10).

Tickets for Friday’s contest are available to purchase HERE.

GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Rose Bowl Stadium (Pasadena, Calif.)
Kickoff Time: 6 p.m. PT
Television: FOX
TV Talent: Tim Brando (play-by-play), Devin Gardner (analyst), Josh Sims (sideline)
Local Radio (UCLA Audio Network): KABC-AM 790
Local Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Matt Stevens (analyst), Wayne Cook (sideline)
SiriusXM: Radio (Ch. 84), App (Ch. 84)

LAST TIME OUT
UCLA improved to 9-0 for the fourth time in program history with a 34-20 road win at Minnesota last week. Quarterback Ty Dieffenbach completed 8 of 16 passes for a career-high 303 yards and three touchdowns, earning him Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors. His three TD strikes came on three consecutive pass attempts, helping UCLA break a 10-10 halftime deadlock and pull away for a two-possession win. The Calabasas, Calif., native became the first FBS player in the last 30 years to throw for at least 300 yards on eight completions or fewer.

His three touchdown passes went for a combined 177 yards. He first linked up with tight end Noah Fox-Flores for a 27-yard touchdown early in the third quarter, then found wide receiver Aidan Mizell on back-to-back offensive snaps for 75-yard touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The 75-yard completions were the longest of Dieffenbach’s career, and made Mizell UCLA’s first single-game 150-yard receiver since Greg Dulcich against USC on Dec. 12, 2020.

RANKINGS RECOGNITION
UCLA, one of two remaining unbeaten FBS teams (Utah), has risen from No. 23 to No. 4 in the Associated Press poll over the last six weeks. The Bruins’ No. 4 ranking entering this Friday’s contest is their highest since Week 8 of the 2001 season (No. 4).

HISTORIC TURNAROUND
Chesney needs one more victory to set the record for the largest single-season turnaround in program history. The current record is a six-win improvement achieved by Chesney’s 2026 squad and Pepper Rodgers in his second season as head coach in 1972.

BALL HOGS
The Bruins lead the nation in total takeaways (27), interceptions (17) and fumble recoveries (10), rank third in turnover margin (+14) and pick-sixes (3) and 10th in average time of possession (32:57).

STOP THE RUN
UCLA ranks 10th in FBS in rushing defense, allowing 87.7 ground yards per game. The Bruins have allowed just three runs of 20 yards or more (longest: 26 yards vs. Wisconsin on Oct. 17). UCLA has held its opponents to under 100 yards rushing in six of nine games this season.

CAMPAIGN FOR WAYNE
Fifth-year RB Wayne Knight has scored a touchdown in nine straight games, matching the longest single-season streak by a Bruin since College Football Hall of Famer Paul Cameron in 1953. If Knight scores a touchdown versus the Illini, he would set a program record with at least one touchdown in 10 straight games.

Knight is currently tied for seventh in UCLA single-season history with 15 total touchdowns. One more score (16) would put him in a tie for sixth with running back Kermit Johnson in 1973.

Knight, who rushed for 100+ yards for the fourth time this season last week at Minnesota, leads the Big Ten in rushing yards per game (87.7), total touchdowns (15), rushing touchdowns (13) and total points scored (90). On the awards front, Knight has been named a Maxwell Award semifinalist and has earned Paul Hornung Award recognition following four of UCLA's nine games, including three National Player of the Week honors.

ELITE RUN GAME
UCLA leads the Big Ten in both rushing yards per game (213.2) and rushing touchdowns (26). The Bruins have had three different running backs rush for a touchdown in three separate games this year. UCLA’s 26 rushing touchdowns are its most since the 2022 season (36). The Bruins have topped 30 rushing touchdowns three times in a season since the turn of the century.

CHESNEY ERA
Bob Chesney is the first UCLA head coach in program history to start his tenure in Westwood with a 9-0 record. He passed College Football Hall of Famer Henry ‘Red’ Sanders, who started his first season at UCLA with a 4-0 mark in 1949.

Chesney was hired as the 20th head coach in UCLA football history on Dec. 6, 2025. He arrived in Westwood after two successful seasons at James Madison from 2024-25, guiding the Dukes to a 21-6 record and numerous historic firsts. His 2025 team recorded just the 10th unbeaten conference record in Sun Belt history, going 8-0, and captured the program’s first Sun Belt Conference championship and College Football Playoff berth.

Chesney owns a career record of 141-52 (.731) in his 17th season as a head coach. The Kulpmont, Pa., native has directed five programs across four levels of college football: Division III, Division II, FCS and FBS. Twenty-six staff members (seven coaches and 19 support staff members) and 10 student-athletes followed Chesney from Harrisonburg, Va., to Westwood.

SAMMY-O
Senior linebacker Sammy Omosigho is the co-FBS leader with five forced fumbles. He also leads the team in tackles for loss (10.5) and sacks (5.5).

Omosigho has been named a semifinalist for the Butkus and Bednarik awards and a quarterfinalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy.

ELITE LINEBACKER DUO
Senior Sammy Omosigho and fifth-year Jalen Woods have blossomed into two of the top linebackers in the nation this season. Woods (73) and Omosigho (65) could become the first UCLA linebacker duo to each record 100 or more total tackles in a season since 1989.

A five-year veteran of the UCLA program, Woods entered the season with just four career starts. He has developed into an NFL prospect in his first season under Chesney and defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler.  Woods entered the year with a career high of eight tackles. He’s posted 8+ tackles in all but two games so far this season, for a team-high total of 73 (41 solo).

SERIES HISTORY 
This Friday's contest will mark the 13th all-time meeting between UCLA and Illinois. The Bruins and Fighting Illini are tied 6-6 in the all-time series, which dates back to the 1947 Rose Bowl Game.

UCLA and Illinois are meeting for the first time since the 2011 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, which resulted in a 20-14 victory for the Fighting Illini. This also marks the first time the two squads have faced off at Rose Bowl Stadium since September 2003, when the Bruins won a 6-3 defensive battle.

UCLA TICKET INFORMATION
Single-game tickets for UCLA’s two remaining home games against Illinois (Fri., Nov. 13) and USC (Sat., Nov. 28) are available for purchase. Fans can call (310) 206-5991 or email tickets@athletics.ucla.edu for more information.