Bruins, Rewired: UCLA Turned Turbulence into a Two-Week Surge
By Jason Burrell — South Bay Black Journal
Two weeks ago, UCLA looked brittle. On Saturday, it looks like conviction (UPDATE UCLA defeated Maryland 20-17). In back-to-back wins over No. 7 Penn State and at Michigan State, the Bruins didn’t just steady the ship; they yanked the wheel and punched the throttle. The common thread? In-term Head Coach Tim Skipper brought stability to the program and Jerry Neuheisel’s voice in the headset, his fingerprints on the call sheet, and a locker room newly aligned around clarity and speed.
I take my hat off to Jerry Neuheisel. He’s much bigger than nepotism. He showed the university and the country he’s more than Rick Neuheisel’s son! (Former UCLA Head Coach) Jerry has me and others putting more respect on his name as a coach and play-caller! His ability to get the players to buy in, but also his ability to teach with clarity, has allowed the players to execute with confidence that the Burins did not have at the beginning of the season. The Bruins are no longer getting off to a slow start; they are starting the game with attitude, purpose, and the intent to score.
Saturday’s 38–13 demolition at Spartan Stadium felt less like a blip than a blueprint. The offense opened with pace and purpose, the defense strained on schedule, and special teams landed the week’s cleanest haymaker: another fake punt sprung by Cole Martin. A week after the country wondered if UCLA was a one-hit wonder, someone put a sheet on every airplane seat for the team flight: Are you a one-hit wonder? The answer arrived in four quarters of grown-man football.
What changed:
Neuheisel didn’t drown his players in volume; he gave them oxygen. The plan was lean, motion to identify, quick game to settle, QB movement to stress edges, and a run game married to answers. Players called it “free,” “fun,” and “focused.”
Quarterback Nico Iamaleava: “We’re just getting back to having fun, man… We were getting a little uptight those first four games. Now we’re playing free. Coach Jerry’s putting us in great positions, and the O-line is opening the run game.”
Tight calls became simple rules. When Neuheisel’s button hiccupped last week, Nico just played ball. When Michigan State squeezed inside, UCLA kicked the fake punt outside, same picture, different answer.
Interim head coach Tim Skipper on the offensive jump:
“Look, the guys are working. Jerry had a full seven days this time. We’re taking what the defense gives and adjusting fast. Don’t jinx it, we’re just gonna keep doing it.”
Defense with a verb:
The word you hear most from Bruins defenders is strain. They’re sprinting out of stacks, using hands on contact, and finishing with population to the ball.
Defensive back Cole Martin:
“Straining. Biggest thing for us… getting off the field, knowing the situation, winning the situation.”
Skipper again:
“We’ve really changed our fundamentals, how we run to the ball, how we tackle, how we attack it. Energy and passion are up. Credit Kevin Coyle and the staff.”
Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith didn’t need a cut-up to feel it:
“We didn’t match UCLA’s new life, new energy… They came in and played a really good game.”
Culture beats crisis:
The first month begged for fractures; the last two weeks revealed connective tissue. Players talk about togetherness more than tactics, and they’re policing the standard themselves.
Iamaleava on the pivot after 0–4:
“I told the guys, if you don’t want to be here, leave. If you still believe, let’s roll… It’s been rocky, but a fun journey.”
Jalen Berger (back in his old stadium):
“You run the ball the whole fourth quarter, the defense gets tired. By the third, it felt like they didn’t want to tackle anymore.”
Martin on the team’s arc:
“We never altered. We always stayed together. Nobody quit on one another.” Even the O-line, so often the early-season target, is playing with a tangible edge. Garrett DiGiorgio called it “a money game” up front, fewer penalties, more finish, better math in the box.
Situational swagger
Neuheisel has UCLA humming in the moments that decide games:
- Starts: Two straight weeks jumping to multi-score first-half leads.
- Red zone/short yardage: Condensed answers, QB keepers, tempo runs, and quick-window throws.
- Special teams: Designer fakes that look identical until the last possible frame.
- In-game adjustment: If you load the interior, UCLA targets the perimeter. If you bail deep, Nico’s legs become a constraint.
And when the plan breaks, the quarterback doesn’t. “A couple times I just had to call my own play,” Nico laughed. “Coach Jerry forgot to hit the button.”
The stat that matters:
UCLA has outscored opponents 62–20 in the first halves of the last two games. That’s attitude, not accident.
