Game Details

Date: Saturday, September 12, 2026

Time: 4:15 pm PT

Channel: BTN (Big Ten Network)

Betting Line: UCLA -12.5, O/U 55.5 (FanDuel)

Location: Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA)

Records: SDSU 1-0 (0-0), UCLA 1-0 (0-0)

Series: UCLA 22-1-1

The matchup pits a former Pac-12 team against a current Pac-12 team. 

“What a unique and cool opportunity for a Pac-12 opponent to meet a Big 10 opponent and to create another great moment of history in the next chapter in college football up there in Pasadena,” said SDSU head coach Sean Lewis on Monday. 

The Bruins have dominated the series record, including the last matchup in 2023 at Snapdragon Stadium. The Bruins’ 35-10 victory was spearheaded by 550 yards on offense. No current Aztec recorded a stat in the game. Brady Nassar (8) and Jelani Whitmore (7) are the only current Aztecs who saw action. 

The Aztecs’ lone win in the series was the last contest at the Rose Bowl in 2019. They will look to start a winning streak at the legendary stadium in Pasadena. 

Lewis looked forward to his team putting in the work during the week to “clean up a sloppy win” over Portland State, but added some potential bulletin-board material for UCLA. 

“I’ve got plenty of experience where there’s a galaxy of stars and talents on the other sideline, and I’ll take me and mine against theirs – all their polos, all their khakis, all their resources, all that; put the ball down, let’s go play.” 

The Bruins host their first home game of the Bob Chesney era, who departed James Madison to take over a UCLA program that has failed to win double-digit games since 2014. Chesney led JMU to the College Football Playoff in 2025 out of a Group of Six conference. 

Chesney made substantial moves in the offseason, bringing in the 11th-best transfer portal class according to On3. UCLA beat Cal, 45-24, in Berkeley in Chesney’s first game as head coach this past Saturday. The Bruins broke open a 24-24 tie with nine minutes remaining in the game by scoring the final 21 points of the game. 

When SDSU has the ball

QB Jayden Denegal threw for 137 yards and two touchdowns against Portland State, but added an interception in the first quarter. RB Lucky Sutton rushed for three touchdowns but only tallied 58 yards on 18 carries. While the offense broke the 200 rushing yard mark (237), the offense was unable to sustain long drives and dominate an FCS defense in the game. 

Javion Kinnard’s 55-yard run in the first quarter was the longest play of the game for the Aztecs. It ignited the offense to rebound from a 6-0 deficit.

DB Ta’Shawn James (Iowa State transfer) was named the Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week after recording two interceptions in the fourth quarter against Cal. He also had eight tackles.  

LB Sammy Omosigho (Oklahoma transfer) led the defense with 14 tackles, including two tackles for loss and a forced fumble. 

Overall, the Bruins recorded six TFLs, three sacks, and seven pass breakups, holding the Bears to only 119 rushing yards on 40 attempts (3.0 ypc).  

When UCLA has the ball

QB Nico Iamaleava (14/22, 184 yds, 1 INT, 29 rushing yards, 1 TD) led the offense in their opening win. Their 462 yards of offense were the most since a win over Rutgers in 2024. 

“He can touch the whole field with his arm,” said Lewis about this week’s opposing QB. “He can stress you with his legs. He’s a really intelligent kid. He’s got over 1,300 career snaps, so he’s seen a lot of pictures. He’s unbelievably talented. He stresses you out in a lot of different ways. Probably won’t (get) a whole lot of sleep this week.” 

The Bruins’ 277 rushing yards (8.2 ypc) led to six rushing touchdowns, the most against an FBS opponent since 2015 for UCLA. Last year, the team rushed for only eight touchdowns all season. 

RB Wayne Knight (James Madison transfer) rushed for three scores and 71 yards. He is 92 rushing yards away from reaching 2,000 for his college career. RB Anthony Woods led the Bruins with 118 rushing yards and added two touchdowns. 

WR Mikey Matthews caught four passes for 88 yards, including a 43-yard reception. 

LB Sione Hala led the SDSU defense with 10 tackles while Mike Lindsay and Isaiah Green each added interceptions. The defense gave up a lot of yards to the Vikings, but held firm at the end of drives to force field goals or turnovers on downs. They will need to control the line of scrimmage better against UCLA if they want to pull an upset win. 

Special Teams

The Aztecs’ special teams unit was in full effect on Saturday. Jaylon Hawkins returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown and was named the Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week. 

“Honestly, I was thinking just go score before the play in the huddle,” recalled Hawkins. “I talked to my kick return team, asking them to block, which they did. We practiced all week. I trust them; they have trust in me. We just went out there and executed.” 

“My teammates just kept telling me, ‘Good job, ‘ and to keep doing it every week.” 

The Aztecs also blocked two punts, which led to short scoring drives (1, 30). SDSU became the first team in FBS play with two blocked punts and a kick return touchdown in the same game since at least the 2012 season. 

Each team’s kickers made one short field goal on Saturday, but could be called upon to make more difficult attempts this coming week. 

Andre Haghverdian

Avid sports fan and historian of basketball, baseball, football and soccer. UC San Diego and San Diego State alumni living in America’s Finest City. Diverse team following across multiple sports leagues, but Aztecs come first in college athletics.