UCLA Rips Off Two 75-Yard TDs to Beat Minnesota, Improve to 9-0
By @sharedot · · 6 pages
- Sports
- College Football
- Ucla Bruins
- Big Ten
- College Football Playoff
Back-to-back 75-yard touchdowns from Ty Dieffenbach to Aidan Mizell lifted No. 8 UCLA past Minnesota 34-20, keeping the undefeated Bruins at 9-0.
Bruins pull away with twin 75-yard strikes
No. 8 UCLA stayed undefeated on Saturday, beating Minnesota 34-20 at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
With the game tied in the fourth quarter, quarterback Ty Dieffenbach connected with receiver Aidan Mizell on consecutive one-play possessions for back-to-back 75-yard touchdowns, breaking open a game the Gophers had kept close.
Dieffenbach, who took over about a month ago for the injured Nico Iamaleava, finished with a career-high 303 passing yards and three touchdowns despite throwing an interception and losing a fumble. "He's a burner, man. He's really fast," Dieffenbach said of Mizell, per the Los Angeles Times.
The Bruins improved to 9-0 overall and 6-0 in Big Ten play.
A first-year coach turning a 3-9 program into a contender
The win is the latest chapter in the sport's breakout story. According to the Los Angeles Times, UCLA is just the fourth team in program history to reach 9-0 and the first since 1998, and the season marks the best start ever by a first-year Bruins coach.
Bob Chesney, who took James Madison to a playoff spot last season, has tied the largest single-year turnaround in program history after UCLA went 3-9 in 2025, per both outlets.
Running back Wayne Knight has scored in every game this season — the Los Angeles Times reports he leads the conference with 15 touchdowns and 13 rushing scores — while ESPN credited him with 109 rushing yards against Minnesota.
The evidence: missed kicks and second-half dominance
Minnesota's Luke Drzewiecki missed two pivotal 56-yard field-goal attempts called by coach P.J.
Fleck — one on fourth-and-2 in the first quarter that ended the kicker's FBS-best streak of 26 straight makes, per ESPN, and another on fourth-and-4 in the third quarter that UCLA immediately turned into a scoring drive when Knight raced 31 yards.
What's next: playoff push and a Big Ten title path
UCLA landed eighth in the first College Football Playoff rankings this week, and a win over a ranked-quality road opponent strengthens its bid, with the Bruins now positioned to clinch a spot in the Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis, per the Los Angeles Times.
Inside the locker room, the message is deliberately short-term. "We'll worry about the history once the season's over," Mizell said, per the Los Angeles Times.
Chesney pointed to November's fourth quarters as the real proving ground. The schedule stays demanding: UCLA hosts Illinois on Nov.
13, then travels to Michigan before finishing at home against rival USC.