UCLA coach Bob Chesney restores Bruins festive spring game energy
It was a brotherly battle at UCLA’s spring football game on a clear Saturday afternoon at the Rose Bowl.
Leading the opposing White and Blue teams, respectively, quarterbacks Nico and Madden Iamaleava led the Bruins’ halves through a busy end to the first spring camp under new coach Bob Chesney.
Fittingly, Madden threw the go-ahead touchdown pass near the logo to a wide-open Kenneth Moore III, giving his blue team a 24-17 lead, the eventual final score.
“It’s been a long time since I saw him play football,” Nico said of his brother. “So it was fun to watch him operate.”
UCLA defensive back Osiris Gilbert knocks the ball out of the hands of UCLA receiver Shane Rosenthal during the spring game at the Rose Bowl on Saturday.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Nico’s team, with help from Bruins women’s basketball coach Cori Close throughout the second half, twice found themselves in fourth-and-goal situations late in the game. One ended with a missed field goal by Mateo Orosco, who made a 57-yarder, and the other ended with the Blue team storming the field after a pass from quarterback Ty Dieffenbach was incomplete with 10 seconds remaining.
The addition of guest entertainers Close and women’s water polo coach Adam Wright led to a variety of trick plays throughout the match. Several flea flickers produced big gains, and offensive lineman Mike McDonald made a rushing attempt as part of the fun atmosphere Chesney said he wanted to foster during the game.
To come up with one of the plays, Chesney said, Close messaged Rams coach Sean McVay for advice.
“We set up some of those plays so she could execute what she wanted. She just came up a little short and I thought she did a really good job of motivating her team,” Chesney said of Close’s calls in the second half. “Coach Wright really understood and was able to hit when he needed to and put this game away.”
Just before Moore had his first touchdown in a Bruins uniform, he was running another deep route when he ran into a referee, interrupting what could have been an explosive play.
“Why did you let the referee cover you?” asked Chesney, posing as a reporter during Moore’s interview.
“It was great defense,” Moore said in response, sporting a smile. “He was so stealthy.”
It had been a few years since the Bruins had a traditional spring game at the Rose Bowl, with previous coaches favoring less-publicized practices that were dubbed spring showcases. This year’s game also comes after the Bruins announced in February that Pasadena’s iconic stadium would remain their home, at least this year, amid ongoing litigation over the university’s right to potentially break its lease and play home games at SoFi Stadium.
UCLA receiver Landon Ellis catches a touchdown pass in front of Jhase McMillan (23) and Curtis Gerrand (35) during the spring game at the Rose Bowl on Saturday.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Chesney said hosting a traditional spring game was like a “practice run” for the upcoming season. Before Saturday’s game, the Bruins stayed at a hotel together and had field trips as well as meetings and just about anything else they could do to simulate a game. Chesney and many players got their first glimpse of the Rose Bowl lit up at night during a visit Friday.
“Having the chance to come in here and feel this and see this whole environment and the things that happened in this place is pretty special,” Chesney said. “We talked about this a little bit last night as a team and made sure we understood the respect that this place deserves and understood the attitude of gratitude that we should have for the opportunity to play here.”
Defensive back Cole Martin, a Pasadena native who was on the Blue team, called the spring game “magnificent” when asked to compare it to last year’s spring football practice finale. He specifically noted playing in the Rose Bowl as a reason for the strong atmosphere and an important experience for new UCLA players.
“First time in the Rose Bowl, first touchdown as a college player, I mean, it’s awesome,” Martin said, looking at freshman Moore. “It doesn’t get any better than this.”
Walking past reporters during the game, Bob Stiles, who made a famous goal-line stop on a two-point conversion to seal UCLA’s upset victory over Michigan State in the 1966 Rose Bowl, agreed. “It’s fun,” Stiles said.
Running back Anthony Woods stood out for the White team, scoring the game’s first touchdown on a six-yard run and making several big gains early.
Receivers Mikey Matthews for White and Landon Ellis for Blue scored the other two touchdowns on routes through the red zone.
The other 10 points, besides the four touchdowns and the field goal, were awarded equally for victories in the parallel contests between the first and second quarters and the third and fourth quarters. Both were won by the Blues, contributing to their seven-point victory.
On defense, cornerback Osiris Gilbert broke up several passes and made a few hard hits, linebacker Samuel Omosigho got a sack and linebacker Malaki Soliai-Tui forced a fumble.
Chesney said he was pleased with his team’s performance, pointing to penalties, such as various defensive pass interference calls, as a key area for improvement.
UCLA coach Bob Chesney pats running back Anthony Woods’ helmet during the team’s spring game at the Rose Bowl on Saturday.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
“It went well,” Chesney said. “I wouldn’t say amazing. I wouldn’t say terrible. Most of the time it was somewhere in between.”
Nico Iamaleava, for the offense, and Martin, for the defense, said the units had things to work on, but were proud of how much they improved during spring camp. With a bit of a break before preparations for the fall ramped up, Iamaleava’s message to the team was simple: “Stay together.”
Chesney echoed that sentiment, saying building on the intensity and development of the spring, rather than starting over over the summer, will be key to the Bruins’ success over the course of the season.
“We’re back, baby,” Chesney told fans just before the start of the fourth quarter. “We are back.”
