The UCLA Bruins continued their undefeated season with a 22-14 win over Illinois on Friday night.
With that in mind, here are winners and losers from UCLA’s perspective in Week 11.
Winners
Aidan Mizell
The 6-foot-1, 176-pound wideout is on a two-game heater. In last week’s win over Minnesota, Mizell caught two passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns. He followed that up with X receptions for X yards and one touchdown. His first reception of the game went for a 54-yard touchdown.
Scooter Jackson
UCLA’s offense stalled out after the opening-drive touchdown, which was largely manufactured due to a broken assignment in the secondary. The Bruins were in full control of this game, but the Fighting Illini had an opportunity to steal the momentum early in the second quarter.
Illinois’ quarterback Katin Houser uncorked a deep ball to Collin Dixon, but Jackson blanketed the highly-skilled receiver, coming down with an interception in the end zone. This game could have flipped on this drive. Jackson’s interception shut down any chance of that happening. Jackson recorded another interception late in the fourth quarter, strengthening the Bruins’ chances of winning.
Bob Chesney
In his first year as UCLA’s head football coach, Chesney has become the first to win his first 10 games in program history. Entering the season, nobody had the Bruins anywhere close to the College Football Playoff.
With two weeks remaining in the regular season, UCLA is on the doorstep of achieving that feat. If the season ended today, the Bruins would enter the postseason with a first-round bye. Chesney deserves the lion’s share of credit for having this team positioned where it is right now.
Semaj Morgan
Morgan entered this game as the Bruins’ leading receiver, but had been quiet over the last two games. That appeared to be the case again in Week 11, but 5-foot-9, 174-pound wideout sprung to life in the fourth quarter.
After Illinois trimmed the deficit to 12-7, Dieffenbach returned to the game late in the third quarter after suffering a shoulder injury late in the first half. That woke up the offense, and Morgan capitalized, exploding for 41 yards, including a 26-yard touchdown. That score re-established the Bruins’ double-digit lead.
Losers
Run Game
Entering this game, the Bruins were averaging 213.2 rushing yards per game. UCLA was nowhere near that mark against Illinois. It was a non-factor in this game, which contributed to the offense stalling out after the opening drive.
With Dieffenbach’s status moving forward up in the air, the Bruins’ offensive success could be contingent on the rushing attack. If the backfield is incapable of creating opportunities in the passing game off play action, UCLA could be in serious trouble in the final weeks of the season heading into the postseason.
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