The first Super Bowl, the introduction of the McDonald’s Big Mac and gas prices of $0.31 —the world was different in 1967, when Indiana football made its lone trip to the Rose Bowl.
But the Hoosiers are headed to Pasadena, California, for a Week 3 matchup against UCLA at 7:30 p.m. EST Saturday. It marks the first matchup on the gridiron between the two programs and is Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti’s first Big Ten game at the helm of the program.
The Hoosiers, who have wins over Florida International University and Western Illinois University under their belts, enter Saturday night as 3-point favorites over the Bruins, which Cignetti said means nothing. But for Indiana, the trip to UCLA is a critical litmus test and a chance to earn a signature win early in Cignetti’s tenure.
“I think this is a game where we go out there and prove to everybody this is real,” redshirt junior outside linebacker Mikail Kamara said Tuesday. “I feel like we’ve had two warmup games and people still might be a little bit skeptical. I think going in here, doing what we need to do against UCLA, can start this change we’re looking for.”
Meet the Bruins
UCLA (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten), one of four new additions to the Big Ten this summer, went 8-5 in 2023 but just 4-5 in the PAC-12. After the end of the season, head coach Chip Kelly departed for an offensive coordinator role at Ohio State, leading the Bruins to hire their longtime running backs coach DeShaun Foster to fill the spot.
Foster’s coordinators are quite different. Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy held the same perch in the NFL for six years, twice winning the Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs. Defensive coordinator Ikaika Maloe was on the Bruins’ staff last year, serving as defensive line and outside linebackers coach.
Defensively, Cignetti said Maloe hasn’t changed much within UCLA’s scheme, though Maloe may be bringing more designed pressures. During the Bruins’ season-opening 16-13 win over the University of Hawaii on Aug. 29, UCLA’s defense faced an offense that didn’t use a tight end, instead putting four receivers on the field and spreading the field.
As such, Cignetti said it’s difficult to gauge the Bruins’ defense in their first game. Indiana has watched each of UCLA’s games from last season, and the Hoosiers are expecting more similarities than differences.
Bieniemy, conversely, has forced Indiana to get creative — Kamara said the Hoosiers have watched some cutups of Bieniemy’s offense with the Washington Commanders in 2023.
Offensively, UCLA is led by redshirt senior quarterback Ethan Garbers, who completed 19-of-38 passes for 272 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in the season opener. He added seven rushes for 47 yards. A six-game starter in 2023, Garbers has a blend of arm talent and mobility that Cignetti anticipates causing problems.
“We've got to keep him in the pocket,” Cignetti said. “Can't let him get out of the pocket and extend plays because he's extremely capable with his arm and his legs, and he's got weapons on the outside. So, we've got to do a good job of coverage. It all starts up front with the run game and then putting the pressure on the quarterback in the pass game and disrupting his rhythm.”
UCLA’s leading receiver in the opener was sophomore Rico Flores Jr., who caught three passes for 102 yards and a touchdown. A transfer from the University of Notre Dame, Flores hauled in passes of 52 and 39 yards against the Rainbow Warriors.
On the ground, the Bruins mix Garbers with junior running back T.J. Harden, a 6-foot-2, 220-pounder who rushed for 827 yards and eight touchdowns last season. UCLA’s rushing attack struggled versus Hawaii, averaging just 3.6 yards per carry on 20 attempts.
Cignetti touted the Bruins’ defensive line, starting with senior Jay Toia, who stands 6-foot-3, 325 pounds, and pairs his size with explosiveness. UCLA’s linebackers — headlined by seniors Femi Oladejo and Kain Medrano — offer range and athleticism in the middle of the defense.
In Cignetti’s eyes, UCLA looks the part, even with a narrow Week 1 escape over Hawaii.
“A lot of really good athletes, a lot of pretty guys, really good team speed,” Cignetti said.
Long flight awaits Hoosiers
Indiana gets its first taste of the expanded Big Ten with a lengthy trip to Pasadena. Rather than flying out of Bloomington, the Hoosiers will bus to Indianapolis and depart from the Indianapolis Airport on Friday night. They’ll arrive around 11 p.m. EST Friday before making a one-hour drive to the hotel.
Derek Owings, the Hoosiers’ director of athletic performance, has given the players travel tips, such as wearing compression sleeves on the plane to help avoid swelling.
Toss in a three-hour time change, and Indiana is in for a night full of differences. Cignetti said it’s no big deal, and Kamara noted the Hoosiers are keeping their sleeping schedule on east coast time.
Perhaps most importantly, Indiana isn’t getting caught up in the moment — the flight, the environment or the primetime spotlight on NBC.
“The whole, ‘We’re going to be in LA’ thing, the UCLA thing, play in the Rose Bowl — it is cool, it is a great experience, but at the end of the day, football is football,” Kamara said. “Once the pads are on, once the ball is kicked, it’s football. It doesn’t matter what state we’re in.”
Kamara’s mindset is one the Hoosiers have picked up from Cignetti, who said the Rose Bowl embodies tradition for those who follow football.
But he and the team aren’t making the trip as tourists.
“It's more of a business trip,” Cignetti said. “Whether we're playing in the Rose Bowl or in a parking lot, it's all the same.”
Indiana (2-0) and UCLA (1-0) will kick off at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Pasadena. The game will be televised on NBC and Peacock.
Follow reporters Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) and Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and columnist Jhett Garrett (@jhettgarrett) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
