PASADENA, CA — The air was different around the Rose Bowl.
After a few years spent resembling a ghost town, there was life. People were tailgating with joy and actually sitting inside the stadium, happy to be back in Pasadena and looking forward to the future.
The new era of UCLA football began with a resounding season-opening win that got the hype train rolling for the Bruins
. In their first home game, it was full speed ahead.All thanks to the conductor: Wayne Knight.
The running back has become a force out of the gates, leading the Bruins to a 28-10 win over San Diego State Saturday with a three touchdown performance.
And that’s after he started the season with three scores. With six touchdowns, he is tied with Memphis’ Jaylin Carter as the nation's
leader. But Memphis has played three games, and Knight has scored his six in just two.
Eight quarters. Six touchdowns. What a way to introduce yourself.
“When the light shines on you, it's your time to make that play,” Knight said.
While all the talk surrounding Chesney was about what he’d be able to do coming from James Madison, what got lost was what he was bringing from Harrisonburg – and there may have been no bigger piece than the running back listed at 5-foot-7.
Knight was a major reason why the Dukes went to the College Football Playoff last season. He had a Sun Belt-record 2,039 all-purpose yards last season, with a 145.6 average that ranked third nationally.
He was a major addition for UCLA, considering last season the Bruins only had eight rushing touchdowns for the entire season – four of which came from quarterbacks – and they averaged just 139.7 rushing yards per game.
But with Knight on the roster, the Bruins' ground game has been completely different. With Knight leading a committee with Anthony Woods and Jaivian Thomas, UCLA is pounding through the line with back-to-back performances of at least 200 rushing yards, averaging 245.5 in those contests.
Oh, and all 10 offensive touchdowns scored so far? All by runs.
“We're moving the ball on offense. We're making plays out there,” Knight said.
It has been a successful committee, but Knight shines with his ability to shift through the line of scrimmage, getting lost in the middle of all the heavyweights with his little frame before popping out and running past defenders.
That makes for a successful formula. Not only is he the team's leading rusher so far, but he’s only carried the ball 21 times. That means 28.6% of the time he touches the ball, he’s celebrating with teammates by the end of it.
“He means everything,” Chesney said. “I mean, he's just a kid that is just tough. He's physical. He plays football the right way, and I love watching him be patient, and then he waits for it. And when he sees it, he just gets up to full speed within two or three steps.”
Not only sensational, but pretty critical. Star quarterback Nico Iamaleava has had a slow start to the campaign, with 335 passing yards and two interceptions. Part of it has been injuries plaguing receivers, but it’s not the standard he is expected to perform at.
At the same time, if these performances from the QB happened last season, UCLA was probably losing. It relied heavily on Iamaleava to pull off magic to have some positive outcomes in a 3-9 2025 season. Now, the Bruins don’t have to put all of their chips onto the quarterback and hope it works. There’s now a solid supporting cast, including a defense, taking the pressure off him.
“I got to play way better,” Iamaleava said. “But yeah, it feels great to have a supporting cast that even if I don't play the best, we can still pull out a win.”
So, even after a scoreless first half that quieted the excited crowd for a bit, Knight kept the momentum rolling for UCLA, which has its first 2-0 start since Chip Kelly was still coach in 2023. Knight’s not the biggest guy, and you might lose him in the crowd, but he’s standing tall as a touchdown machine leading all of FBS.
“Probably showing something even more than what people thought,” Chesney said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Meet college football's touchdown machine: UCLA RB Wayne Knight
