PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Wayne Knight scored three touchdowns after a scoreless first half and UCLA defeated San Diego State 28-10 on Saturday to win its home opener under new coach Bob Chesney.
Knight scored on runs of 8 yards in the third and 7 and 36 yards in the fourth, the James Madison transfer's second straight game with three TDs. He had that many in a season-opening win at California last week.
Knight scored for the second time after Josh Hunter's
face-mask penalty at the Aztecs 7-yard line resulted in an automatic first down.
Jalvian Thomas added a 1-yard TD in between Knight's two fourth-quarter scores for the Bruins (2-0).
The Bruins didn't give up a touchdown until the game's final 2:28 when Jackson Ford caught a 19-yard pass from Jayden Denegal.
The Aztecs (1-1) first got on the board with a 46-yard field goal by Cooper Dileva to trail 7-3 in the fourth.
Coming off the 45-24 road win over Cal, UCLA fans came out to the Rose Bowl in greater numbers than last season to check out the buzz generated by Chesney's hire from James Madison.
But what they got in the first half was nothing.
The teams combined for 98 points in winning their respective openers, but neither could get untracked after exchanging punts in the opening quarter.
The biggest play of the first half was Nico Iamaleava's 45-yard pass to Brian Rowe Jr. for a first down in the second quarter. The Bruins eventually got the ball to the 2-yard line on the drive, but Iamaleava was intercepted in the end zone by Mike Lindsay after underthrowing to a wide-open Brayden Loftin.
San Diego St.: The Aztecs proved pesky for much of the game, but had only two plays past the 50-yard line until late in the second half.
UCLA: The Bruins are 2-0 for the first time since 2023.
San Diego State hosts James Madison next Saturday.
UCLA hosts Purdue next Saturday.
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