UCLA football already making heck of run for it under Bob Chesney

When in doubt, run.That could be the UCLA offense’s motto given what happened Saturday.A run game that went nowhere last season covered nearly as much ground as Bruins fans who drove to Berkeley from Los Angeles.UCLA’s 277 rushing yards against Cal were its most against a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent since 2023.Its six rushing touchdowns were its most since 2015 — and only two fewer than the Bruins totaled on the ground in 2025.“We got a lot of guys in there that can make plays,” tailback Wayne Knight said of the running back room after his team’s 45-24 triumph.

“There’s never a drop-off.”It’s probably safe to say that quarterback Nico Iamaleava won’t lead the team in rushing again this season based on the guys around him who actually hold the running back designation.Knight is a 5-foot-7 blur of a ball carrier known for speed and power.Jaivian Thomas is a threat to score every time he touches the ball.

Anthony Woods is relentless, a trait he displayed Saturday when he escaped a wall of defenders by cutting outside for a 31-yard touchdown.“He just kept his pads down, he kept running his feet,” UCLA coach Bob Chesney said, “and he turned nothing into something really big.”Woods couldn’t resist an encore performance with the outcome decided, not hearing coaches who told him to go down on his 53-yard touchdown run with 67 seconds left in the game.Woods finished with 118 yards rushing — nearly twice his high of 64 yards last season and his most in any game as a Bruin.“I haven’t rushed for 100 in about two years — I was hurt at Utah [in 2024], and last year didn’t go as planned,” Woods said.

“It felt good to be able to go out there and show what I could do and show my ability.”The most fascinating part of the run game’s resurgence — the Bruins averaged 8.7 yards per carry Saturday, up from 4.5 yards in 2025 — is that it mostly involved a familiar cast of characters.Woods, Thomas and running back coach A.J.St...