5 things to watch when UCLA football faces Purdue in Big Ten opener

A win over Purdue would keep things rolling for UCLA in the infancy of the Bob Chesney era.A loss?Well, that would change things quite a bit.The Boilermakers’ last few seasons have sent their fans in search of boilermakers — shots of whiskey paired with a beer chaser.Purdue hasn’t beaten a Power Four opponent since topping Indiana to end the 2023 season.Thank goodness for that victory over Indiana State earlier this month, which snapped a 10-game losing streak but couldn’t solve a 21-game skid against major-conference opponents.The Boilermakers’ victory over Indiana three years ago was also their last against a Big Ten opponent, meaning they have dropped 18 consecutive games against conference foes.So, yeah, losing to this team wouldn’t be good for the early Chesney buzz.Here are five things to watch when the Bruins (2-0) face the Boilermakers (1-1) on Saturday night at the Rose Bowl:Showing that it might be on the verge of a breakthrough, Purdue nearly snapped that losing streak against major-conference teams last week.The Boilermakers took Wake Forest to double overtime before the Demon Deacons bedeviled them with a two-point conversion on the final play of a 38-36 victory.Purdue looked plenty capable for most of the game.Quarterback Ryan Browne completed 32 of 43 passes for a career-high 329 yards, and running back Fame Ijeboi ran for 114 yards and three touchdowns.Let’s just say they’ve got Chesney’s attention.“I think they’re as complete as they can be right now,” said Chesney, who recruited Browne out of high school, “and I think that they believe.” Nico Iamaleava is in a funk.The UCLA quarterback readily admitted as much.He hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass in back-to-back games for the first time since 2024 and conceded that he needed to get on the same page as new offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy.Kennedy said that was just a matter of time — but how much?“I mean, everything’s about trust, right?” Kennedy said.

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