Wayne Knight runs wild as UCLA survives Big Ten scare to stay perfect

For a few uncomfortable minutes Saturday night, the honeymoon looked like it might end before UCLA even finished unpacking. Purdue came to the Rose Bowl riding an 18-game Big Ten losing streak and without a victory over a Power Four opponent since 2023.The Boilermakers were two-touchdown underdogs, playing more than 2,000 miles from home and seemingly arriving at exactly the right time for UCLA to continue the feel-good start to the Bob Chesney era.It should have been an easy, blowout victory for the Bruins. Instead, they got punched in the mouth. But in a possible sign of what might be the new identity of the Bruins, they got up off the mat and punched back. UCLA overcame an early second-half deficit and a career night from Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne to pull away for a 52-38 victory, improving to 3-0 under Chesney and surviving its first Big Ten test.

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It certainly wasn’t comfortable.But the Bruins remain perfect.And Wayne Knight continues to look like the best thing Chesney brought with him from James Madison.Knight ran for 177 yards on 18 carries and scored two more touchdowns, giving him eight rushing scores through three games.

The 5-foot-7 bowling ball has rushed for 345 yards this season and is quickly becoming the centerpiece of UCLA’s rebuilt rushing attack.UCLA repeatedly appeared ready to put Purdue away, building multiple 14-point leads, only for the Boilermakers to climb back into the fight.Browne shredded the Bruins’ secondary for a career-high 378 yards and three touchdowns on 19-of-30 passing, while running back Fame Ijeboi added two rushing touchdowns.Purdue actually took a 28-24 lead early in the third quarter when Browne connected with George Burhenn for a 30-yard touc...