ucla football

One glorious afternoon at the Rose Bowl isn’t enough.

That’s why after they fielded the congratulatory phone calls and text messages, made a celebratory champagne toast and smiled while rewatching game footage for the first time this season, UCLA players and coaches eagerly resumed the pursuit of something more.

“We don’t want to be one-hit wonders,” interim coach Tim Skipper said Monday, “that’s the whole key to this thing — do not be a one-hit wonder, get back to work.”

While beating Michigan State on Saturday at Spartan Stadium wouldn’t generate the same recognition that came with the previously winless Bruins’ recent victory over then-No. 7 Penn State, it would erase any lingering doubts that things just fell into place one wonderful weekend.

UCLA (1-4 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) hopes it discovered a winning formula beyond Jerry Neuheisel’s playcalling, quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s heroics and Skipper’s putting everything together. After seeing his team look listless the previous week against Northwestern, particularly in the game’s early going, Skipper adopted the word “strain” as a rallying cry going into the game against the Nittany Lions.

“It’s just draining your tank and doing everything possible that you can possibly do on every single play for us to achieve success,” Skipper said. “So, strain was mentioned every single day, it was mentioned after the game, and I think that was the major difference. Our guys strained, from the opening kickoff to the very end of the game. We had to strain on every play to get the game to be a positive outcome for us.”

It was favorable for everyone on the team, including position groups that had previously struggled.

Not long after the Bruins held off the Nittany Lions for an epic 42-37 triumph, UCLA offensive line coach Andy Kwon gathered his players for a group photo in the end zone. Kwon posted the photo on the social media platform X, adding a one-word caption: “STRAIN!”

UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava passes against Penn State on Saturday.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

The word also was uttered twice during a short video in which athletic director Martin Jarmond delivered the game ball to Skipper.

Two days later, there was some further basking in UCLA’s first victory over a top-10 team since toppling Oregon in 2007. Skipper was named the Dodd Trophy coach of the week, Iamaleava the Associated Press national player of the week and Neuheisel the CBS Sports coordinator of the week.

More important, it was fun to be back in the football practice facility again.

“Smiling. Laughing. Talking,” Skipper said of the scene compared to previous weeks. “When you’re sore after a game, it actually feels pretty good, you know what I mean? Like, a lot of things, just the flow. People laugh at bad jokes now and stuff, you know? Just, man, just joy.”

Meanwhile, Penn State’s falling out of the national rankings was a reminder of how quickly a college football season can change.

The Bruins finally hope to have some stability going into the game against the Spartans (3-2, 0-2) after having installed a new defense one week and a new offense the next in the wake of multiple coaching changes. Skipper said Neuheisel’s ability to explain why he wanted to run plays in certain situations to counter what the defense was doing led to an offense that rolled up a season-high 435 yards of offense, including a season-high 269 on the ground.

“He explained it in a way that he was totally confident in what he was saying,” Skipper said. “And I think everybody felt that and believed in that, and it just carried over into the game.”

Those who fear UCLA’s offense might not be as effective now that there’s footage of what Neuheisel likes to do may not need to worry. Skipper said the playbook would be specifically tailored to each opponent because the team did not have spring practice or fall training camp to install its offense.

“We’re going to watch our opponents in all phases,” Skipper said, “and then we’re going to game plan for them, and then the things that work that we’ve done previously, we’re going to do, and the new things we have to do to establish the game plan the way we want it to go, we’re going to add that to the game plan. So we’re just a work in progress, man.”

One win down, the rest of the season to go.

UCLA offensive lineman Garrett DiGiorgio takes part in practice in April 2024.

(Meg Oliphant / Los Angeles Times)

Maybe Garrett DiGiorgio & Co. can land an NIL deal with STP oil treatment or the Stone Temple Pilots.

That’s because the offensive line has a new motto — STP, standing for “Something To Prove” — that would fit either brand.

It’s certainly an accurate assessment given the offensive line gave up 34 sacks last season and was part of a running game that averaged just 86.6 yards, ranking No. 131 out of 133 major college football teams.

“I think that’s very true,” DiGiorgio said of the motto, “because we do have something to prove as a unit.”

DiGiorgio split time between right tackle and left guard in spring practice as part of new offensive line coach Andy Kwon’s bid to get his best five players on the field. When DiGiorgio played left guard, Reuben Unije slotted in at right tackle.

Kentucky transfer Courtland Ford appears the front-runner to start at left tackle alongside DiGiorgio or Oluwafunto Akinshilo at left guard, Sam Yoon at center, Julian Armella at right guard and DiGiorgio or Reuben Unije at right tackle.

Armella’s story is similar to many of the new transfers on the roster. A widely heralded prospect who never fulfilled the hype in three seasons at Florida State, Armella is seeking a breakthrough with the Bruins.

Kwon’s strategy for improvement goes beyond catchphrases. DiGiorgio said there’s been a new emphasis on sustaining blocks instead of just making an initial block and releasing the defender.