Indiana dominated at home in week two, taking down down Western Illinois 77-3.
Following a record-breaking week two throttling of the Leathernecks, the Hoosiers are set to begin Big Ten play this weekend on the west coast.
Indiana hits the road for the first time this season for a week three matchup in Pasadena against UCLA on Saturday, as the Hoosiers welcome the Bruins to the Big Ten.
UCLA enters the contest 1-0 and fresh off a bye week this past weekend. The Bruins opened up the season in week one with a road win in Honolulu over the Rainbow Warriors of Hawaii.
Take an early glance at the Hoosiers' next opponent, the UCLA Bruins.
KEY PLAYERS
- Quarterback Ethan Garbers: Redshirt senior signal caller Ethan Garbers made 11 appearances -- six of which were starts -- last season for UCLA. After sharing time as the Bruins' starting quarterback last year, Garbers has the keys to the offense in 2024. In UCLA's season opener, Garbers went 19-38 (50.0%) for 272 yards through the air. He threw one touchdown and was picked off twice by Hawaii. One of Garbers' strengths is his ability to get outside the pocket and pick up positive chunks with his legs. He carried the ball seven times in week one, collecting 47 yards on the ground. The week three battle between Indiana and UCLA on Saturday will be Garbers' eighth start of his career.
- Wide Receiver Rico Flores Jr.: Rico Flores spent his freshman season at Notre Dame, appearing in all 12 games during the 2023 season with the Fighting Irish. Flores was UCLA's standout wide receiver from the Bruins' week one win over Hawaii. The 6-foot-2 sophomore pass catcher hauled in three passes for 102 yards in the season opener, adding a touchdown in the air as well.
- Linebacker Ale Kaho: Linebacker Alo Kaho has had a long and difficult college career. After spending his first three years at Alabama, Kaho transferred to UCLA ahead of the 2021 season. He played in 11 games that year, before making just one appearance over the next two seasons in 2022 and 2023 due to injury. Finally healthy again, the seventh-year senior had four tackles, a tackle for loss and a sack in UCLA's season opener. He added a pass breakup as well in coverage.
- Defensive Back K.J. Wallace: K.J. Wallace made his UCLA debut in the Bruins' season opening win over Hawaii. Now at his third school after spending time at Notre Dame and Georgia Tech during his career, Wallace put on a show in week one. The 5-foot-11 defensive back tallied a team-high seven tackles for UCLA. He also registered a tackle for loss and a sack, while break up four passes.
- Defensive Back Ramon Henderson: Another Notre Dame transfer, Ramon Henderson spent the first four years of his collegiate career in South Bend with the Fighting Irish. Henderson, a Bakersfield, CA native, is now back home playing for the Bruins. A 6-foot-1 defensive back, Henderson had three tackles in the Bruins' week one contest. He also added a sack and a tackle for loss, recording an interception as well in the opener.
KEY STATS
- UCLA ran the ball for just 71 yards in the opener versus Hawaii, averaging 3.7 yards per carry.
- The Bruins allowed just 51 yards on the ground -- and 1.8 yards per carry -- against the Rainbow Warriors.
- QB Ethan Garbers registered only 7.2 yards per pass attempt against Hawaii.
- The Bruins went 4-13 (30.8%) on third downs in the opener. On the flip side, UCLA held Hawaii to 4-14 (28.9%) on third downs.
- UCLA's defense tallied five sacs as a team in the win over Hawaii.
OTHER NOTES
- Saturday's contest will be UCLA's first conference game as a new member of the Big Ten.
- This weekend will be the Hoosiers' first trip to the Rose Bowl since the 1967 season.
- The Bruins have three consecutive eight-plus win seasons.
- Deshaun Foster is in his first season as UCLA's head coach following the departure of Chip Kelly.
- Indiana opened up as a 2.5 point favorite over UCLA. It's the first time the Hoosiers have been favored in a road conference game since 2020 at Spartan Stadium against Michigan State.
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