The Heartland Line
UCLA stays perfect behind backup QB Ty Dieffenbach, and Bob Chesney praises his resolve
Ty Dieffenbach threw for 264 yards in his first game replacing Nico Iamaleava as No. 12 UCLA beat Wisconsin 17-7 to reach 6-0.
UCLA's first game without Nico Iamaleava looked a lot like the rest of its season: tight, physical and another win. Senior Ty Dieffenbach threw for 264 yards Saturday night at the Rose Bowl as the No. 12 Bruins beat Wisconsin 17-7. They are 6-0, bowl eligible in Bob Chesney's first season, and still the only unbeaten team in the Big Ten.
Dieffenbach got the job after Iamaleava suffered a season-ending knee injury in the 17-15 win at Oregon, as USA TODAY Sports reported before kickoff. Afterward, Chesney told NBC Sports his new starter carried himself like the rest of the roster. According to ClutchPoints, Chesney said the quarterback is "excited to go make plays, not nervous to make mistakes." Former Michigan receiver Semaj Morgan was Dieffenbach's top target, with five catches for 84 yards.
The game was not clean. Wisconsin safety Marvin Burks Jr. intercepted two passes, one a Hail Mary at the end of the first half and the other on the third snap of the second half. That second pick led to Colton Joseph's 3-yard touchdown run, which cut the lead to 10-7, per Wisconsin Athletics. UCLA answered by controlling the ball. The Bruins finished with 384 total yards to Wisconsin's 214, held the ball for more than 37 minutes and converted 13 third downs. Their last scoring drive went 89 yards in six plays and ended with Anthony Woods' 3-yard run. Badger Observer tied the loss to the Badgers' failures on third down, which UCLA converted at a 65% rate, plus a long list of penalties. Wisconsin was flagged for 108 yards.
UCLA's defense did the rest. Joseph completed 6 of 16 passes for 66 yards, though he also led all rushers with 71 yards. The result ended Wisconsin's four-game winning streak.
What it means for next week
The Bruins get Michigan State at home next Saturday. Their 6-0 run includes a 54-3 win at Maryland and 52 points against Purdue, but their last two games, against Oregon and Wisconsin, were decided by a combined 12 points. With a new quarterback, UCLA has been winning with defense and ball control rather than scoring. The Spartans have their own warning sign: Wisconsin beat them 31-3 on Oct. 3.
The Badgers, now 4-2, go home to face No. 19 USC on NBC. Both of their losses came against ranked teams, Notre Dame and UCLA, and they own a 24-20 win at No. 13 Penn State. The market still sees Saturday's game as close. On this site's USC at Wisconsin board, USC is favored at -150 on Novig, while DraftKings has the best USC price anywhere at -130. That 20-cent gap between venues is wide for a game priced this close. Wisconsin is +115 on Novig. DraftKings lists USC as a 2.5-point favorite on the spread, with the total at 52.5. Unless Joseph gets more out of the passing game than 66 yards, that total will be hard for Wisconsin to keep pace with.
