UCLA football already making heck of run for it under Bob Chesney

When in doubt, run.

That could be the UCLA offense’s motto given what happened Saturday.

A run game that went nowhere last season covered nearly as much ground as Bruins fans who drove to Berkeley from Los Angeles.

UCLA’s 277 rushing yards against Cal were its most against a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent since 2023. Its six rushing touchdowns were its most since 2015 — and only two fewer than the Bruins totaled on the ground in 2025.

“We got a lot of guys in there that can make plays,” tailback Wayne Knight said of the running back room after his team’s 45-24 triumph. “There’s never a drop-off.”

It’s probably safe to say that quarterback Nico Iamaleava won’t lead the team in rushing again this season based on the guys around him who actually hold the running back designation.

Knight is a 5-foot-7 blur of a ball carrier known for speed and power. Jaivian Thomas is a threat to score every time he touches the ball. Anthony Woods is relentless, a trait he displayed Saturday when he escaped a wall of defenders by cutting outside for a 31-yard touchdown.

“He just kept his pads down, he kept running his feet,” UCLA coach Bob Chesney said, “and he turned nothing into something really big.”

Woods couldn’t resist an encore performance with the outcome decided, not hearing coaches who told him to go down on his 53-yard touchdown run with 67 seconds left in the game. Woods finished with 118 yards rushing — nearly twice his high of 64 yards last season and his most in any game as a Bruin.

“I haven’t rushed for 100 in about two years — I was hurt at Utah [in 2024], and last year didn’t go as planned,” Woods said. “It felt good to be able to go out there and show what I could do and show my ability.”

The most fascinating part of the run game’s resurgence — the Bruins averaged 8.7 yards per carry Saturday, up from 4.5 yards in 2025 — is that it mostly involved a familiar cast of characters.

Woods, Thomas and running back coach A.J. Steward were around last season.

So, what’s different?

“Shoutout to the O-line and the receivers,” Woods said, alluding to the improved blocking that helped create so many holes.

Chesney said he showed footage of effort plays Sunday, including a nice block from wide receiver Landon Ellis on a run by Iamaleava. Guard Carter Sweazie was named to the PFF College Big Ten Team of the Week after making several impressive blocks.

“I thought we moved people well, we kept our eyes up, our pad level was great and we were able to just get a little bit of knock-back and push,” Chesney said, “and when you get to the second level with the backs that we’ve got, you’re going to make people miss, and I think you saw that from them.”

Add a new scheme from offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy, whose James Madison rushing attack ranked sixth in the FBS last season with 241.5 yards per game, and the Bruins are no longer running in place when it comes to moving the ball.

Knight ran for 71 yards and a career-high three touchdowns in only eight carries, and Thomas added 41 yards in five carries. That relegated Iamaleava to being just the fourth-leading rusher with 29 yards in nine carries.

No one will hear any complaints given the burden taken off him by so many other talented ball carriers.

“We got a lot of guys that can go, and it keeps fresh legs,” Knight said. “Any given chance, in the moment, it’s your chance to shine.”

Chesney noted the Bruins couldn’t just keep running every play “because [defenses] start getting pretty blitzy.”

Then again, after what happened Saturday, it might be worth a shot.