UCLA heads to Maryland on Saturday, Sept. 26, with a chance to do something it has not done since 2022: start 4-0. It is also the Bruins’ first Big Ten road test, a useful early marker for Bob Chesney’s team after a 3-0 opening and a 52-38 win over Purdue in the Big Ten opener.
The game is set for 10:30 a.m. PT at SECU Stadium, with the Bruins and Terrapins meeting in a matchup that should tell us plenty about how far UCLA has already come. Maryland will be the first conference trip away from the Rose Bowl Stadium in this new Big Ten setting, and that alone makes it a significant moment for a side trying to build momentum rather than simply protect an unbeaten start.
Why this is an early benchmark
For UCLA, the result matters for more than the record. A 4-0 start would give Chesney a clean early statement in Westwood and keep the Bruins moving in the right direction before the schedule gets tougher. It would also strengthen the sense that this team is settling quickly into the Big Ten after a sharp opening three weeks.
That is why the numbers from the first three games are worth watching closely. Wayne Knight and Sammy Omosigho have already stood out among UCLA’s early-season leaders, and Omosigho’s Week 1 recognition as the Chuck Bednarik Award Player of the Week after the win at California underlined the defensive impact UCLA has been able to lean on.
UCLA’s balance has set the tone
The Purdue game offered another reminder that UCLA can hurt teams in different ways. The Bruins put up 52 points and 645 yards in the win, with Nico Iamaleava producing 276 passing yards and three touchdowns. On the ground, the attack was equally punishing, with UCLA showing the kind of balance that makes an early-season unbeaten run sustainable.
There is also a historical note hanging over the trip to Maryland. In 1997, Skip Hicks set the UCLA standard with seven rushing touchdowns through the first three games of a season. This year, UCLA has already matched that pace with eight rushing touchdowns through its opening three games, a sign that the Bruins are threatening to become the kind of efficient, multi-layered offense that can travel well.
What Maryland presents
Maryland will not make the evening easy for UCLA, particularly at home in College Park, Md. But the real focus is on whether the Bruins can handle a road setting against a conference opponent and keep the same control they have shown at home. That is often the difference between a promising start and a genuine one.
The game will also be shown on Big Ten Network, giving UCLA another chance to show that its 3-0 start is not just about the opening schedule. If the Bruins can leave SECU Stadium with a win, they will move one step closer to proving that this fast start can hold up once conference play begins to bite.
