Indianas Curt Cignetti praises UCLA football as

As UCLA ready to attempt to topple its highest-ranked opponent in almost twenty years, one coach talked about the challenges of beating an undefeated workforce, of stopping its vaunted dashing assault, of halting its fast begins.

The coach was Curt Cignetti.

His workforce just occurred to be No. 2 Indiana, the pop-up juggernaut that the Bruins will attempt to take down on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

“We’re playing a 3-0 football team that’s undefeated, that’s 3-0 in the conference since they have retooled their staff,” Cignetti told reporters. “Very impressive football team.”

So startling is the transformation that the Bruins have made since their winless start that they’re those now being praised by the coach of one of the nation’s top groups.

Surging UCLA (3-4 general, 3-1 Big Ten) is only the third Big Ten workforce to lose its first 4 video games and win its next three, becoming a member of 1963 Indiana and 2001 Penn State.

Of course, the Bruins hope the parallels end there given that those Hoosiers went on to lose their ultimate two video games and those Nittany Lions completed with a shedding file.

Cignetti made the 2025 Bruins sound like a workforce for the ages, declaring that they have been averaging 233 yards dashing per recreation over the last three video games while dominating the time of possession battle and outscoring opponents 58-17 in the first half over that same span.

UCLA will head into a nationally televised “Big Noon” showdown against Indiana (7-0, 4-0) having already taken down a top-10 workforce this season, though their 42-37 victory over then-No. 7 Penn State earlier this month has misplaced appreciable luster given the Nittany Lions’ ensuing free fall.

Fortunately for the Bruins, interim coach Tim Skipper performed for Pat Hill at Fresno State, that means he embraces the “Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere” mindset that made the scrappy Bulldogs a national phenomenon because of their fearlessness.

“That’s always part of me; I’ve been brainwashed that way, to be honest with you,” Skipper said. “But, yeah, I mean, to me, once the whistle blows, it’s just us against you. I mean, it’s time to go. Let’s see who had the better week of practice, let’s see who’s more prepared, let’s see who wants this thing. So that’s how I see it. We’re going to kick it off, we’re going to have to be ready to strain for every inch and let’s see what happens.”

Asked to assess Indiana, Skipper heaped reward upon a workforce that is among the best in the nation in virtually every major statistical class.

“I am still trying to identify weaknesses,” Skipper said. “Like, it is crazy how disciplined they are.”

UCLA last beat a workforce ranked as high as Indiana in a recreation that many Bruins followers will perpetually cherish — their 13-9 triumph over No. 2 USC in 2006 at the Rose Bowl.

A recruiting win

At a time of great uncertainty, when it will be simple for UCLA’s workers to fear more about their own futures than those of high faculty prospects who might never play for them, the Bruins have continued to recruit.

They landed another verbal dedication Monday from Travis Robertson, an offensive deal with from West Bloomfield, Mich., who was beforehand dedicated to Bowling Green.

“They have shown me that no matter what situation they are in,” Robertson told The Times, “they will always get the job done with the coaching staff and players. And I’m rooting for this staff 100%.”

UCLA’s workers has also continued to pursue recruits who have backed out of their verbal commitments, including Cooper Javorsky, an offensive lineman from San Juan Hills High who spent time visiting with offensive line coach Andy Kwon before the Bruins’ recreation against Maryland last weekend.

“We’re grinding over here, we’re not letting anything go to waste or not giving effort in one area or another,” Skipper said of his workers’s recruiting efforts. “It’s full speed in everything that we’re doing.”

UCLA’s 2026 recruiting class is presently ranked No. 78 nationally by 247Sports.com, with 12 gamers dedicated.

Injury updates

Skipper said he would wait to additional assess quarterback Nico Iamaleava and working backs Anthony Woods and Jaivian Thomas before offering injury updates.

Iamaleava returned from an obvious proper knee injury sustained late in the sport against Maryland to lead the Bruins on their profitable drive. Woods and Thomas have been sidelined after “both guys kind of got rolled up on,” Skipper said.