UCLA had its home-opener at The Rose Bowl Saturday and beat San Diego State 28-10. TeamFB7 was in attendance and covered what was happening on the field and off of it.
Around three hours before kickoff, buses arrived in front of Gate A at The Rose Bowl filled with UCLA football players, coaches and support staff.
The players emptied the bus and were greeted with thunderous applause by hundreds of fans lining the street with phones in hand recording the team’s entrance. The applause didn’t peter out after the initial eruption of cheers, but continued until the last player crossed the threshold into the iconic stadium and security had to disperse the area.
The energy from the fans was palpable and noticeably different than it has been in recent years under less charismatic head coaches.
It became very clear throughout the afternoon on Saturday that a major reason for optimism among UCLA’s fans is due to the arrival of highly-touted coach Bob Chesney.
Since arriving in Westwood after his previous team James Madison was eliminated from the College Football Playoff, Chesney has gone out of his way to get students, faculty and fans reengaged with the UCLA football program after two lackluster seasons.
Chesney has won everywhere he has been as a head coach and has quickly moved up the ladder into his biggest challenge to date: turning UCLA football into a national power again. Since 2010, he has had stops at Salve Regina (Division III), Assumption (Division II), Holy Cross (FCS) and James Madison (FBS Group of 6).
Bob Chesney Makes Rose Bowl Debut As UCLA Coach Against San Diego State
He understands the significance of being at UCLA and playing at the legendary stadium. Chesney has reverence for the history of The Rose Bowl while also wanting to add to it for years to come.
“It was so cool to walk through here,” Chesney said. “I showed our team a little video on The Rose Bowl. Wanted them to have a full understanding of what it means to play here. I think our guys all understood that, but it wasn’t about that history. It was about making our own for their first game.”
Quarterback Nico Iamaleava is one of the returning starters who had played home games in the stadium before. He seemed to notice a difference in the crowd this time around.
“It felt good. I saw a lot more fans in there,” Iamaleava said. “We have to keep giving them something to come watch for. It was great support from the fans.”
Running back Wayne Knight, who ran for three touchdowns for the second consecutive game, is one of the 43 transfers who was playing his first game at The Rose Bowl.
“It was good to play in The Rose Bowl in Pasadena,” Knight said. “Seeing those guys come out there and supporting us, it’s important. It’s going to continue to grow. It’s only Week 2 right now. By the end of the year, we’re going to have that thing packed out.”
Attendance Breakdown in Pasadena
UCLA could have had every excuse ready for a low attendance figure for its home opener and some of them would have been legitimate.
It was nearly 90 degrees at kickoff with over half the stadium baking in the sun.
School has not started yet so many students haven’t even arrived in Westwood, much less would be willing to make the trek up the 110 freeway to Pasadena.
The Bruins were playing San Diego State, a Group of Six school that it doesn’t have significant history with and was a 12.5-point favorite entering the game.
But the announced crowd was 31,973 which is a bit higher than the 27,785 fans that attended opening day last season in a loss to Utah. The home side of the stadium seemed pretty full and empty seats seemed few and far between.
UCLA Debuts New Field Club
Saturday was the debut of the Field Club, a $30 million upgrade to the seating behind the south end zone that features an indoor bar and over 1,000 premium seats.
UCLA’s players made their entrance onto the field with the Field Club behind them and “Ain’t No Grave” by Johnny Cash blaring over the stadium’s speakers.
The Field Club also hosted the litany of high school recruits who were visiting for the home opener and enjoying the luxury experience.
UCLA Recruiting Pitch Under Bob Chesney
UCLA hosted several recruits who are already committed to the school and several more uncommitted players.
TeamFB7 was down on the sidelines prior to the game when the recruits poured into the area and overheard players talking about the beauty of the stadium and Field Club. Several players were familiar with each other from the offseason camp circuit and some have played against each other already this season, so there were a lot of pleasantries exchanged and handshakes.
Multiple UCLA position coaches came over to say hello to the recruits and their families prior to the game and answer questions. Chesney met with some recruits in the Field Club before UCLA even began warming up and took the time to come over and greet recruits after the win on his way back to the locker room.
Here is a list of some recruits we saw in attendance:
Class of 2027
Duece Jones-Drew, De La Salle (UCLA commit)
Khalil Terry, Tustin (UCLA commit)
Michael Farinas, Chaparral (UCLA commit)
Rob Larson, Folsom (UCLA commit)
Pole Moala, Serra (UCLA commit)
Mike Davis, Mater Dei (UCLA commit)
Myles Baker, Sierra Canyon (UCLA commit)
Jeremiah Williams, Tustin (BYU commit)
Class of 2028
Hayden Koo, Tustin
Jordan Hicks, Mission Viejo
Elisha Mueller, St. John Bosco
Josiah Boyd, Vista del Lago
Lincoln Fa’alafi, JSerra
Troy Bishop, Mater Dei
Zion Anderson, Long Beach Polly
Axton Lange, Chaparral
Jordan Slye, Salesian
Noah Cole, Bishop Gorman
Jordan Kirkpatrick, Centennial
Derrick Coleman Jr., Serra
Peter Pierre, Chaminade-Madonna
Brady Quinn, Chaminade-Madonna
Brandon Nash, St. John Bosco
Ethan Esmailian, Western
Terence Parsee, Rancho Cucamonga
Elijah Tuua, St. John Bosco
Samiu Taukiuvea, West (Salt Lake City)
Class of 2029
Sosene Schuster, Mater Dei
Pierce Buckey, Liberty
Ka’Marion Wiley, University City
DJ Ferguson, University City
Eli Zamorano, Sierra Canyon
Romian Bishop, Mater Dei
Kaiden Agbunag, Muir
