UCLA scored six rushing touchdowns and shut out Cal in the fourth quarter Saturday, Sept. 5, beating the Golden Bears 45-24 at California Memorial Stadium in Bob Chesney's debut as head coach.

The Bruins ran for eight rushing touchdowns all of last season. They matched three-quarters of that total in one night.

Running back Wayne Knight, a 5-foot-7 transfer from James Madison, scored three touchdowns on eight carries for 71 yards. Two of those scores came in the fourth quarter, both set up by interceptions from defensive back Ta'Shawn James, an Iowa State transfer who entered the game with zero career interceptions, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Knight's first fourth-quarter touchdown was a 31-yard run. His second covered four yards. James's two picks off Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele flipped a 24-24 tie into a 21-0 UCLA run to close it out.

"That was a battle … a dogfight. And a lot of fun," Chesney said after the game.

The win was a reversal for a program that went 3-9 last season and allowed 33.4 points per game, worst in the Big Ten. UCLA was also last in the nation in sacks with 10. On Saturday, linebacker Sammy Omosigho recorded a career-high 14 tackles, one sack and two tackles for loss, according to UCLA Athletics.

Quarterback Nico Iamaleava completed 14 of 22 passes for 184 yards with one interception and rushed for a touchdown. He left the game briefly with 4:49 remaining after a 10-yard rush left him unable to stand. Chesney said a cleat hit Iamaleava's calf before it cramped up, the New York Post reported. Iamaleava returned for UCLA's final possession, when running back Anthony Woods broke a 53-yard touchdown run to cap a 118-yard, two-touchdown night on eight carries.

Cal tied the game 24-24 in the third quarter on a 14-play, 85-yard drive capped by Adam Mohammed's one-yard touchdown run. Mohammed finished with 120 yards on 28 carries. Sagapolutele threw for 271 yards and two touchdowns but turned the ball over three times, according to ESPN.

A sellout crowd of 54,283 watched the game, billed as a Pac-12 After Dark throwback. UCLA and Cal had not met since the Pac-12 dissolved after the 2023 season, ending a streak of annual meetings dating to 1933.

Chesney, 48, was hired in December 2025 from James Madison, where he led the Dukes to a 12-1 record and their first College Football Playoff berth. He brought 10 players from JMU to Westwood. The win improved his record to 13-4 in season openers.

The Bruins drew 12 penalties for 110 yards. Chesney acknowledged the sloppiness needed fixing.

UCLA hosts San Diego State at Rose Bowl Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 4:15 p.m. on Big Ten Network.