PASADENA, CA. — UCLA’s early-season struggles continued Friday night at the Rose Bowl, where the Bruins dropped their third straight game in a 35–10 loss to New Mexico. The defeat closes out UCLA’s non-conference slate, leaving the team winless heading into Big Ten play.
New Mexico (2–1) dominated on the ground, racking up 298 rushing yards behind a dynamic backfield led by Damon Bankston. The junior running back torched the Bruins’ defense with 154 yards and a touchdown on the ground, and added another score through the air. Teammate D.J. McKinney contributed 89 rushing yards on 21 carries, providing a consistent presence in the Lobos’ backfield.
UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava completed 22 of 34 passes for 217 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown pass to Titus Mokiao-Atimalala in the second quarter. He also threw one interception. Running back Anthony Woods led the Bruins on the ground with 64 yards on 10 carries.
The Lobos struck first, finding the end zone late in the first quarter on a 1-yard plunge by Scottre Humphrey. A second touchdown drive early in the second quarter gave New Mexico a 14–0 lead.
UCLA responded with a strong drive of their own, covering 78 yards in eight plays, capped by Mokiao-Atimalala’s touchdown grab to bring the Bruins within a score at 14–7.
Defensively, the Bruins showed flashes of resistance, including two key fourth-down stops. One came just before halftime, and another early in the third quarter when UCLA forced a fumble inside their own 5-yard line. However, the Bruins failed to capitalize on those momentum shifts. A promising third-quarter drive stalled and ended with a 51-yard field goal from Mateen Bhaghani, cutting the deficit to 14–10.
That would be the last time UCLA scored.
New Mexico answered immediately with a 13-play, 75-yard drive, capped by Bankston’s 2-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 21–10. The Lobos followed up with a 43-yard touchdown reception by Bankston midway through the fourth quarter, and tacked on one final score in the closing seconds to seal the 35–10 victory.
Quarterback Jack Layne was efficient for New Mexico, going 12-for-16 for 152 yards, spreading the ball effectively while relying on the team’s dominant rushing attack.
Head coach DeShaun Foster acknowledged the team’s issues postgame.
“Not the outcome at all that we wanted,” Foster said. “It’s coming down to discipline and execution. We’re not making plays when we need to. We’ve got two weeks to fix this, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to get it right.”
With the loss, UCLA falls to 0–3 on the season. The Bruins now enter a much-needed bye week before beginning Big Ten play on the road against Northwestern on Saturday, Sept. 27. Kickoff time has yet to be announced. UCLA returns home the following week to host Penn State on Oct. 4 at the Rose Bowl.
