A Gridiron History: Nebraska vs. UCLA Football
Nebraska and UCLA, two storied programs, have a football history dating back to 1946. As of 2024, they are now both members of the Big Ten Conference, adding a new chapter to their rivalry. This article explores the history of matchups between these teams, from their early non-conference clashes to their present-day conference affiliation.
First Encounter and Early Years
The series began on November 30, 1946, in Los Angeles, with UCLA securing an 18-0 victory. That season, the Bruins finished fourth in the nation. In 1946, Nebraska went into the season with its fifth head coach in six seasons. Bernie Masterson found himself at the helm following a 4-5 season under George Clark. Bernie played football for the Huskers from 1931-1933 before going to the NFL to play for the Chicago Bears from 1934-1940. During the game, Nebraska made several key defensive plays to slow the Bruins’ offensive machine but found it impossible to generate any offense. One of Nebraska’s standouts that season was defensive tackle Carl Samuelson who was selected in the 10th round by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1947 NFL draft.
The second game, played in Lincoln in 1948, was won by UCLA 27-15 and is remembered for a near riot that ensued at the end of the contest.
The Osborne Era and Beyond
Nebraska's first win against UCLA came in 1973 under Coach Tom Osborne, a 40-13 victory that marked a turning point for the program. This win over UCLA was the first win for Tom Osborne at Nebraska, setting forward the most important era for Nebraska in the years to come.
From 1983 to 1994, the two schools met six times, establishing UCLA as Nebraska's most frequent non-conference opponent during that period.
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A year before the largest win in the series, Nebraska broke their own record for margin of victory against UCLA. Their 42-10 win came in dominating fashion, even after UCLA got off to a double-digit lead in the second quarter. However, the top-ranked Huskers regained composure and swiftly put UCLA to bed.
The 1984 clash was the first time the two teams faced off in UCLA's new home stadium of The Rose Bowl. It was also the biggest margin of win by either team throughout the series. Not to mention, this was done to a UCLA team that was ranked number eight in the country and Nebraska's first-ever win in the state of California.
The 1993 game saw the closest win in the series as Nebraska held on to a 14-13 win to the hosts. UCLA got on the board first by a field goal but saw Nebraska respond in the second quarter with a touchdown of their own to go into the half trailing 10-7. A touchdown in the third sealed the victory for the road Huskers. This was also the only win in this run of seven games where the winner didn't score at least 40 points.
Led by future NFL Hall of Fame Troy Aikman, this game was won by UCLA who jumped out to a 28-0 start before the first quarter ended. The 28 points that Nebraska would go on to score the rest of the way still wouldn't be enough as the defense allowed UCLA to score 13 more points to close the outing.
Going scoreless in the first quarter wouldn't matter as Nebraska scored 14 points in each of the remaining three quarters to see off a UCLA team with a first-year transfer, Troy Aikman, at quarterback. This battle was the first time that two of the top three teams were facing off in Lincoln. At the time, the Bruins were ranked number three while Nebraska was ranked second.
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Recent Matchups
The most recent regular-season game in Lincoln was during the 2013 season. The 16th-ranked Bruins got off to a slow start early but rallied tremendously in the third quarter by racking up 28 points to 23rd-ranked Nebraska's 0. In fact, the Bruins held the Huskers scoreless the entire second half as they left Lincoln with a resounding win.
Nebraska walked into the Rose Bowl stadium early in the season naked 16th in the country. the unranked, but also undefeated UCLA pulled out a close win after the Huskers gave the Bruins the lead via a safety in the fourth quarter. With a now two-point advantage, UCLA never looked back.
The last time the Huskers won the regular season matchup with the Bruins was their 1994 bought in Lincoln. This win also signaled the end of Nebraks'as run in the series where they won six times in seven games starting in 1973. The Huskers nearly totaled 500 yards on the ground as they routed UCLA in the afternoon.
The most recent meeting between the schools came in the 2015 Foster Farms Bowl at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. The Huskers went into the game with a losing record of 5-7 to tee off against an eight-win UCLA. The two teams went blow for blow until the second half when Nebraska held the Bruins pointless in the third quarter while adding nine points themselves.
2024: A New Chapter in the Big Ten
In 2024, Nebraska and UCLA met for the first time as Big Ten Conference opponents. Nebraska returned home for the first time in nearly a month when the Huskers took on the UCLA Bruins at Memorial Stadium. The game marked the first matchup of the two schools as Big Ten opponents.
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Nebraska entered the contest at 5-3 on the season and 2-3 in Big Ten play following a hard-fought 21-17 loss at No. 4 Ohio State. Nebraska's defense played arguably its best game of the season, holding Ohio State to season lows in points (21), rushing yards (64) and total yards (285). Nebraska looked to carry its defensive momentum into this week's game at Memorial Stadium.
UCLA entered the contest at 2-5 overall and 1-4 in Big Ten play in its first season in the league. UCLA relied on a strong passing game, averaging nearly 240 yards per game. The Bruins were in their first year under Head Coach DeShaun Foster, a former UCLA standout running back.
Nebraska returned to friendly confines of Memorial Stadium to play the UCLA Bruins. With a record of 5-3, the Cornhuskers found themselves one win shy of its first bowl game since 2016.
Series Standouts
Several individual performances stand out in the Nebraska-UCLA series. Nebraska defensive tackle Carl Samuelson was drafted into the NFL. In the 1980s, Troy Aikman led UCLA.
In the Nebraska-Ohio State game, Redshirt freshman place-kicker John Hohl made three field goals at Ohio State, connecting from 39, 54 and 47 yards. Nebraska sixth-year seniors Bryce Benhart (OT) and Ty Robinson (DL) were both set to play in their 56th games as Cornhuskers.
Key Defensive Stats
Nebraska's defense has been strong against the run. Nebraska held its first six opponents without a rushing touchdown, tying for the longest season-opening streak in FBS without allowing a rushing touchdown in the past 10 seasons. Prior to this year, the last team to not allow a rushing touchdown through its first six games was Georgia in 2019.
Nebraska held Colorado to just 16 rushing yards, the fewest rushing yards by an opponent since Purdue had -2 rushing yards in 2020. Nebraska has also held UTEP (56), Purdue (50), Rutgers (78) and Ohio State (64) to less than 80 rushing yards. Nebraska has 23 sacks, which is 16th nationally. The Huskers have three games with four or more sacks.
Nebraska's 5-1 start was fueled in part by a +6 turnover differential through the first half of the season, with Nebraska owning a positive or even TO margin in each of the first six games. At Indiana, Nebraska was a -4 in turnover margin, before being even at Ohio State. Nebraska has had a positive turnover margin five times in 2024. Junior defensive back Malcolm Hartzog Jr. has four interceptions this season and ranks seventh nationally in interceptions per game.
Nebraska's defense has allowed just 20 points in the first half of its five home games this season, including blanking Colorado and Rutgers before intermission.
Series Summary
Here's a game-by-game look at the series, starting with the most recent contest:
- December 26, 2015 - Foster Farms Bowl: Nebraska 37, UCLA 29
- September 14, 2013 - Lincoln, NE: UCLA 41, Nebraska 21
- September 12, 2012 - Pasadena, CA: UCLA 36, Nebraska 30
- September 17, 1994 - Lincoln, NE: Nebraska 49, UCLA 21
- September 18, 1993 - Pasadena, CA: Nebraska 14, UCLA 13
- September 10, 1988 - Pasadena, CA: UCLA 41, Nebraska 28
- Septemebr 12, 1987 - Lincoln, NE: Nebraska 42, UCLA 33
- September 22, 1984 - Pasadena, CA: Nebraska 42, UCLA 3
- September 24, 1983 - Lincoln, NE: Nebraska 42, UCLA 10
- September 8, 1973 - Lincoln, NE: Nebraska 40, UCLA 13
- September 9, 1972 - Los Angeles, CA: UCLA 20, Nebraska 17
- October 30, 1948 - Lincoln, NE: UCLA 27, Nebraska 15
- November 30, 1946 - Los Angeles, CA: UCLA 18, Nebraska 0
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