• UCLA coach Bob Chesney and the Bruins are pushing to improve to 7-0 when they host a Nevada team Saturday that is strongest against the passing game.
• The Bruins’ offense has thrived, in part, this season because the UCLA line has played well despite some injuries.

Bob Chesney has proven that his team is more than a one-trick pony.

But on Saturday, the UCLA head football coach might have to go back to his fastball.

Heading into their last nonconference game of the season, the No. 7 Bruins (7-0) will host Nevada (3-4) at the Rose Bowl and will likely have to favor their run game against a Wolfpack defense that ranks No. 10 nationally in defensive third-down percentage and sixth in passing yards allowed — one of three teams in the country to rank in the top 10 in both categories.

“They play really hard. They have some good pressures where they bring two to a side, and the defensive ends, they get after it a little bit too,” UCLA offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy said. “But the big thing from the back end standpoint is how they mix things up and try to confuse quarterbacks.”

While the Bruin ground attack was less potent against Oregon and Wisconsin during back-to-back weeks, Chesney emphasized that the UCLA run game has executed its game plan against a Duck defensive line that is big upfront and a Badger line that ranks No. 16 in rush defense.

And UCLA’s rushing offense returned to its prominent role last week against Michigan State, running for 245 yards and reaching the end zone three times despite two first-half fumbles.

The Bruins have also excelled even with injuries to the offensive line — with starting left tackle Jordan Davis missing the last two games because of an injury and starting left guard Eugene Brooks missing time as well. The line is pushing through adversity under the direction of offensive line coach Chris Smith, who has turned the UCLA offensive front into the fifth-best offensive line in the country, according to Pro Football Network.

“Coach Smith does an unbelievable job. He’s one of the best in the business in terms of getting his players prepared, so it obviously starts with him preparing the offensive line and getting multiple people ready, and that’s the big thing,” Kennedy said. “You have to be able to get those next people that you may not have thought of in fall camp ready, and that’s just where he holds that O-Line room to a standard.”

Fifth-year running back Wayne Knight left the Michigan State game early with a chest/ribs injury, but he is expected to be available against a Nevada team that ranks No. 100 nationally in run defense.

And while Knight has fallen short of his early season dominance during the past two games, fifth-year player Anthony Woods and senior Jaivian Thomas have excelled, both rushing for more than 4.5 yards per carry and at least four touchdowns this season.

“They were this way from the beginning. When we were just starting the winter conditioning and in the weight room, that was a group that we looked at and just said, ‘Man, they’re strong, they’re explosive, they work really hard,’” Chesney said of the running backs. “I wish everybody on our team could be like them. You’re batting .1000 in that room on guys that push weights, that are physical, that are tough, that bring it every single day.”

Despite the Bruins formidable ground game and the Wolfpack’s stalwart secondary, starting quarterback Ty Dieffenbach will likely have to let it fly to help UCLA improve to 8-0. The signal caller flashed his accurate deep ball coming out of the second half against Michigan State, hitting sophomore wide receiver Brian Rowe Jr. for a 63-yard touchdown — the Bruins’ longest of the season and Rowe’s first score.

Chesney stressed that while the Bruins opted to not attack the Spartans’ secondary through the air late in the game last week, he is more than confident in his team’s ability to do so.

“If we had to, I think we could have. But I just don’t think we ultimately needed to. At one point, you look up at that scoreboard and there’s under 90 yards deep into the fourth quarter that we’re holding another team,” Chesney said. “So you realize you’re going to be able to stop them. Let’s not turn this ball over. That’s the worst thing we could do, and let’s not take unneeded risks. There are times where we could punch in another touchdown at the end of the game. We could throw it up over the top a couple more times if we want to.”

If UCLA is forced to win the game through the air, UCLA could benefit from the confidence Rowe gained against Michigan State. Rowe was projected to be a breakout player in the offseason, but he has struggled to translate that on the field.

And if it is not Rowe, Dieffenbach could connect with senior wideout Semaj Morgan, who has emerged as the Bruins’ most productive receiver since Mikey Matthews went down with a season-ending injury, tallying 31 receptions for 383 yards and two touchdowns — matching or improving on any mark he has recorded in one season previously.

“Semaj, when he touches the ball, he’s pretty special and he’s done a great job,” Kennedy said. “You saw last week we found different ways to get him the football, not from a receiver position. … Semaj is someone that needs to touch the ball, and then we have to keep attacking.”

Iamaleava plans to return to UCLA

Senior quarterback Nico Iamaleava will return to the Bruins for the 2027 season, forgoing the NFL Draft, his agent told On3, Thursday.

Iamaleava suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first half against Oregon on Oct. 10.

Prior to the injury, Iamaleava led the Bruins to a 4-0 record, tallying 982 passing yards and five total touchdowns.