This post was updated Nov. 7 at 11:18 p.m.

Bowl eligibility appeared a distant hope for the Bruins after falling in five of their first six games.

Sitting in the basement of the Big Ten without a remaining opponent with a record below .500, reaching the six-win benchmark seemed too mighty a task for a team that had shown only glimpses of promise.

Yet, following two road wins against conference foes, the Bruins reentered their names in the postseason conversation.

Up next on the docket, Iowa (6-3, 4-2 Big Ten) will journey to the Rose Bowl to take on UCLA football (3-5, 2-4) Friday night. With the Hawkeyes coming off two consecutive victories of their own, UCLA will have a chance to successfully defend its home turf for the first time this season.

“Winning is contagious,” said coach DeShaun Foster. “Once you get a victory, it can start going. Guys understand what it takes to win.”

After being the only FBS team unable to eclipse 20 points through the first seven weeks of the season, UCLA has seen an offensive revitalization in its past two contests – scoring 62 combined points en route to its first winning streak of the season.

Leading the charge has been redshirt senior quarterback Ethan Garbers, who rebounded from a rough start to the season by tossing for a combined 602 yards and six touchdowns during the streak.

“I knew Ethan. I knew his abilities,” Foster said. “He’s a talented quarterback. There were a couple unfortunate things that were going on for him, and it all wasn’t Ethan. This is a true team sport. It’s the ultimate team sport.”

Last week, the connection between Garbers and freshman wide receiver Kwazi Gilmer flourished, as the latter led the team in receiving yards and was later named Big Ten Freshman of the Week.

“All the people around me are motivating,” Gilmer said. “When we go against the one (first team) defense, it just shows you that no matter the age or height, if you’ve got confidence, if you’ve got power, you’ll play.”

Gilmer has now racked up the most yards among all UCLA wide receivers – no small feat for a freshman when the receiver room is one of the deepest on the team and includes experienced incumbents such as redshirt junior J.Michael Sturdivant and redshirt senior Logan Loya, who together accumulated 1,252 receiving yards last season.

Iowa is home to the longest-tenured head coach in the nation, Kirk Ferentz, who has remained at his post since 1999. Over his stint, the Hawkeyes have accumulated just four losing seasons – making Ferentz the standard of consistency in a league full of coaching and player turnover.

“This is a real culture that we’re playing against,” Foster said. “He’s been there for a long time, so the way that he wants them to play is embedded into his players, and you can see that, so this is a good challenge for us at home.”

The Hawkeyes often set their standard of excellence on their defensive end, while their offense has ranked near the bottom of college football over the past few seasons. In 2023, Iowa finished dead last in yards per game, putting up 30 less than any other team.

This season has proven to be a complete turnaround, thanks largely to star running back Kaleb Johnson, who has averaged 7.5 yards per carry en route to 1,279 yards this season – good for second in the nation.

“He’s a good running back,” said redshirt senior safety Bryan Addison. “They have a good offense, but we’re not going to look at our defense like we need to change anything. We’re going to play defense like we always do.”

However, Iowa has succumbed multiple times on the road, amassing a 1-2 record when playing away from its home in Des Moines, Iowa – including its two worst defensive games against Michigan State and Ohio State, where the visitors were defeated by a total of 40 points.

With UCLA looking for its first home win – and on homecoming night, too – Iowa stands as yet another formidable defensive adversary in a season full of challenging defenses.

However, this game will be nothing short of crucial in the Bruins’ attempt to keep their postseason hopes alive.

“We do well on the road, so I’m trying to figure out how we can do the same thing at the Rose Bowl,” Foster said. “It’s a good team we’re playing against, but it’s also homecoming, and I need all the fans to show up, get out here and support us. I want to hear the students out there.”