After a demoralizing season-opening blowout loss to Utah at home, UCLA football will look to earn its redemption when the team travels to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas to battle UNLV. The two squads have played each other just twice before, with the Bruins winning both matchups. Here are UCLA’s week two predictions from Sports editor Connor Dullinger and senior staffer Aaron Doyle – along with a guest prediction from assistant Photo editor Michael Gallagher.

Connor Dullinger
Sports editor
Prediction: UCLA 27, UNLV 24

It cannot get worse after the Rose Bowl bloodbath last week.

The defense was atrocious, the offense sputtered and the coaching staff looked lost.

All three signs point to a repeat against a UNLV squad that excels at the same thing Utah prioritizes – running the rock. Rebel quarterbacks Anthony Colandrea and Alex Orji, along with running back Jai’Den Thomas, could easily stampede UCLA’s rush defense come game time.

But I believe the Utah fiasco was a wake-up call for coach DeShaun Foster and his team.

Forget about the glittering coaching staff additions or the fancy acquisition under center – this UCLA program has proved nothing, and the Bruins needed that reminder.

The Bruins do not have the luxury of name-brand prestige when it comes to the Big Ten or college football. And if they are going to make a name for themselves, they must do it the hard way.

UCLA is walking into Allegiant Stadium with a chip on its shoulder. The defense should have a much easier task without the Utes’ staunch offensive line facing it, and redshirt sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava must have a big day against the Rebel defense. I expect the Bruins to hit the running game hard with their deep ground arsenal and Iamaleava to pick and choose his moments to shine.

Although many people only had negative takeaways after last Saturday’s disaster-class, I think it may have been the perfect thing to wake up a UCLA program that boasted far-fetched aspirations heading into the season.

And if it doesn’t – and this game looks a lot like last week’s – then it is going to be a long season.

Aaron Doyle
Daily Bruin senior staff
Prediction: UCLA 20, UNLV 17

UCLA will have to turn the page in order to take down UNLV.

In one of UCLA’s worst season-opening performances in program history, Iamaleava fell short of expectations in his Bruin debut, completing just 11 of his 22 passes.

With most of the stars from UCLA football’s 2024 roster off to the NFL, the spotlight shone brightly over Foster, with the weight of sending the program to the next level sitting on his shoulders.

Iamaleava’s debut may not have been what he had hoped for, yet he still managed to throw to redshirt junior running back Anthony Woods to secure the team’s only touchdown and rushed for 47 yards – more than the other members of the Bruin offense combined.

However, hunger itself may not be enough to slide past UNLV, which already has two 38-point performances under its belt this season.

The talent is absolutely there for UCLA.

But in order for UCLA to tally its first win of the season, it will need a much more complete game from the rest of the squad – which it is more than capable of doing.

The Bruins have had the past week to reflect and work out the kinks that hindered their last performance against the Utes.

And no one looks more primed to move forward than Iamaleava.

Michael Gallagher
Assistant Photo editor
Prediction: UNLV 28, UCLA 17

“We were close,” Foster said confidently in a media appearance Monday.

Unfortunately for Foster, the Bruins were not playing with horseshoes or hand grenades.

They were playing football at one of the most historic stadiums under a bright spotlight, still looking to prove they belong in the Big Ten.

And the Bruins were not close in their season debut. In fact, they got battered, losing 43-10 to the Utes.

UCLA’s offense was lackluster.

Iamaleava completed just 11 of his 22 passes for 136 yards – and the ground game was even slower, picking up just 84 total yards, 47 of which came from Iamaleava.

The Bruin defense was similarly still in hibernation.

They conceded nearly 500 total yards, missed tackles like the Utes were paying them to and failed to pick up a single sack the entire evening.

Both sides of the ball were clearly not prepared for game day. Unlike what Foster said, for fans, critics and opposing teams, close is not close enough.

UNLV, comparatively, looks sharp and ready for the Las Vegas matchup.

Last week, Colandrea completed 19 of his 23 pass attempts for nearly 250 yards and two scores. Additionally, a different Rebel scored each of UNLV’s five touchdowns.

The defense also proved solid, holding Sam Houston to just three touchdowns and stopping it 11 of 12 times on third.

With the Rebels rolling and UCLA scrambling, it is hard to see a victory on the horizon. UCLA’s problems are not going to be solved in a week, especially after a demoralizing loss in its season debut.

The Utes’ whopping might have lit a fire for the Bruins, but it seems unlikely that will be enough to give them the win.