This post was updated Oct. 5 at 10:55 p.m.

The final pillar of the DeShaun Foster era fell Tuesday.

Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri – who helped lead the Indiana offense to its first-ever College Football Playoff appearance and a school-record 11 wins last season – parted ways with UCLA, following former head coach DeShaun Foster and defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe out of Westwood. 

With the Bruins’ top three coaches out the door, a power vacuum was created. Jerry Neuheisel was named the next offensive play caller.

And the assistant head coach and tight ends coach wasted no time in seizing his moment.

“I’ve been following UCLA football since I was in seventh grade, and I am 55 years old now, and Jerry Neuheisel won at AT&T Stadium against Texas – his finest moment – and he’s going to have his day today,” said Orange County resident and longtime UCLA fan Jerry Liu before the Saturday game.

Fueled by 27 first-half points – more than in its first four games combined – and reverberating “Jerry” chants from the Bruin faithful, UCLA football (1-4, 1-1 Big Ten) defeated No. 7 Penn State (3-2, 0-2) 42-37 at the Rose Bowl on Saturday in the team’s first home game of the season with students back on campus for the fall quarter. 

The win was the Bruins’ first since Nov. 30, 2024, and marked the first time they have led all season. The loss marked back-to-back defeats for Penn State after they fell to Oregon in double overtime last week at Beaver Stadium.

Leading up to the game, the Bruins stressed setting the tone early and mitigating self-inflicted wounds. 

[Related: UCLA football looks to address slow starts, penalties ahead of Penn State matchup]

“I think starting off strong – and I know Coach Skip (interim head coach Tim Skipper) has mentioned that – that’s the biggest struggle for the offense right now is getting on a high note at the start of the game,” said redshirt senior tight end Hudson Habermehl. “So if we can eliminate any penalties, any negative plays, and if we can execute on first down, set ourselves up for second and third, I think that’s the best chance we have for starting off the first half with some good execution.”

And UCLA wasted no time Saturday, opening with guns blazing.

The Bruins elected to receive the toss, just four days removed from losing their offensive coordinator. 

[Related: Sunseri out in Westwood, following Foster and Malloe]

UCLA’s decision to come out swinging was rewarded, as it went 75 yards downfield for an almost five-minute drive, which culminated in an 11-yard touchdown reception to wide receiver Kwazi Gilmer. 

The sophomore pass catcher finished the affair with five receptions and 79 yards, continuing to illustrate why he is one of redshirt sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s main targets.

The offense did not flatline after the first drive peak, either.

The Bruins employed a high-tempo offense with an equitable pass-to-rush ratio, which looked to take advantage of a sluggish Nittany Lion defense that allowed just 47 points through its first four contests.

Iamaleava looked the most comfortable he has all season, passing for 166 yards and scoring five total touchdowns – all single-game highs this year.

“Big time players make big time plays, and that’s what he did out there,” Skipper said. “He’s a football player. It doesn’t matter what the play call is; you have to always account for him. And he rises to the occasion. That’s the main thing I love about him. There’s no pressure too big for him.”

The Long Beach, California, locals’ legs were imperative in key situations, picking up first downs on second and third and long throughout the affair. 

Iamaleava’s 128 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground added to UCLA’s total of 269 yards – 145 more than its game average this season.

The signal caller said that he preached solidarity and belief leading up to and throughout the Bruins’ first win over a top-10 team since 2010.

“There was just a lot of outside noise coming into it, and I was just preaching to the guys that you know, if y’all don’t want to be here – leave,” Iamaleava said. “I was basically telling the guys that whoever still believes that we’re still in this and that we still have games ahead of us that we can go win, let’s roll.”

Redshirt senior defensive back Key Lawrence echoed Iamaleava’s belief in the team and the program while adding that the win was for the squad.

“Nobody in the world expected us to win. Let’s be honest here, everybody doubted us, and we understand that, we just kept to ourselves,” Lawrence said. “We’re just proud of each other, honestly, we played for each other. I wasn’t playing for nobody in the stands. I wasn’t playing for nobody else.”

UCLA’s biggest improvement came on third down, going 10-for-15 on Saturday after registering a 15-for-49 mark through the first four games of the season. 

And while UCLA’s defense – which has struggled all season to stop the run and keep opposing offenses out of the red zone – conceded 37 points, it still made its presence, and more poignantly, its energy felt.

The Bruins brought down Penn State quarterback Drew Allar on fourth and two in the twilight of the first half, which culminated in a 54-yard converted field goal from junior kicker Mateen Bhaghani. Lawrence also forced a key fumble just over 30 seconds into the second half, which was recovered by redshirt sophomore defensive back Rodrick Pleasant.

And while Penn State brought the game within one touchdown with 4:16 remaining in the contest, the second-half comeback was too little too late for coach James Franklin’s squad. 

After four consecutive losses and the departure of three coaches, UCLA took its first lead of the season and emphatically stamped its first “W” on the schedule.

The Bruins, under offensive play caller Jerry Neuheisel, are officially 1-0.

“I love UCLA more than anything,” Neuheisel said. “And the kind of kids that you see that played on that field today is exactly why we love a place like this. We had two days to practice the new game plan, and all they did was believe, and we came out and played as hard as we could for 60 full minutes.”