COLLEGE PARK — All offseason, headlines clamored about the Chesney train, with players, coaches and fans alike subscribing to a movement of optimism heading into the 2026 season.

With Bob Chesney’s relatives filling multiple buses to make the trek from the head honcho’s hometown of Kulpmont, Pennsylvania, to College Park, it was all aboard.

As Chesney’s family filled the stands at SECU Stadium, it seemed the Bruins were no less of a family themselves on the gridiron, capturing the road victory by committee with highlight plays from a number of names.

UCLA football (4-0, 2-0 Big Ten) bested Maryland (2-2, 0-1) 54-3 Saturday afternoon on the road, clinching the program’s best opening to a season since 2022. With four straight wins to open his career in Westwood, Chesney became the first Bruin head coach to do so since 1949.

“We’re capable of that complementary game of football,” Chesney said. “This is a situation where our guys have to be able to step up and can’t listen to any outside noise throughout the week. … That’s ultimately it: find a way to get better.”

Although the game opened with a scoreless first quarter, the Bruins were quick to rebound in the second frame, posting three touchdowns – which they have done in every game so far – all on the ground.

The stampede first began at the start of the second quarter on a direct snap to Wayne Knight on a fourth-down conversion, with the fifth-year running back breaking through the Terrapins’ defensive line for his ninth rushing score of the season – surpassing the Bruins’ entire tally from 2025. Knight led the game with 100 rushing yards – bringing his season total to 445 – as well as 135 all-purpose yards in the matchup.

On the following drive, a fake read-option from senior quarterback Nico Iamaleava – followed by a swing to Knight, who bolted right and dodged the first tackle on the sideline – set up a red zone drive from fifth-year running back Anthony Woods, who would spin into the end zone a few plays later.

UCLA would complete its perfect trifecta in three straight possessions with three different heads of its Cerberus running back room scoring when senior Jaivian Thomas took a house call untouched for three yards. Both against the Terrapins and throughout the year, the Bruins have found ample success on explosive plays with their timing on downfield blocking, which saw heightened productivity from a deep tight end rotation, alongside an impenetrable rotation of offensive guards.

“That’s a position where you’re trying to take hits of guys,” Chesney said. “You don’t want to put yourself in a spot where you have one guy carrying the ball 40 times a game – something is bound to happen. Ultimately, for us, that was a big part of it – it’s that we feel like we got three that are very capable. If one gets hot, though, it’s good to stay with him a little longer.”

The Terrapins’ run game paled in comparison to the Bruins’, with starting running back DeJuan Williams having been out since Week 1 and backup Harry Dalton III ruled out of the match. With Iverson Howard receiving a bulk of the snaps, Maryland struggled to gain any momentum, averaging just 1.3 yards per carry.

UCLA consistently stuffed the defensive line, with edges shedding off blockers to prevent meaningful gains. Junior defensive lineman Sahir West was particularly impactful, posting his first sack since opening the year against California alongside two tackles for loss.

After giving up 38 points and 425 passing yards to Purdue last week, it seemed uncertain if UCLA could contain a Maryland attack led by quarterback Malik Washington, who entered the affair with 892 yards on a 71.6% completion rate.

“It was just fundamentals,” said senior linebacker Sammy Omosigho of the defensive performance. “Fundamentals are really our thing. We liked last week, and we’re trying to focus on that each week. Of course, we had a better outcome this week, but we still have to get better.”

But when fifth-year defensive back Mason Rivera picked off the Terrapins’ signal caller on his final drive of the first quarter, the fans got a glimpse into what would ensue next.

Throughout the match, UCLA was swift to rush Washington, forcing him to make quick decisions out of collapsed pockets and awry throws with minimal accuracy. The Glen Burie, Maryland, local posted his worst game of the season – throwing at a 47% clip for a total of 142 yards – with Bruin defenders making routine plays on the ball.

Following the second quarter’s offensive assault, the third was a defensive masterclass that put an exclamation point on the day the Bruins allowed their fewest points since November 2015. On Maryland’s first drive of the second half, a rush from Washington’s left forced him to scramble and eventually underthrow a pass that would be picked off and returned for a house call by senior defensive back Ta’Shawn James.

Just seven possessions later, senior defensive back Scooter Jackson would intercept another misread from Maryland’s offense to add to UCLA’s double-digit advantage.

“Our safety (James), you watch it on film, just did a really nice job of bluffing,” Chesney said. “He was going one way and coming back the other way. … Then Scooter, we were showing something and then getting out of it and putting ourselves in a spot where he could jump something into the flat. Obviously, the quarterback and receiver for them just weren’t on the same page when Scooter stepped into the flat and took that ball.”

The multiple pick-sixes mark the first such performance by the Bruins since 2014. Despite entering the match with zero interceptions, Washington was picked off four times by UCLA, eventually being subbed out not even halfway through the game’s final frame.

As a unit, the Bruins handcuffed the Terrapins to just 181 yards of total offense, including less than 90 in the first half. Outside of a late first-half drive that ended in a field goal, Maryland was forced to punt on every other drive that did not end in a direct turnover, having clinched just 13 first downs.

“Continue to be us,” Iamaleava said when asked about the Bruins’ focus going into their next game. “We still haven’t played to our full potential. … The emphasis is it doesn’t matter. Get better. Like Coach Ches says, that’s the main focus – trying to put this offense, defense and special teams complementary football together.”

Despite the cold and East Coast time difference, the Bruin family continued to dance throughout the lopsided affair, swag surfing their way through the Maryland rain and clinching a historic start to 2026.