This post was updated Oct. 18 at 9:41 p.m.

No. 9 UCLA football (6-0, 4-0 Big Ten) continued its undefeated season Saturday at the Rose Bowl, triumphing over Wisconsin (4-2, 2-1). The win boosted UCLA from No. 12 in the rankings and secured the squad its first bowl game since 2023. Daily Bruin assistant Sports editor Kate Bergfeld breaks down her five key components of Saturday’s win.

[Related: Ty Dieffenbach brings winning streak home in UCLA football win over Wisconsin]

A youthful dream

Sometimes the best motivation is ourselves.

Specifically, our younger selves.

And for Ty Dieffenbach, that’s exactly what happened.

In the postgame press conference, the senior quarterback reflected on watching the games from the stands just five years ago, listening to “California Love” and growing up repping the blue and gold. Now, he’s playing on the field and seeing old high school teammates looking back at him from the stands.

His commentary about being an inspiration for others, and saying that anyone from Agoura Hills can make it at the highest level, is a familiar theme among UCLA athletes.

Across all of the sports I have covered, every Bruin mentions the importance of being a role model for younger athletes. And Dieffenbach put on a performance for anyone in the crowd.

Making his first start at the Rose Bowl to fill in for senior quarterback Nico Iamaleava – who left UCLA’s game versus Oregon on Oct. 10 with an injury and is not expected to return this season – Dieffenbach completed 22 out of 33 passes, which is the most thrown by a Bruin all season.

[Related: Nico Iamaleava expected to miss remainder of UCLA football season with knee injury]

He totaled 264 aerial yards, impressive for a team that has been heavily reliant on its run game for offensive success.

And when the Wisconsin defense proved adept at stopping fifth-year running back Wayne Knight, UCLA’s leading rusher, Dieffenbach diverted, figuring out how to transition the game into the air and still find success.

He managed to do so while evading tricky moments when he was cornered, all against a defense that entered the matchup allowing the fourth-fewest passing yards in the Big Ten.

Dieffenbach’s immediate reaction to UCLA’s second touchdown was to head to the students, further proving he hasn’t forgotten his time on the other side of the stands. And if his younger self were watching, he wouldn’t believe his eyes.

Diverse offense

While the “Knight” in shining armor tends to be the go-to move, Wisconsin was prepared to block his attack.

The James Madison transfer still scored one of two Bruin touchdowns, despite recording his least productive game of the year.

But the Bruins’ deep roster was ready to pick up the slack.

With three other players recording 30-plus rushing yards, UCLA found other ways to evade a Wisconsin defense that forced Dieffenbach to turn to the passing attack.

Even in the air, eight different Bruins were involved. Senior wide receiver Semaj Morgan led the squad with 84 receiving yards on five receptions, followed by senior wide receiver Landon Ellis, who had two catches for 57 yards.

Junior Jalen Saint Paul and senior Aidan Mizell each had four receptions, with the former totaling 45 yards.

The Badgers were ready to shut down Knight, who leads the team with 571 rushing yards for 11 rushing touchdowns while also accumulating 106 receiving yards. And the Bruins were ready to show they are capable of leaning on the rest of the offense, even when the star quarterback is missing and the replacement is making his Rose Bowl debut.

If UCLA can continue to spread the offense between its players, there is no telling how far this team will go.

Defense, defense, defense

Everyone says defense wins championships.

For UCLA, it won the game against Wisconsin.

The Bruins kept the Badger offense from showing its potential, forcing quarterback Colton Joseph to scramble 18 times for 71 yards.

He handed it off to running back Abu Sama III six times, good for just 34 yards across the whole game. Running back Darrion Dupree also had six rushing attempts for 20 yards, finding himself at the mercy of a strong Bruin defensive wall.

The Westwood squad kept Wisconsin to a .500 completion rate in the air as well, with only six passes finding the mark. Under 100 passing yards were recorded during the affair, and a team that has been averaging 153 rushing yards and 226.4 passing yards per game was kept to 214 all-purpose yards.

Linebackers fifth-year Jalen Woods and senior Sammy Omosigho spearheaded the defensive efforts, tallying nine and eight tackles, respectively.

Thirteen other players recorded at least a solo tackle, nine of whom snagged multiple.

The defense was critical in responding to criticisms of only winning games from an explosive offense as opposed to slowing down other teams. The Bruins allowed 38 points to Purdue on Sept. 19 and 34 to California on Sept. 5.

This time, the Bruins were able to scrape together two touchdowns and a field goal, shutting down the Badgers and keeping them from putting together scoring drives.

“California knows how to party”

We saw it with women’s basketball: a team that danced its way to a national championship, staying focused on the positive.

And it seems coach Bob Chesney has taken a leaf out of women’s basketball coach Cori Close’s book.

Channeling the lyrics of “California Love,” a classic at every Rose Bowl game, the Bruins are bringing the party wherever they go.

Having gone viral for dancing at the start of the fourth quarter to “Shout” at Oregon, UCLA showed that staying lighthearted and taking in the moment can pay off.

And that energy is infectious.

Chesney has been building the culture around the program, not just the skills of the team. From attending band practice to players interacting with students on Bruin Walk and staying loose in between quarters, these efforts and more are attracting crowds onto the Chesney train.

With the bonus of free student tickets, Chesney has succeeded in bringing in the largest student attendance for a home game that I have witnessed. Seeing stands behind the end zone packed with Bruins in blue and gold was a welcome surprise after standing in a half-empty section last season.

And I’m a believer in the importance of a good crowd.

We saw Dieffenbach feeding off the energy from the students after the second UCLA touchdown. Maybe the Wisconsin kicker missed because of the rowdy section behind the field goal. Either way, having a strong turnout from fans showed the players that the school believes in them and their mission, and they returned the favor by clinching a 6-0 record.

Sheer, stupid luck

Every time I watch UCLA football, I pray.

To God, to the universe, to whatever entity controls the outcome of collegiate sports.

And while sometimes it feels like those prayers are miraculously being answered, it also seems that whatever magic is in the air this season, dumb luck plays a hefty part.

With calls falling in favor of the Bruins, a missed field goal and the ball glancing off hands multiple times, it seemed the squad narrowly escaped sticky situations.

Take the end of the second quarter: Wisconsin ball, driving down the field, shaping up to get on the scoreboard.

Woods sacks Joseph for a loss of 10 yards, giving the squad a short break. But they still have to fend off the field goal.

And Wisconsin kicker Gavin Lahm steps right up – and misses.

Maybe something happened. But the guy has one job – it is all he is responsible for, and he sells. The Bruins may have been lucky to narrowly avoid giving Wisconsin an opportunity to build momentum and threaten a comeback.

Even in UCLA’s very first drive, on a third-and-two for the Bruins, Dieffenbach was forced to scramble and narrowly stumbled into a first down.

I might be a skeptic or just unwilling to believe the turnaround from last year. But a little – or a lot – of luck seems to be with the Bruins, and I’m not complaining.