This post was updated Oct. 25 at 10:50 p.m.

No. 7 UCLA football (7-0, 5-0 Big Ten) took down Michigan State (2-6, 0-5) 28-10 on Saturday at the Rose Bowl in the Bruins’ homecoming game. This is the first time UCLA has begun its season 7-0 since 2005. Daily Bruin assistant Sports editor Sinclair Richman breaks down five key pieces of the Week Eight victory.

[Related: UCLA football keeps its rhythm against Michigan State to stay undefeated 7-0]

Cleanup crew

The first half of the game was, for lack of a better word, sloppy.

Two fumbles, one near-interception and nine incompletions – two of which should have been easy catches – all through the first 30 minutes of play.

UCLA didn’t look like the dominant team seen through its first six games. Michigan State scored first on just its second drive of the game after stripping the ball on an uncharacteristic fumble by fifth-year running back Anthony Woods.

The Bruins were forced to punt on their next two possessions before finally getting a touchdown, which was immediately followed by another fumble from senior running back Jaivian Thomas.

And then the Bruin faithful may have been hit by a wave of deja vu.

Senior quarterback Ty Dieffenbach went down, grabbing his leg in the final minute of the first half, eerily similar to the way senior quarterback Nico Iamaleava exited UCLA’s Oct. 10 match against Oregon before being ruled out for the season.

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

But everything seemed to pick up in the second half.

The Bruins opened the half with a 63-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Brian Rowe Jr. for his first score of the season. And the squad kept the momentum going, forcing a punt and following it up with another touchdown.

A slow start limited what could have been a rout of the game, but the Bruins’ ability to pick it up and change mindsets at halftime demonstrated the perseverance needed to succeed as the season continues.

Connection loading

All season long, UCLA’s storyline has been hallmarked by the Cerberus-like running back room.

But the tides could be shifting with a new quarterback in the pocket.

Based strictly on the numbers, there’s reason for doubt. But Dieffenbach’s 18-for-31 performance for 198 yards does not tell the whole story.

In the first half, several key passes from the signal-caller hit a player in the chest and were not caught. Whether this was due to homecoming jitters, getting used to a new quarterback or leaving the gloves outside in the rain, not every incompletion was on Dieffenbach.

But in the third quarter, coming back onto the field after a scary hit, Dieffenbach and his receivers looked to be finally on the same page, allowing them to connect for crucial downfield passes.

Dieffenbach opened the second half looking very comfortable in the pocket, finding Rowe going deep out of play action. And in the entire third quarter, the signal-caller had five completions on just seven attempts.

Although the Bruins were unable to score in the fourth quarter, a 17-yard pass from the Calabasas local to senior wide receiver Aidan Mizell proved once more his increased confidence and comfort.

In the second half, Dieffenbach connected on eight of his 12 attempts to gather 114 yards through the final 30 minutes of play. If the second half sheds light on what the receiving room can do with Dieffenbach in, this could be a new layer of depth for the offense.

Out of the woods

It took a little bit of time for the Bruins to escape danger. Helping them get out of the woods were two crucial players: Anthony Woods and his teammate, fifth-year linebacker Jalen Woods.

Anthony Woods bounced back after a rough start to the game.

In the Bruins’ first drive of the afternoon, Anthony Woods’ seven-yard carry was stopped when safety Devin Vaught stripped the ball from his hands, setting the Spartans up for their first, and only, touchdown of the night.

After the setback, though, Anthony Woods put on a clinic on the ground. The Palmdale, California, local rushed for one touchdown on a team-high 112 yards – his first time reaching triple digits since the Bruins’ season opener – on 14 carries.

Not to sound like a broken record, but the skillset of the three-headed dog that is UCLA’s running back room continues to impress week in and week out. Anyone could show up and perform at any time, and on Saturday, Anthony Woods was able to rebound and do just that.

But he wasn’t alone in standout performances.

Jalen Woods recorded his third-straight game with nine tackles, six of which were solo. Jalen Woods was integral to pressuring the Spartans’ pocket, recording one of the Bruins’ four sacks and one of the team’s six tackles for loss.

The Bruins would not have been able to get away from the instability at the beginning of the game without the two-way prowess of a Jalen Woods two-for-one package.

Defensive domination

Through 13 drives, Michigan State was forced to punt over half the time.

Of the six remaining drives, the Spartans turned the ball over three times.

Simply put, UCLA’s defense was dominant.

The rush on the pocket was too fast for the Spartans’ offensive line to protect, and the opposing run game was completely smothered. Defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler’s players held down the fort for a Bruin team that was slow to get the offense rolling.

The Spartans were limited to just 156 all-purpose yards, including only 29 on the ground. And it seemed the overwhelming defensive pressure was the result of an all-around effort from UCLA’s depth.

Senior defensive back Malik Hartford opened the performance by forcing the first fumble of his career on Michigan State’s first drive of the second quarter, to go along with an interception and a tackle for loss.

Immediately after Thomas’ fumble, senior linebacker Donavyn Pellot caught his career-first interception, running it back for 67 yards to set the Bruins up for an eventual touchdown.

Alongside Hartford and Pellot’s picks came a stellar pass rush.

With freshman quarterback Kayd Coffman starting for Michigan State, UCLA’s pressure seemed to be even more successful than usual. The Bruins limited Coffman to four completions on 10 attempts for a total of just 42 yards before Leo Hannan took over, throwing for nine completions and 67 yards.

The Bruins recorded four sacks, with Midseason All-American senior linebacker Sammy Omosigho accounting for half, in addition to six tackles. And in the Spartans’ final drive of the third frame, the Westwood bunch took down Coffman twice in five plays, leading to a loss of 10 yards through the drive.

Defense wins championships, and if Omosigho and the rest of the defensive line can continue to engulf opposing squads, UCLA seems to be in a pretty good place.

Full steam ahead

With a 7-0 start to the season for the first time since 2005, pressure continues to build in the steam engine that is the Chesney Train.

Though they’ve already achieved Daily Bruin Sports editor Jacob Nguyen’s goal of making a bowl game, there is still a lot left in the tank.

But to reach the College Football Playoff, UCLA will need to show more dominant performances than the one Saturday. The Bruins have played a schedule ranked No. 63 through all FBS schools. And the strength of their remaining schedule is just No. 56 in the country.

In a Big Ten conference with two of the top four teams in the country, UCLA managed to get only then-No. 13 Oregon – who has since dropped out of the rankings, and No. 25 Wisconsin – who just entered the rankings. Chesney’s squad won’t even have to face No. 20 Northwestern.

On the bright side, it means UCLA actually has a realistic shot at finishing the regular season undefeated and advancing to the Big Ten championship, as it is the only remaining team without a loss in the conference.

On the flip side, it means that they have yet to truly be challenged. If determining the final spot for the CFP comes down to a Bruins squad that lost just one game in the Big Ten championship or an opposing team that has two losses but boasts wins over more top-ranked opponents, the committee could lean away from the blue and gold.

Even in games that should be blowouts, UCLA may have to put on a show for the selection committee.

But hey, all aboard the Chesney Train.