UCLA Riding Momentum Going into Iowa Matchup

UCLA is on a two-game win streak and now will have the benefit of playing in front of an advantageous Homecoming crowd.

Oct 12, 2024; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins running back Keegan Jones (22) celebrates with head coach DeShaun Foster after scoring a touchdown against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the first quarter at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

UCLA football is on an extreme high right now.

The Bruins are not the same team they were a few weeks ago when they sat at 1-5 with seemingly no answers to their abysmal start to the year. UCLA has just pulled off two Big Ten road wins -- one that it probably should have won against one of the worst teams in the conference, Rutgers, and another against a Nebraska team that had just come off a neck-and-neck battle with one of the best teams in the nation, Ohio State.

And just like that, wishful murmurs of a potential bowl bid are beginning to swirl, as the Bruins, while unlikely, could actually secure themselves bowl eligibility by winning three of their next four games.

A win against iowa on Friday night would the perfect way to kick off that endeavor.

Iowa has already clinched bowl eligibility itself and has been one of the more sneaky teams in the Big Ten this season. But fortuantely for UCLA, it gets to face the Hawkeyes at home.

Iowa enters the matchup with the best rushing offense in the conference, led by running back Kaleb Johnson, who is second in the nation in total rushing yards with 1,279. As a whole, Iowa's offense has produced 222.3 rushing yards per game.

But fortunately for the Bruins, they rank ninth in the country in rush defense, averaging 100.4 rushing yards allowed per game.

UCLA has started to come along in the rushing department itself, though still ranks in the bottom of the Big Ten with just 73.9 rushing yards per game.

The ground game may just make the difference in this one.

But the ultimate factor might just be which team wants it more. The Bruins have a renewed sense of hope, now having put together two consecutive wins for the first time this season. And as UCLA searches for a third, it will be given a huge boost from its Homecoming crowd at the Rose Bowl on Friday, making for an environment that could be very tough for the Hawkeyes to thrive in.

Friday's contest kicks off at 6 p.m. PST, 9 p.m. EST.

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