UCLA Bruins Insider Podcast: Football Final Cleanup, Basketball Gameday Prep

Our latest episode of the UCLA Bruins Insider Podcast cleans up the Bruins' upset win on Homecoming night and prepares for the basketball team's upcoming matchup in a bounce-back spot.

Nov 8, 2024; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins linebacker Carson Schwesinger (49) and teammates celebrate after an interception in the second half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins are coming off a win in one sport while falling in upset fashion in another. Bruins football has won their third game in a row, while the basketball squad suffered its first loss of the season at a neutral site in Henderson, Nevada, this past weekend.

In this episode of the UCLA Bruins Insider Podcast, Bruins on SI beat writer Tom Cavanaugh finishes recapping the Bruins' upset win over the Iowa Hawkeyes last week and previews the upcoming matchup for the basketball team in a bounce-back spot after losing to New Mexico last week.

Bruins football has played their best brand of ball over the past several weeks. A third-straight upset win in a Big Ten game was led by the defense that held Hawkeyes star running back Kaleb Johnson to his lowest total of the season.

Johnson was averaging 141.3 rushing yards per game, and the Bruins defense completely swallowed him for his worst game of the season, mustering just 49 yards and one touchdown. There was no bigger key to victory than limiting the nation's second-best back.

Special teams came through in a big way as well with sophomore kicker Mateen Bhaghani playing a pivotal role. He kicked a 57-yard field goal in the first half for a career-long and second-longest in school history. He would later follow that up with the game-winning kick in the final minutes.

Bruins basketball has a chance to bounce back after a crumbling loss to New Mexico in just their second game of the season. 21 turnovers and a poor shooting performance from the majority of the team were the leading reasons for their first loss of the season.

Head coach Mick Cronin and his guys will prepare for a much easier battle against Boston University (0-2) on Monday night. It will be a good opportunity for the Bruins to correct their mistakes from last week, focusing on cleaning up the errors that must be fixed before they start Big Ten play.

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