Positive trends usher UCLA, Iowa into Friday night Rose Bowl meeting

UCLA returns to Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena on Friday for the first time in almost a month riding the momentum of its first winning streak in 2024 with Iowa visiting for a Big Ten Conference matchup.

The Bruins (3-5, 2-4 Big Ten) bookended their Oct. 26 bye with road wins over Rutgers (35-32) and Nebraska (27-20). Quarterback Ethan Garbers' improved passing was a common denominator.

He threw six touchdowns without an interception, bouncing back from a start in which he threw picks in each of the first five games and multiple interceptions in three of the five.

"He's thrown the ball well, efficiently getting the ball to a lot of people, including the [running] backs," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said of Garbers on Tuesday.

Five UCLA pass-catchers have at least 15 receptions, with running back T.J. Harden's 27 leading the way. Three of Logan Loya's 20 catches went for touchdowns, and eight Bruins have caught for scores in total.

"We're still working with the run game," Bruins coach DeShaun Foster said during his Tuesday media availability. "We're able to hit runs in certain situations that we need them."

But UCLA ranks last in the nation in rushing offense at 73.9 yards per game. The Bruins face a traditionally sturdy defense ranked 18th in the nation allowing 106.3 rushing yards per game.

Linebacker Jay Higgins, whose 94 tackles rank fourth among all FBS players, leads the stout Hawkeyes.

Iowa (6-3, 4-2) enters the Rose Bowl for the first time since facing Stanford in the 2016 Rose Bowl Game. The Hawkeyes are on their own two-game winning streak, bouncing back from a 32-20 loss at Michigan State on Oct. 19 with 40-14 and 42-10 blowouts of Northwestern and Wisconsin.

With the romps the last two weeks, Iowa improved to 5-1 at Carver-Hawkeye Stadium with an average margin of victory of 27.8 points per game. Road games have been another story for the Hawkeyes.

Since routing Minnesota in Minneapolis on Sept. 21, 31-14, Iowa is 0-2 in road games with a pair of double-digit-point losses. Before the 12-point setback at Michigan State, the Hawkeyes dropped a 35-7 decision at Ohio State.

This week is an especially unique road trip for Iowa, going to the West Coast on a short turnaround. Ferentz noted in his time at Maine in the early 1990s, the Black Bears made a 10-hour bus trip to play Rutgers.

Compared to that, he said, the flight to Los Angeles is a breeze. "The weather will probably be a little better, too," he quipped.

--Field Level Media