No. 7 Penn State looks to rebound against winless UCLA after double-overtime loss

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — After Penn State lost to Oregon in a double-overtime thriller, the seventh-ranked Nittany Lions now face a vastly different opponent in winless UCLA.

A game against the Bruins (0-4, 0-1 Big Ten) at the Rose Bowl on Saturday should be a good chance for the Nittany Lions to get back on track. Penn State is a 25 1/2-point favorite, according to BetMGM.com.

The Nittany Lions (3-1, 0-1) are national championship contenders, and coach James Franklin wants his team to know that goal is still attainable.

“Making sure that we stay as positive as possible. Don’t allow one loss to turn into two,” he said. “We’ve had this issue in the past where one loss turns into two because there’s so much negativity that it’s hard to get the team over it and moved on. That’s going to be really important.

“It’s also very telling, and this was a message with our team, that the team in our conference last year that won the national championship (Ohio State) had two conference losses during the season. I think two of the top five teams in the country (Georgia and LSU) lost (last) week. College football is different than how it’s been in the past. You have to do everything you possibly can to put yourself in position to get in the playoffs and make a run.”

There’s been much national chatter about Franklin’s 4-21 record against AP top-10 teams since he became coach, but that won’t matter against one of the worst teams in college football. UCLA has never gone winless — its worst season was 1-9 in 1940 — but with an arduous conference schedule, a win could be hard to come by this season.

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar has thrown for 763 yards in four games with six touchdowns and two interceptions. Leading rusher Kaytron Allen has 46 carries for 327 yards (7.1 yards per rush). UCLA ranks 106th in the FBS in total defense, allowing 401.8 yards per game.

Penn State’s defense, led by linebacker Amare Campbell (37 tackles) meets a sputtering Bruins offense that's ranked 117th in the FBS with just 312.2 yards per game. The Nittany Lions limit opponents to just 274 yards per game and 11.75 points per game, 10th in the FBS. UCLA averages just 14.25 points behind quarterback Nico Iamaleava, the Tennessee transfer who grew up in Long Beach.

UCLA fell behind Northwestern 17-0 last week and rallied late but its comeback bid fell short in a 17-14 loss. Iamaleava completed 19 of 27 passes for 180 yards and one touchdown, and ran for 65 yards on 14 carries.

“I thought he settled in nicely,” UCLA interim coach Tim Skipper said. “I thought he came in taking some contact and getting hits and that actually helps him. I think he enjoys that part of the game. I think it settles him down. He feels more part of it, so I like the way he progressed as the game went. Obviously, like all games, there’s plays he wished he could get back, but I like that we’re not turning the ball over and we’re being smart with it and doing things we need to do. So it’ll keep getting better and better.”

UCLA has found no consistency offensively, defensively or with its coaching staff. Skipper will be at the helm for his second game after DeShaun Foster was fired three losses into the season. At the time, the Bruins also parted ways with defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe.

Also gone is new offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri, who left in a mutual parting of ways, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times. Tight ends coach Jerry Neuheisel, the son of former UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel and a former Bruin himself, will call offensive plays Saturday.

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