PASADENA, Calif. — It took a while and a bit of a scare, but UCLA opened a season featuring high expectations with a 45-17 win over Bowling Green on Saturday, as a record-low 27,143 fans made the trip to the Rose Bowl in triple-digit temperatures.
UCLA trailed 17-7 at one point, but outscored Bowling Green — the first MAC team to play in the Rose Bowl in the FBS era — 38-0 the rest of the way for a season-opening win. The Bruins put up more than 600 yards of offense, and the defense pitched a shutout in the second half.
Head coach Chip Kelly said his team dug themselves a hole, but didn’t continue to keep digging.