UCLA upsets No. 7 Penn State for their first win of the season

This win will be remembers for years for UCLA football fans.

This was a massive upset and the end of a four-game losing streak. UCLA entered the game as a 24.5-point underdog against the No. 7-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions, and not only did they keep the game close, but they also won it by five.

The win was UCLA's first of the season after starting the season 0-4. The Bruins had been held to 14 points or fewer in three of their first four games and hadn't led in a game all season before taking a quick 10-0 lead in the first quarter.

The victory came just weeks after UCLA had fired its head coach and replaced both its offensive and defensive coordinators, making it an emotional and morale-boosting victory for the team under interim coach Tim Skipper.

The win marked UCLA's first win over an AP Top 10 opponent since 2010, snapping a long drought against top-10-ranked competition. UCLA is the first 0-4 opponent to beat a top-10 team since the statistic was first recorded back in 1985, when UTEP defeated No. 7 BYU.

Quarterback Nico Iamaleava had a standout performance, leading the upset in his first year as the starter at UCLA with 128 rushing yards, 166 passing yards, and a career-high 5 touchdowns in an outstanding performance against a good, solid Penn State defense.

The overall historical series believe it or now between the two teams is close, and UCLA now has a 5-3 lead over Penn State after this victory.

While the 2025 game holds the most recent and dramatic significance in terms of an upset of UCLA over Penn State, there were two other close UCLA wins in the mid-1960s that are also worth noting.

On October 7, 1967, it was a narrow two-point victory for UCLA on the road in State College as UCLA defeated Penn State by a final score of 17-15.

Two years before that Bruins' win on October 2, 1965, was another close road win for the Bruins, and it was this time by two points as well. To put it in perspective, the 1965 UCLA team went on to be undefeated after an opening loss, as they defeated Penn State by a score of 24-22.

The historical significance of this win over No. 7 Penn State and this upset is that it turned around a disastrous start to the season against a highly ranked, Big Ten team that many had predicted to make it to the national championship game.