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UCLA’s ‘physical football’ more to Bob Chesney’s liking

April 21, 2026

LOS ANGELES — On Tuesday, one practice after UCLA’s first live scrimmage of spring football, which was held Saturday and closed to the media, coach Bob Chesney felt the intensity picked back up to a satisfactory level.

“Saturday scrimmage, I thought we looked OK. Today, it looked a whole lot better,” Chesney said after practice. “I thought their intensity was where it should be. Played some physical football.”

UCLA deployed a variety of “exotic” defensive schemes, and Chesney was impressed with the results from both sides of the football when drilling those looks. Mainly, the safeties played close to the line of scrimmage, blitzing and trying to disguise coverages.

During the first live series, the first-team defense had success confusing the offense and disrupting its plays. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava targeted wide receiver Semaj Morgan on a deep seam route, and slot cornerback DJ Barksdale and safety Cole Martin were all over it, leaving no window for Iamaleava, who overthrew Morgan.

On the next play, Martin and free safety Tao Johnson rushed the passer. Because of that pressure, Iamaleava got rid of the ball quickly, missing the slant route he targeted.

But in the second period of 11-on-11, Iamaleava and the offense navigated the smoke and mirrors.

Feeling the pressure, Iamaleava got the ball out quickly to tight end Noah Fox-Flores on an underneath route.

A few plays later, with all 11 defenders at the line of scrimmage, Iamaleava read the coverage perfectly, understanding who was blitzing and who was dropping, and hit wide receiver Landon Ellis on a post route for a touchdown. The offense popped two more plays on a screen pass to Troy Leigber and an outside run from Jaivian Thomas.

“I thought we did a really good job of handling it,” Chesney said of both units’ responses to the “exotic” defensive looks. “I thought the quarterback managed it well. There were two big plays off of it, and then there were two other sacks that happened off of it.”

Some other highlights from UCLA’s ninth spring practice included Chesney’s father, Bob Sr., making an appearance, and getting into the practice with pointers of his own. Bob Sr. has been coaching football since 1971 at North Schuylkill High in Pennsylvania. He’s also been on his son’s staff as recently as at James Madison. He offers a different perspective to his son and his staff’s schematic ways of looking at things, Chesney said.

“He just sees the game differently,” Chesney said of his father. “He sees it from a very different perspective, where, you know, we’re so caught up in the exact X’s and O’s and every moving, you know, schematic part. He feels people. He feels matchups.”

That’s what coaching football was about when Bob Sr. was in his prime. Having his expertise at UCLA lends to a healthy blend between schematic mindset and the importance of winning the one-on-one matchup.

Notably, defensive back Rodrick Pleasant continued to wear a non-contact jersey as he has throughout spring practice, but got involved by leading the team in their school spirit chant during the stretching period.

Defensive back Scooter Jackson wasn’t present at practice, stretching his unavailability to a two-week absence. Running back Wayne Knight worked off to the side.

UCLA will add an additional practice to its penultimate week of spring football with a Friday night practice under the lights starting at 6 p.m..

Orange County Register

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UCLA’s ‘physical football’ more to Bob Chesney’s liking

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