The UCLA football team plays its first Big Ten Conference road game in program history Saturday when it visits Beaver Stadium, home of the seventh-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten).

The game will be nationally-televised on FOX, which is also slated to have its "Big Noon Kickoff" air from University Park, Pa. Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt and Jenny Taft are on the call. The UCLA Sports Network will provide radio coverage of the contest, which will also be aired over SiriusXM.

SERIES HISTORY
UCLA and Penn State are facing off for the first time since 1968, when the third-ranked Nittany Lions recorded a 21-6 win at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Penn State entered the matchup on a 10-game winning streak, which started after quarterback Gary Beban and the No. 3 Bruins dealt the Nittany Lions a 17-15 setback at Beaver Stadium the previous year. UCLA leads the all-time series 4-2.

WELCOME TO THE FOS ERA
It is a year of change for UCLA football, as head coach DeShaun Foster took the reins at his alma mater Feb. 12, 2024. A member of the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame for his prowess in the Bruin offensive backfield from 1998-2001, Foster spent seven seasons in the National Football League. He piled up more that 4,500 total yards and 16 touchdowns, including a 33-yard scoring dash in Super Bowl XXXVIII as a member of the Carolina Panthers. Foster spent the previous 11 seasons — including 10 at UCLA — in the collegiate coaching ranks before being promoted from associate head coach and running backs coach.

LAST TIME OUT
The Bruins are coming off a 34-13 defeat against No. 8 Oregon last weekend at the Rose Bowl Stadium. UCLA's Ethan Garbers connected on 12 of 20 pass attempts for 118 yards. Bruins' kicker Mateen Bhaghani was a perfect 2-for-2 on field goals, converting a career-best 54-yard field goal in the third quarter. Dillon Gabriel completed 31 of 41 passes for 280 yards, throwing three touchdowns and one interception for the Ducks. His pick was returned 96 yards for a score by Bryan Addison just before halftime. Carson Schwesinger led the UCLA defense, which held Oregon to just six second-half points, with 13 total tackles.

AT A GLANCE
• QB Ethan Garbers logged a career-high 281 passing yards and a season-high two touchdowns in UCLA's 34-17 loss to LSU at Tiger Stadium (Sept. 21). He connected with nine different receivers against the Tigers, with all nine posting at least one catch of 10+ yards (both season highs).
• WR Kwazi Gilmer made the first two receptions of his career at LSU, each for 25+ yards and setting up scoring drive. The true freshman totaled a team-high 61 receiving yards. Gilmer made the first start of his career against Oregon last weekend and recorded team bests or four catches and 31 yards through the air.
• LB Carson Schwesinger made the most of his first-career start at LSU, leading the Bruins with 12 tackles. He one-upped himself the next week against Oregon, posting a team-high 13.
• Schwesinger's enters this Saturday as the Big Ten leader in solo tackles per game (5.8).
• LB Kain Medrano was a defensive standout for the Bruins in their loss to Indiana at the Rose Bowl (Sept. 14). Medrano recorded a team and career-high 3.0 tackles for loss, marking the third multi-TFL performance of his career. The Pueblo, Colo. native also paced the Bruins with nine total tackles, including eight solo.
• The UCLA defense surrendered just three second-half points, a feat it accomplished twice in 2023, at Hawai'i (Aug. 31). The Bruins shut out Utah (Sept. 23, 2023) and San Diego State (Sept. 9, 2023) in the final 30 minutes of those road contests. The unit gave up just six second-half points against Oregon last weekend.
• The Bruins piled up five sacks, 11 tackles for loss and two interceptions at Hawai'i. The UCLA defense in 2023 never reached all three totals in a single game. The TFL total matched the 2023 group's season high, which it accomplished in road games against Stanford (Oct. 21) and Utah (Sept. 23). The 2023 Bruins finished with 105 TFL, a program high since 2009.
• The Bruins outscored Hawai'i 16-3 in the second half of its 16-13 season-opening road win. That marked the first time a UCLA team won a game after being held scoreless in the first half since Oct. 1, 2005, when it took down Washington 21-17 after trailing 10-0 at halftime.