UCLA's Chesney Named Big Ten's Top Coach at Midseason
Bob Chesney was voted the Big Ten's top coach at the midway point of the season, and No. 12 UCLA was named the conference's most surprising team, in a poll of Associated Press writers who cover the league. The Bruins are 5-0, their best start under a first-year coach in program history, and sit tied with No. 4 Ohio State and No. 5 Indiana atop the Big Ten standings at 3-0.
UCLA was picked to finish 13th in the 18-team conference after going 8-16 overall and 6-12 in Big Ten play over the previous two seasons under Deshaun Foster and Tim Skipper. Chesney arrived last December after leading James Madison to a 21-6 record over two years, including a berth in last season's College Football Playoff. He inherited a program in turmoil: the athletic department's finances were strained, and five days before UCLA's season opener, chancellor Julio Frenk fired athletic director Martin Jarmond, who had hired Chesney. The coach retained starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava, now injured, and reshaped the roster with a Big Ten-high 46 transfers - 11 of them from James Madison - along with 17 freshmen. betting on biathlon
The Bruins lead the conference in rushing at 253 yards per game, paced by transfer Wayne Knight's league-best 109.6 yards per game. Their 54-3 win at Maryland two weeks ago was UCLA's most lopsided Big Ten road victory since 1955, and last week's 17-15 win at Oregon marked the program's first road win over the Ducks since 2004.
Elsewhere in the midseason honors, Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith was a unanimous pick for top offensive player after ranking second nationally with 916 receiving yards, 48 catches and 11 touchdowns. Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles, who previously played at Oregon State and Michigan State, has completed 71.4% of his passes for 234.4 yards per game with nine touchdowns and no interceptions in leading the Wildcats to a 4-1 start. Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover has thrown 17 touchdowns without an interception for the defending national champion Hoosiers, a sharp turn from his three seasons at TCU, where he threw 33 interceptions in 35 games. Teammate Tobi Osunanmi leads the Big Ten with 9.5 tackles for loss, while USC defensive end Luke Wafle, the nation's top-ranked recruit by On3/Rivals, has recorded 27 tackles, six for loss and two sacks. Oregon was named the conference's biggest disappointment after entering the season ranked No. 2 but falling to 3-2 and out of the Top 25 following its loss to UCLA, while Maryland's Mike Locksley, with a 2-4 record, faces mounting pressure heading into a home matchup against Rutgers.
