"While beating Michigan State on Saturday at Spartan Stadium wouldn't generate the same recognition that came with the previously winless Bruins' recent victory over then-No. 7 Penn State, it would erase any lingering doubts that things just fell into place one wonderful weekend. UCLA (1-4 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) hopes it discovered a winning formula beyond Jerry Neuheisel's playcalling, quarterback Nico Iamaleava's heroics and Skipper's putting everything together."
""It's just draining your tank and doing everything possible that you can possibly do on every single play for us to achieve success," Skipper said. "So, strain was mentioned every single day, it was mentioned after the game, and I think that was the major difference. Our guys strained, from the opening kickoff to the very end of the game. We had to strain on every play to get the game to be a positive outcome for us.""
UCLA secured a dramatic 42-37 win over then-No. 7 Penn State and immediately celebrated before refocusing on sustaining success. Interim coach Tim Skipper urged the team to avoid becoming a one-hit wonder and emphasized relentless effort by using the word "strain" as a daily rallying cry. The team aimed to drain its tank on every play to replicate that performance against Michigan State and remove doubts that the win was a fluke. Coaches and position groups that had struggled received renewed attention, and staff interactions, including an offensive line photo in the end zone, marked team unity.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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