RB Jalen Berger’s standout effort and UCLA’s back-to-back victories have turned HC Tim Skipper into an overnight success story. The Bruins put on a dominant 38-13 display at Spartan Stadium this week, and more importantly, did so three time zones away.

Ever since the Big Ten realigned, road wins have been scarce in the conference. Last season, the programs went 6-22 after crossing multiple time zones, or for a deeper perspective, only two teams managed to grab a win in the mentioned situation. It is easy to make an excuse out of travelling, following the data, but Skipper? He is not looking in the direction.

During the post-game presser, the Bruins HC was asked what it meant to suck energy out of a building, to go into a hostile environment and come away with a win. He replied, “Every time you go on the road, there are all these built-in excuses that you can use. Especially here, ‘we went three time zones over, it’s an early kickoff, it’s their homecoming…’ there’s all the built-in excuses. But at the end of the day, once you tee it up, it’s ball on ball.” That’s a response vastly differing from PSU HC, James Franklin.

Last week, the Nittany Lions left the Rose Bowl after disastrous of a performance. The lethargic first-half offense and less-than-desirable defense had landed them 42-37, losing to a winless team that had looked hopeless. Following the results, Franklin outright placed the blame on injury, travel, and a previous loss.

“Obviously, we did not handle last week’s loss (to Oregon) well. We also lost some players in that game, during the week. And then everything else…the travel, everything else…Did not come out with the right energy to start the game, and before you know it they get a touchdown drive and an onsides kick, and now you’re fighting,” he expressed.

A study reported by The Athletic says the effects of travel on teams’ performance are inconsistent. One thing that was proven, though, was that preparing in advance helped blur out the lines. While Oregon was one such team last season, Penn State was another. Franklin’s squad had travelled a day early to secure a 30-33 OT win against USC. Two months later, they were prepared enough for an Arizona visit to clinch a 31-14 win in the quarterfinal.

While the fatigue from travel and loss may have popped up as trouble this year, the criticism was sharp for citing it as a reason against a team that was adjusting to a whole new offensive play caller. For Skipper, though, it cannot be a reason at any point during the season.

UCLA Bruins are scheduled to travel the second-most miles for conference games this season– 14,834. He has lost two, while two more challenges await in Ohio and Indiana. And that win against the Spartans meant, it is not over despite a 0-4 start.

A win over MI State will be a boost for Tim Skipper and UCLA

After the early TD from QB Aidan Chiles, it all went downhill for Michigan. UCLA’s offense exposed all the gaps in their opponents’ defense. QB Nico Iamaleava was precise in his passing with three passing touchdowns. But he was not the only standout performer for the Bruins.

A familiar face returned to the Spartan Stadium. But the emotional moment quickly turned into a nightmare for the home fans. Jalen Berger put up big numbers against his former team. He rushed for 89 yards on 12 carries and caught three passes for 24 yards. He was also instrumental in scoring for UCLA, providing one rushing and two receiving touchdowns.

Thanks to him, Nico Iamaleava only had to focus on piercing the Spartans’ defense with passing. Nico completed 16 out of 24 throws with no interceptions. He was also influential in two of Jalen’s TDs, making them a deadly duo on the night. Their chemistry kept MI State’s defense in check. Thanks to them, Tim Skipper will not have to think about the game the next day. He can now fully focus on next week against Maryland, which should be a fairly easy matchup for the Bruins.