How UCLA Football HC Chesney Setting Tone This August

Bob Chesney, like every other Bruins fan, wants to start this season with a win.

As a first-year Bruins head coach, what happens after the Week One result may be just as important as the win itself.

UCLA opens the 2026 season with a road game in Berkeley against a Cal team that should give the Bruins some trouble. It also allows the Bruins to see how the offseason work has translated into a live situation.

Chesney's Thoughts

While winning is obviously the goal, Chesney doesn’t want the game's outcome to steer focus away from identifying areas of improvement.

"You always want to start off with a win. I think that's a big deal,” Chesney said to reporters on Monday afternoon. “We've been fortunate enough to be on the proper side of that for a bunch of years. I think it just gives a little bit of validation to things.”

However, Chesney understands that a tally in the win column can sometimes overshadow the problems the game uncovers.

“The only other issue with it is sometimes it could cover up some things too, our mistakes that are going to haunt you later if you don't pay attention to them,” Chesney said.

That mindset will be particularly important for a UCLA team with a brand-new coaching staff, as the Bruins will have a lot to learn in a short period of time after facing their first real opponent.

Chesney wants his players to focus on what they can learn, rather than getting caught up in the emotion of a road win in Week One.

“Either way, when that game's over, that's got to be our mentality, is finding a way to—it doesn't matter what just happened. Let's find the lessons and get better, right? It doesn't matter. Get better.”

Coach's Mindset Will Influence the Players

May 2, 2026; Pasadena, CA, USA; A general overall view of the UCLA Bruins and Big Ten Conference logos on the field at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

That mentality from the coaches will no doubt cast a shadow over the players, as Chesney has emphasized throughout the offseason that UCLA’s progress will be measured day to day rather than by a predetermined record.

After Cal, the Bruins won’t have too much time to sit around and discuss what exactly happened. Each player in that UCLA building will have to have the mindset of looking for what they can learn themselves and apply it.

"We've got to talk about that every Sunday when we walk in there. Regardless if we won, we've got to disassociate from the emotion. Whether we lost, we've got to disassociate from the emotion. We've got to get to a point where we have to get ready to go immediately again because we've got to prepare for another team,” Chesney said.

“A win would be great, obviously, as for anybody, and that is our intention. But at the same point in time, it's the lesson, the next lesson, that I think a lot of head coaches get excited about."

For UCLA, the Cal game will be the very first result of the Bob Chesney era. While it may be easy to get caught up in the emotion of your first win, Chesney’s head seems to be in the right place to lead the Bruins toward a successful season.

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