UCLA had more than a few bumps and bruises to sort through after its road win against Cal, and the biggest concern for Bruins fans centered on quarterback Nico Iamaleava.
The scare came late in the fourth quarter when Iamaleava scrambled 10 yards up the right side before coming down awkwardly and losing the football. He got the ball back, but it was obvious something wasn’t right.
He stayed down for a moment, then rose slowly, visibly hurting and struggling to stand before dropping back to the turf. Trainers helped him to the sideline, where he was evaluated, and Madden Iamaleava stepped in at quarterback.
Iamaleava eventually returned, which eased some of the immediate worry. After the game, head coach Bob Chesney said the quarterback should be fine going forward.
“Yeah, he's good,” Chesney said. “He just got, like, this calf kind of got cleated at the end there, so he tried and it just kept cramping up because of the workout. So we just got to do some work on that and, you know, getting cleaned up.”
That’s a welcome update for UCLA, which opened the season 1-0. Iamaleava did have one costly red-zone interception, but otherwise he looked composed in the pocket and handled the offense well. He also made an impact as a runner, scoring the Bruins’ first touchdown on a 9-yard run.
That mix of arm talent and mobility is going to matter a lot as UCLA heads toward conference play. For now, the Bruins can breathe a little easier.
Iamaleava echoed that message after the game, saying he was fine even though the moment itself hurt.
“I tried to get back up to get back in the huddle, but I had to sit down for a little bit, and then I was good after I went to the sideline,” Iamaleava said.
UCLA now turns to its home opener against San Diego State, with Iamaleava set to remain a central piece of the Bruins’ push to change the storyline and make noise in the Big Ten.
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