Nico Iamaleava’s UCLA start has settled into a much better rhythm after a sluggish opening stretch, and the Bruins quarterback has now helped push his team to 4-0. The results have been there, but the quarterback duels along the way have told a more complicated story.
The season opened with a matchup against one of the ACC’s best quarterbacks, Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, and that one leaned his way even though UCLA got the win. Sagapolutele finished with 271 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions, while Iamaleava posted 184 yards, 1 total touchdown on the ground, and 1 interception. The Bruins won the game, but Iamaleava’s performance still left plenty on the table.
The next week, though, the result in the quarterback battle was much clearer. UCLA beat San Diego State, and even though that game was probably Iamaleava’s worst of the year, it was still a win for him because Jayden Denegal was even quieter.
Denegal threw for just 45 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. Even in that victory, Iamaleava’s red zone decision-making stood out as an area that needed work.
Week 3 against Purdue was the best Iamaleava has looked so far. He played with more poise, looked calm and collected, and gave the impression that the game was slowing down for him.
Still, there’s a real case that Ryan Browne had the stronger stat line in the matchup. Browne passed for 378 yards and 3 touchdowns, while Iamaleava finished with 276 yards and 3 touchdowns of his own.
The difference came late, when Browne’s interception helped swing things toward UCLA.
Against Maryland, Iamaleava delivered a solid, no-frills performance. He handled his part, but the running game and the defense carried most of the load against the Terrapins. Even so, he outplayed Malik Washington in that quarterback matchup, with Washington turning in a rough day against UCLA’s defense.
So far, Iamaleava has been steady, and the Bruins have the record to show for it. But if UCLA is going to meet even bigger expectations, he’ll need to keep climbing. Week 6 could be his toughest test yet, with Dylan Raiola waiting in what shapes up as the best quarterback duel of the season for him so far.
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