No. 12 UCLA heads into Saturday’s Big Ten meeting with Wisconsin in Pasadena with a shot at its best start since 2022, but the Bruins may have to chase that milestone without Nico Iamaleava.
UCLA is 5-0 overall and 3-0 in conference play after its 17-15 win at then-No. 13 Oregon, but the quarterback situation has turned into the week’s biggest story.
Iamaleava left just before halftime with a leg injury, and CBS Sports reported Monday that the injury is expected to end his season. Bruins coach Bob Chesney stopped short of confirming that outlook, but he did not sound optimistic.
"There is a serious concern at this moment."
Ty Dieffenbach replaced Iamaleava against the Ducks and has moved ahead of Madden Iamaleava, Nico’s younger brother, on the depth chart. Chesney said the two backup quarterbacks have been handled on a "week-by-week basis."
Dieffenbach gave UCLA a lift in relief, and Chesney liked what he saw.
"He threw some really nice, accurate footballs, catchable footballs (vs. Oregon)," Chesney said. "He stepped up in the moment when we needed him to, and at the same point in time, he commanded the offense really, really well."
One of those throws went for a 9-yard touchdown to Wayne Knight, who also powered into the end zone on a 35-yard run. Knight finished with two touchdowns against Oregon, giving him 10 rushing scores on the season. It was also his sixth carry of 30-plus yards this year, and he’s averaging 7.7 yards per carry.
That makes Knight the obvious engine for UCLA’s offense, and he’ll be front and center against a Wisconsin defense that has been stingy against the run. The Badgers are allowing just 3.2 yards per carry and have given up only three rushing touchdowns all season.
Wisconsin comes in at 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the Big Ten after rolling past Michigan State 31-3 on Oct. 3. The Badgers held the Spartans to 127 yards on 45 carries and have won four straight since their season-opening loss to Notre Dame.
Colton Joseph was responsible for all four Wisconsin touchdowns in that win. He threw scoring passes of 20 and 15 yards to Jacob Harris and hit Malachi Coleman on a 46-yard touchdown before adding a 47-yard scoring run of his own. Joseph leads the team with 141 rushing yards, and he has thrown at least one touchdown pass of 28 yards or longer in all five games.
"There's some consistency there," Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said Monday. "How can we continue to build upon the things Colton does well? How do we give him opportunities to be aggressive and to take some of those shots ... but eliminating some of the issues we've had?
"I talk about it all the time, about balance, but there's a balance [to the offense]."
Joseph’s season has also come with some mistakes: he has thrown five interceptions to go with 10 touchdown passes. That opens the door for a UCLA defense that has been strong at taking the ball away. The Bruins have 10 interceptions, including four from Ta’Shawn James, who picked off a pass at Oregon and is tied for second in the country in that category.
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UCLA Puts Its Perfect Start To The Test Against Wisconsin
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The matchup also puts a spotlight on how Wisconsin handles a Bruin offense that has leaned on Wayne Knight and a running game that has been hard to slow. The betting market appears to favor UCLA to keep rolling, but the Badgers have enough on the board already to make this a useful indicator of whether they can hang with a team that has looked the part of a top-15 contender so far. [Read more 🡒]
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Colton Joseph Has Extra Motivation For Wisconsins Biggest Road Test
Colton Joseph has a built-in storyline for Wisconsins trip to UCLA, and it starts with the setting as much as the opponent. The quarterback said he is excited to play in his home state and experience the Rose Bowl for the first time, a neat twist for a Badgers team heading into one of its biggest road tests of the season. Coming out of the bye week, Joseph also pointed to the work the offense put in during the break, with the offensive line spending time preparing for the challenge ahead.
Wisconsin has a little extra edge after being left out of the AP Top 25, and Joseph said the group understands the importance of responding on the road. UCLAs defense will demand clean football, and ball security came up as a major point of emphasis in his media availability. With family support in the stands and a familiar backdrop for him personally, Joseph enters the game with more than just a conference matchup on his mind. [Read more 🡒]