After a lopsided loss to No. 1 Ohio State, in which starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava did not play due to a concussion, UCLA interim head coach Tim Skipper has an update.
According to the Los Angeles Times' Ben Bolch, Skipper said today that Iamaleava is ‘day to day,' which certainly seems to keep the possibility open for Iamaleava to suit up and play vs. Washington this weekend.
A polarizing transfer from Tennessee, Iamaleava struggled to start his first season with the Bruins; through the first three games, he threw 3 touchdowns, 3 interceptions, and 608 yards, while rushing for another 139 yards and one touchdown. After the third game, a 35-10 loss to New Mexico at home, Bruins head coach DeShaun Foster was fired.
With Skipper taking over as the interim head coach, and Jerry Neuheisel becoming the offensive play caller shortly thereafter, Iamaleava began to find a groove. Over the next three games, he had 722 total yards, 6 passing touchdowns, 3 rushing touchdowns, and no interceptions. In that span, the Bruins also won two games, a 42-37 upset of Penn State and 38-13 shellacking of Michigan State in East Lansing.
Iamaleava and UCLA, which had won three straight, came back to Earth when they ran into undefeated Indiana, which walloped the Bruins on Oct. 25 in a 56-6 blowout. Iamaleava could manage just 13 completions on 27 attempts, 141 total yards, no TDs and 2 interceptions in the loss.
During the following game, Iamaleava bounced back, throwing for 191 yards, 2 touchdowns, and rushing for 85 yards despite UCLA losing to Nebraska. After the game, he began to experience symptoms of a concussion, which caused him to miss this past Saturday's 48-10 defeat to top-ranked Ohio State. In Iamaleava's place, backup Luke Duncan went 16-for-23 for 154 yards and a touchdown against the toughest defense in the country.
Whether it's Iamaleava or Duncan starting, Washington (7-3, 4-3 in Big Ten) travels to Pasadena this weekend to play the 3-7 Bruins. The game will kick off at approximately 10:30 p.m. PT.
