Tim Skipper’s interim role at UCLA came with a roster struggling to find a win. Nothing was working for the 0-4 Bruins. In their first game, the new-look coaching staff faced Penn State, and OC Jerry Neuheisel just shocked the Lions. That was followed by a victory over Michigan State. In Week 8, Maryland challenged the Bruins, but once again, Skipper’s team emerged victorious. However, it was his OC who, once again, took the spotlight.

After the win over Maryland, the offensive play-caller visited the locker room and praised his team in his own unique way, firing them up for what’s next. UCLA Football captured the moment and captioned it, “Shell Shocked 🐢💥.” He started by giving props to the team for how they played.

“I’ve been at UCLA for a long time, and that has been as good a team victory as I’ve been a part of. The fact that you guys stayed together, and with 40 seconds left, the offense found a way. The defense found a way,” the OC said. He ended the speech with “It’s a great day to be alive and be a Bruin,” and then the whole locker room joined together for the UCLA chant.

The Maryland game could have gone either way. Nico Iamaleava didn’t have a great outing, but he came good near the end of the game. With the game tied at 17-17, UCLA had less than a minute to go up the field and try for a field goal. That’s what happened on the drive. UCLA reached the 3-yard line, setting up an easy field goal to win the game. However, before that drive, Nico Iamaleava had to go off the field in what appeared to be a serious injury.

In the post-game press conference, Tim Skipper addressed Iamaleava’s exit from the field without holding back. “I just took a deep breath,” he said. “I’ve been around football enough to know that sometimes when it looks the worst, it’s not. And sometimes when it doesn’t look bad, it is. You just let the medical staff do their jobs, and we figure out where we are.” Iamaleava had left the game late in the 4th quarter with a knee injury. But he made a return in the final 40 seconds and helped UCLA secure a win over Maryland.

The injury may not be as serious as initially feared. “I know with Nico,” explained Skipper, “When I saw him start to walk off and his face started to come back normal, I was like, man, we have a shot here. We have a shot. And then they cleared him, and I was like, ‘All right, let’s go.'”

Nico Iamaleava’s injury-return performance

Nico Iamaleava’s night was a rollercoaster, but he refused to let injury steal the show. That’s why he connected with Mikey Matthews on a 7-yard TD pass and gave the team a 14-10 lead. “I knew Nico and I was gonna get it,” stated Matthews. “We saw the same look in practice and connected. So I think we both knew I was gonna score on that TD.” Moments later, the Bruins’ defense came up big with an interception by Scooter Jackson. But after that, when Iamaleava went down, the stadium held its collective breath.

Fans erupted, chanting “Nico! Nico! Nico!” But the star QB refused to be sidelined. “He got up, walked it off. Then, when the medical staff said he was okay, he was like, ‘I’m going,'” recalled Skipper. And the star QB immediately took charge, connecting with Titus Mokia-Atimalala for a 19-yard gain. “He stayed composed in the pocket, delivered the ball, and made the big play that set up the field goal,” mentioned Skipper.

But in the final seconds, Bhaghani’s kick sealed the deal, giving UCLA a thrilling 20-17 win. Still, with scare Nico proved why he’s the heart of UCLA’s offense.