The UCLA Bruins had hopes going into the season. Four straight losses, and everything went to dust. The head coach was let go. The coaching staff followed. The program stared at an uncertain future, but their big transfer, Nico Iamaleava, was still around. Interim HC Tim Skipper took over, and he had Jerry Neuheisel calling the plays as his OC. But Penn State was coming to town. Expectations? Nil. Just being competitive would have given fans some joy. But they went way beyond their imagination. The Lions came and were conquered 42-37. The hero? Their 5-star QB, Nico, and the OC is more than pleased.

When the 6-foot-7 QB transferred from Tennessee to UCLA, most predicted it as a “career suicide.” Not because of what UCLA was as a program, but how it transpired. Josh Heupel called Nico’s bluff for more money, and he was asked to pack his bags. Bad advice? Genuine concerns? Someday, we’ll know what happened. The Bruins got him closer to home and gave him a chance at redemption. That didn’t show its face in the four games, but against Penn State, Nico suddenly remembered that he took Tennessee to the playoffs last year. 

In the win against Penn State, Iamaleava completed 17 of 24 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns. He also used his feet, rushing 128 yards for another three touchdowns. On the October 7th edition of CBS Sports’ Inside College Football, UCLA’s offensive coordinator, Jerry Neuheisel, discussed their QB having fun against Penn State.

“It was unbelievable,” Jerry said. “He made plays, and all of a sudden, when things broke down, his ability to extend plays with his legs, like those are the things you can’t account for.” As an offensive coordinator, he was trying to plan plays for all 11 people to be perfect, but he never expected his takeoff. 

The OC was impressed with his decision-making and wanted him to “keep going.” He said, “He’s one of those players, and you just try to give them as much space as you can on the field to be able to operate.” Jerry Neuheisel also admitted, “Our quarterback overcame his coaching on a couple of different plays. He called the right one. Made us look good.”

That’s what the best players do. What also made it truly remarkable was that Nico was doing it against one of the best DCs in the game. Jim Knowles’ defense was left clueless all game. Whenever the passing game broke down, Nico would use his feet and convert critical third downs. But it wasn’t just the OC who had things to say after the game.

Nico Iamaleava’s mom sends a message to critics

Nico Iamaleava’s mom, Lei, has been the backbone of his son’s decision to join UCLA since day one. When people criticized his son’s transfer, she responded with a suitable message, “keyboard warriors.” After his son’s remarkable play against Penn State, Lei wasted no time sending a blunt message to the so-called keyboard warriors. Nico’s mom on Instagram reposted a fan’s post, with the photo of his son, with the caption, “The world owes Nico Iamaleava an apology.”

To which she responded, asking the keyboard warriors to take some time off from the screen. “No, thank you. My son and his brothers will continue to earn the respect they deserve. Back to the lab while you keyboard warriors take a break from your screen,” Lei wrote.

Taking a look at Iamaleava’s season with UCLA so far, he has a passing accuracy of 66.2%. He passed 954 yards and six touchdowns to three interceptions, and rushed 332 yards and four touchdowns. It seems like he is the all-rounder package the program wished for.