UCLA went against Penn State in Week 6 at a sparsely crowded Rose Bowl as heavy underdogs. The team had recently fired its head coach, DeShaun Foster, after three losses, and Nico Iamaleava, despite his SEC caliber, hadn’t turned up in any game so far. The odds were stacked heavily against No. 7-ranked Penn State. But Nico, with his 166-yard passing and 128-yard rushing performance, ran riot over the Nittany Lions, as the Bruins sealed a 42-37 unexpected win. The performance also started a whole new redemption arc for Nico, and his mother is finally having the last laugh after Nico won the Big 10 player of the Week.

Nico’s transfer to UCLA and the widespread scrutiny that followed are widely known. His father was reported to have pushed the transfer, which also led to an online altercation with ON3’s Pete Nakos. Largely, the decision to join UCLA was predicted to be a “career suicide” since UCLA and Tennessee’s quality stood miles apart. “This is going to be one of those deals a couple of years from now where they say—whether it be father, third uncle, or an agent—‘Tell me again why I did that? ‘” said Urban Meyer. But now that Nico is starting to make full use of his UCLA opportunity, his mother, Lei, sent a fitting reply to the “keyboard warriors.”

Lei took to Instagram after the game and reposted an IG post on her story with Nico’s photo that read, “The world owes Nico Iamaleava an apology.” She also captioned her story with a not-so-subtle message to Nico’s critics. “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,” wrote Lei. As for Nico, he dominated the Penn State defense entirely.

After DeShaun Foster’s firing, Tim Skipper, a former assistant to Foster, was made the interim head coach, while a search for a permanent head coach was on. Little did UCLA know that Nico would finally click under Tim Skipper, that too, against arguably the top-10 D line of the country. The QB’s pocket presence was exceptional, completing 17 of the 24 passes, while scoring three touchdowns through the ground game. His 8 yards per carry performance against a team like Penn State was something, completely unseen even at Tennessee last year, making the performance utterly special.

While UCLA’s other offensive pieces, like receiver Kwazi Gilmer, Titus Mokiao, and RB Anthony Woods, performed well. Nico, in reality, was the whole offense, dominating Penn State in every aspect. Want 3rd down efficiency? Nico ran an incredible 22 yards on 3rd and 11 from PSU’s 34, and capped off the drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass. How about an inch-perfect deep pass? The Bruins QB1 did that in the second quarter with a 43-yard screamer to Kwazi Gilmer and later took those 6 points by a three-yard redzone rush. Now, the question is, can Nico sustain the performance?

Nico Iamaleava’s 2025 progression isn’t yet over

For Nico to sustain the performance, the other units will have to work in sync. The good news is that the wide receivers, led by Kwazi Gilmer, put in a solid performance, while the O-line’s game was arguably the best of the season so far. Despite having veterans like Dani Dennis-Sutton, Zane Durant, and Alonzo Ford Jr. on Penn State’s D-line, the O-line was relatively reliable. That said, the secondary struggled in the second half, giving away 30 points, and the running game was heavily reliant on Nico. Despite that, the predictions have turned 360 degrees for UCLA now.

“Re-thinking UCLA’s ceiling… This wasn’t just an upset—it was the biggest of the season by spread, sending shockwaves through the Big Ten playoff race. For the Bruins, it’s a lifeline,” wrote Conner Moreon, a UCLA insider for Sports Illustrated. While The Athletic’s Chris Vannini commended Jerry Neuheisel’s playcalling. “For a cleanser, see new UCLA play-caller Jerry Neuheisel… [This] could be a turning point,” wrote the journalist.

The win was big for UCLA and Nico after four consecutive losses to lesser teams like Northwestern, New Mexico, and UNLV. Going ahead, UCLA will go to Michigan State in Week 7, followed by games against Maryland, Indiana, Nebraska, Ohio State, Washington, and USC. The schedule seems to be stacked with heavy opponents to the brim, and it would still be too much to ask the Bruins to qualify even for a bowl game. But if the Penn State game is our reference, we should be ready for expectations being defied!!