UCLA football sat 0-3 a month ago. Head coach DeShaun Foster was fired, triggering a 30-day transfer portal window as players could opt to leave the program.
Defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe departed the coaching staff. Then, after the Bruins fell to 0-4 with a 3-point loss to Northwestern on Sept. 27 in their first game under interim head coach Tim Skipper, offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri parted ways with UCLA.
It was a program that appeared to be marred in mediocrity. Would they win a game this season? Would redshirt sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava transfer again?
But in the three games since, the Bruins have revitalized their season with three straight victories. First, it was a shootout win over then-No. 7 Penn State on Oct. 4. Then, a road 38-13 triumph over Michigan State on Oct. 11. Most recently, the Bruins defeated Maryland on Oct. 18 with a last-second field goal.
Now, sitting at 3-1 in conference play (3-4 overall), UCLA controls its own destiny for a trip to the Big Ten Championship Game and a College Football Playoff berth.
First, the Bruins face their toughest test of the season thus far: a matchup with No. 2 Indiana at noon Saturday inside Memorial Stadium in Bloomington.
Here’s what to know about what Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti called the “rejuvenated” Bruins.
QB Nico Iamaleava
Iamaleava made headlines when he skipped practice and meetings April 11 at the University of Tennessee. It was a day before the Volunteers’ spring game, and their starting quarterback was a no-show.
An ESPN report indicated Iamaleava representatives contacted Tennessee’s name, image and likeness collective seeking a bump in pay to around $4 million. He was previously earning $2.4 million under the contract he signed with the collective in high school.
However, Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said after the spring game that his squad was moving forward without Iamaleava. On April 20, the Long Beach, California, native announced he’d be transferring to UCLA. An ESPN source said Iamaleava signed a contract worth less than his previous deal with Tennessee.
Iamaleava then went through the summer and fall camp with the Bruins, learning a new offense under Sunseri. The 6-foot-6, 215-pound Iamaleava completed 65.3% of his passes over the first four games of the season under the former Indiana assistant, throwing four touchdowns and three interceptions.
Since assistant head coach and tight ends coach Jerry Neuheisel began calling plays for the Bruins’ offense as the interim offensive coordinator, Iamaleava said the unit is “getting back to having fun.”
“We were a little uptight the first four games, and I feel like we went out there,” Iamaleava said Oct. 11, “let our hair flow, and we was playing for fun.”
In the three games with Neuheisel as his play-caller, Iamaleava’s completion percentage sits at 65.1%. However, he’s tossed six touchdowns to two picks and ran for three touchdowns.
Although Iamaleava went down with an apparent right knee injury against Maryland, he returned to lead the Bruins on a game-winning drive. He practiced Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles Daily News, but the team’s provided no further updates regarding his status for Saturday.
Still, Cignetti had high praise for the signal caller.
“Nico can really spin the ball,” Cignetti said during his press conference Monday. “He can make all the throws. He's got a really quick release. He's got a live body, a really quick body. That's why you've seen some of the long gains out of the pocket with him.”
Although Iamaleava could’ve entered the portal after Foster left, he stayed in Westwood to lead a revitalization.
“It’s been a rocky start,” Iamaleava said, “but it’s been a great, fun journey for us.”
Interim OC Jerry Neuheisel
Neuheisel served as the backup quarterback for the Bruins in the early 2010s. He appeared in 18 total games, tossing two touchdowns and three interceptions while he threw for 371 yards.
Neuheisel began his coaching career as a quality offense control coach at Texas A&M University in 2017, when he worked alongside offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone.
Neuheisel has since worked his way up the UCLA coaching staff ranks. He first spent 2018-2020 as a graduate assistant before becoming the wide receivers coach from 2021-23. Then, last season, he served as the tight ends coach.
Ahead of this season, Foster added assistant head coach to Neuheisel’s title. And Mazzone reunited with Neuheisel as an offensive analyst.
The Bruins’ offense is shining with Neuheisel as the play-caller. They’ve averaged 33.3 points and 422.3 yards per game.
“The plays Coach Jerry (Neuheisel) is putting us in has been great, just putting us in great positions to go out there and be successful,” Iamaleava said. “Everything is clicking right now. Our o-line is doing a great job getting our run game open, and receivers are doing a great job of getting open on the pyramid.”
Neuheisel’s father, Rick, was the Bruins’ head coach for four seasons from 2008-2011. He was also at the helm of Washington and the University of Colorado. He now serves as an analyst for CBS.
The game
Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff” will be in Bloomington for the matchup, hosting the show at 10 a.m. on the south lawn outside of Memorial Stadium.
The contest is slated to kick off at noon Saturday on Fox with Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt on the call.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and columnist Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa and qmrichar@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
