Here’s an action shot from Nico Iamaleava’s rocky UCLA debut—entering Week 1 amid sky-high expectations, the quarterback looked every bit the centerpiece … in a less-than-ideal opener.
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UCLA QB Says “We All Gotta Be Better” After Humbling Debut
PASADENA, Calif. – Nico Iamaleava’s much-hyped UCLA debut didn’t go according to plan. The Bruins were throttled 43–10 by Utah, and Iamaleava’s stat line—a modest 136 passing yards, one touchdown, one interception, and a team-leading 47 rushing yards—matched the team’s struggles .
Facing a relentless pass rush, Iamaleava was sacked four times and pressured ten more, never quite finding a rhythm behind a porous offensive line . Postgame, he didn’t point fingers:
> “I didn’t execute at a high level… I gotta be better. We all gotta be better.”
Despite the rough start, his head coach DeShaun Foster praised his toughness:
> “Nico is a competitor. He’s not going to quit. He kept playing hard. We just gotta do a better job protecting him.”
Earlier, at Big Ten Media Days, Iamaleava had made a bold declaration—calling his move to UCLA a return home driven by “family and cultural values,” not money, and pledged to bring a “championship c
