LOS ANGELES — UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava showed the leadership coach Bob Chesney had seen all along since being hired on Dec. 6, 2025 after his successful stint at James Madison.
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It wasn’t just how Iamaleava threw the football for 276 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, completing 19 of 31 passes. Or his ability to run against contact, almost to his own detriment.
When UCLA needed its quarterback to be a sharpshooter, Iamaleava delivered to beat Purdue 52-38 while also showing his ability to overcome the punishing hits he absorbed, including a shot taken late in the third quarter against the Boilermakers.
“His toughness certainly stands out,” Chesney said. “It’s not unnecessary hits, but he takes a lot of them and he just keeps picking himself back up. When he runs, he’s not the guy who is going to slide or dive and do those things. He puts his pads down and runs behind them and that’s exciting. At moments, I’d like him to get out of bounds, but that’s the toughness he displays and that’s what a lot of people got a chance to see.”
Iamaleava’s toughness was matched by his timing with wide receiver and Michigan transfer wide receiver Semaj Jones.
Jones has worked with wide receivers coach Colin Lockett to trust his eyes and read the ball into his hands before taking off.
Jones finished with four receptions for 76 yards and two touchdowns while establishing a simple point: UCLA can now make big gains throwing the football.
“Seeing the defense, catch the ball first and then being able to make moves,” Jones said. “As long as I catch the ball first, then I can worry about everything else. Those are the few small details I’ve been able to make throughout the spring and the fall. I feel my eyes are the biggest thing for me.”
When Chesney watched practice last Thursday, he counted only two “balls on the entire day,” that were off target.
“A lot of that had to do with the timing, the spacing,” Chesney said. “They clicked on a different level and I know that comes from practice. The accuracy, the precision was phenomenal and that translated right over into the game. I don’t think he did anything different technique-wise. We just really understood the game plan. The quarterbacks and wide receivers spent a lot of time together, making sure they were on the same page had a lot to do with that.”
UCLA (3-0) shifts its focus to Maryland, looking to avoid allowing the several big passing plays Purdue earned with quarterback Ryan Browne. Browne completed 19 of 30 passes for 378 yards, three touchdowns and one interception to Rodrick Pleasant.
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First-half problems in the secondary were exploited by Browne, who connected with Xavier Townsend for a 75-yard touchdown on Purdue’s first offensive play.
“There’s just some technique things in there honestly,” Chesney said. “The pressure mounted a little bit, and they started pushing some different tempo. We fell out of the discipline of our fundamentals and our ability to hold our leverage the way we are supposed to hold our leverage. We were also trying to get people help in moments and didn’t do a good job of it and we have to be honest with where we are at as far as our matchups.”
UCLA’s defense made key plays in the fourth quarter. Senior Rodrick Pleasant came away with the first interception of his college career. Pleasant noted the response of his position group in the second half after struggling to tackle Townsend in the first half.
“We know how to fight adversity,” Pleasant said. “When things get tough, nobody points fingers. We actually stick together and that’s the thing I was probably most proud of. Nobody said, ‘It was your fault.’ Everybody found a way to get better. We got better throughout the game and I’m excited to see how we respond this week.”
Chesney saw that his defense made adjustments in the game Saturday.
“I’m proud of the way we compete and I’m proud of their resolve,” Chesney said. “You get to the second half and there’s two touchdowns they score on and we stop them on two of them, except for the fake punt, which is a shame, which led to the field goal and then punt and interception were the other three. Coming out with a plus-three turnover margin was huge.”
Linebacker Sammy Omosigho was voted the Big Ten Conference Defensive Player of the Week. Omosigho led UCLA with 12 tackles, forced two fumbles and had two sacks. Omosigho has four forced fumbles in three games. Other noted UCLA players with at least four forced fumbles in a season include All-American Anthony Barr, All-American Robert Thomas and third team All-American Donnie Edwards.
“(Omosigho) is playing an intellectual game where he understands where the other team is going,” Chesney said. “It doesn’t matter how hard you coach him. He wants more. It’s pretty exciting to watch him work. The physicality of punching these footballs out and he’s physical at the point of attack. He doesn’t stop his feet. His motor never quits. He works edges in the pass game. His preparation is right, his body is right and in the pressure moments he does it there. When you do that much work, you walk onto the field feeling confident that you can accomplish anything.”
After two solid defensive performances against Cal and San Diego State with one major offensive showcase against Purdue, Chesney is looking to see both sides click against a Maryland team led by quarterback Malik Washington. Washington completed 30 for 43 passes for 359 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-26 loss last Saturday to Virginia Tech.
“We haven’t put it all together in a complete game. We play complementary football defensively one week and offensively the other,” Chesney said. “This has got to be the week where that gets done.”
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