LOS ANGELES — UCLA quarterbacks Ty Dieffenbach and Madden Iamaleava continued their work gearing up for their home matchup against Wisconsin at the Rose Bowl on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
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With the competition comes pressure and expectations, with Dieffenbach expected to start for the first time after four years playing at Cal Poly.
And while Dieffenbach has earned the starting role for now, offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy shared that the camaraderie between quarterbacks has carried into the locker room in Westwood.
“They have to,” Kennedy said. “The quarterback room sets the standard, and the head coach sets the standard. The head coach and quarterback room: those are the only two people in the program that can’t have bad days. Everybody else can have a bad day. When they are setting the standard, we talk about being a connected group. If they want to create friction, that’s the fastest group to create friction and create a divisive offense within the program.”
Dieffenbach and Iamaleava continued making throws alongside each other. Iamaleava, being next in line, should an injury occur to Dieffenbach.
“They’ve done a great job of having each other’s backs,” Kennedy said. “We talk about it all the time that only two eyes go out there on Saturday. When he comes off the field, everybody should be paying attention because everyone sees the game through a different lens. For how connected we are as an offense, we have to prove that through the situation we are going through right now.”
Different school, same Joseph
UCLA (5-0 overall, 3-0 Big Ten) shifts to stopping the layered offense of Wisconsin (4-1, 2-0). Defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler is familiar with Wisconsin quarterback Colton Joseph, a Newport Beach native who played at Old Dominion last season.
At Wisconsin, Joseph has completed 81 of 143 passes for 1,132 yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Joseph completed 12 of 13 passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns in the first half last year at Old Dominion against James Madison. While Joseph was held to just 2 yards in the second half and James Madison won 63-27, the impact of his opening 30 minutes wasn’t lost on Hitschler.
“He kicked our butt last year,” Hitschler said. “He found a way to be explosive with the ball in his hands and hit some deep balls, and he’s done the same this year. I’m not surprised at all to see the success of his program and where he’s at. He fits the identity of the program, and they’re having success with him. We have to find a way to match it.”
Fickell and Hitschler connection
Hitschler spent six seasons working with Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell. Fickell hired Hitschler at Cincinnati in 2018. Hitschler started as a quality control coach and later was promoted from defensive analyst and safeties coach to co-defensive coordinator between 2018-22 before joining Fickell as safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator in 2023.
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Hitschler and Fickell share a friendship, but the two won’t be speaking before competing against each other on Saturday.
“He’s pretty good at keeping his distance of attack, and I learned a lot through him,” Hitschler said. “Love him to death, love the whole family to death. But at the same time, he’s as competitive as they get and I am too. So no, we won’t be hanging out on the sideline a bunch before the game. It’s about the players; it’s not about us. It’s 11-on-11, and we have to find a way to win the game.”
More accolades for Omosigho
UCLA senior linebacker Sammy Omosigho gained more recognition as one of the nation’s top defensive players midway through 2026.
Omosigho was added to the Lombardi Award Midseason Watch List on Wednesday morning.
The transfer from Oklahoma has been stellar with UCLA. He leads the FBS with four forced fumbles and the Big Ten Conference with 5.4 solo tackles per game. Omosigho is also among Big Ten leaders in tackles for loss per game (third at 1.5), total tackles per game (fourth at 8.4), and total sacks (sixth at 3.0).
“This is a kid who made a lot of plays at Oklahoma before he got here, so we can’t sit there and say we’ve changed the world for him,” Hitschler said. “He’s been intentional about his process. He’s brought a lot of football smarts to the program. He has used the scheme to help the program, and it’s been fun to watch.”
Pleasant back in pads after injury
UCLA defensive back Rodrick Pleasant was seen practicing after being forced to leave against Oregon during the second quarter with a lower leg injury.
Pleasant was in pads and shorts, but no updates were given as to his status on Saturday.
Pleasant, a Gardena native, has 12 tackles, an interception, and four pass deflections in 2026 for UCLA.
“We love Rod,” Hitschler said. “He works his butt off; he’s played great this season, and we’ll see.”
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