grit

By midweek, as a handful of reporters watched his every move, Nico Iamaleava looked like someone on the verge of the offseason, not a rivalry game.

In the early stages of practice Wednesday, the UCLA quarterback threw one pass softly before shifting into observer mode for the rest of the open viewing period.

Three days later, as thousands of probing eyes watched his every move, Iamaleava was slinging passes with considerably more zip.

His efficiency in completing one pass after another against No. 17 USC on Saturday helped the Bruins take a halftime lead, silencing a Coliseum crowd and triggering a brouhaha between the teams on one corner of the field as they headed for the tunnel.

UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) scampers for a first down against USC at the Coliseum on Saturday.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

It was the kind of moment Iamaleava had dreamed of growing in Long Beach and attending the cross-town rivalry as a kid.

“Meant a lot, man,” Iamaleava said of being able to compete against the Trojans.

But in keeping with the trajectory of a down-and-up-and-down-again season, the dream ended amid a flurry of sacks and failed third- and fourth-down conversions. There was no way Iamaleava could grit his way to victory, the Bruins eventually succumbing during a 29-10 loss to the Trojans in which their quarterback was sacked four times — all in the second half.

And so a season that started with Iamaleava being the talk of the college football world after his contentious departure from Tennessee ended with him taking a solitary walk up the Coliseum tunnel toward an uncertain future.

“It was a great learning year for me,” Iamaleava said after completing 27 of 38 passes for 200 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions against the Trojans. “You know, a lot of firsts for me throughout the season. Just the way we started off, and then dealing with little, minor injuries, there’s a lot. And I think, man, it just showed that I’m willing to go out there and put my life on the line for my teammates, man, whatever is needed.”

Iamaleava showed many sides in fighting to the end of a 3-9 season. There was accountability, Iamaleava facing reporters after every loss. There was leadership, Iamaleava telling teammates that if they wanted to leave amid the dismissal of their head coach and the departure of their offensive coordinator, go ahead. Nobody did.

Over the last few weeks, there was resolve, Iamaleava coming back from one injury after another. He missed only one game after sustaining a concussion against Nebraska and sat out only a few practices after taking a crunching hit against Washington last weekend that led to neck spasms.

“Every day he got better and better,” UCLA interim coach Tim Skipper said, “and then today he went out there and gave it his all, so I love that kid, he’s a battler. He fought and he kept leading us all the way to the end. … He’s a tough dude, man, and he’s a competitor. That’s what I’ll say about him.”

LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 29, 2025: Southern California Trojans linebacker Eric Gentry (18) tackles UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) for a loss in the second half at the Coliseum on November 29, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

For more than a half, it appeared that Iamaleava might go down in rivalry lore.

Orchestrating a short, efficient passing attack, Iamaleava pulled UCLA into a 7-7 tie early in the second quarter when he found wide receiver Kwazi Gilmer for a two-yard touchdown on a crossing route.

Then came a rarity from someone usually happy to absorb contact as the Bruins drove for a go-ahead score. On third-and-seven at the Trojans’ 26-yard line, Iamaleava scrambled before sliding into a ferocious hit from cornerback Alex Graham.

Coming up a yard short of the first down, Iamaleava tried to draw USC offsides with a hard count on fourth down before kicker Mateen Bhaghani trotted onto the field for a 38-yard field goal.

Little went Iamaleava’s way during the second half. One third down ended in an eight-yard sack. Another fell short on a pass that was broken up.

Things somehow deteriorated further. With UCLA having fallen behind 21-10 and clinging to faint hopes midway through the fourth quarter, the Bruins faced a fourth-and-15 at USC’s 45-yard line. A short pass to Gilmer went for only 10 yards.

Drive over. Game over.

That left Iamaleava to contemplate his future. Back in late July, he acknowledged wanting to go to the NFL if he put together a successful season. It was hard to say if this qualified after he finished the season completing 64.4% of his passes for 1,928 yards with 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

What’s next?

“I haven’t really even thought about that, man,” Iamaleava said. “I’m right here where my feet are, man. You know, we just lost a tough game and my mind is still on that one — what we could have done better to go out there and win that game.”

After answering a final question, Iamaleava glanced at a bottle of orange sports drink in front of him on a table.

“Can I have this?” he asked.

Granted permission to take the bottle, he grabbed it, rose from his seat and walked out the back of the interview tent, the offseason finally having arrived.