Why MSU Better Watch Out For UCLA's Iamaleava
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EAST LANSING --- It felt like there was a sense of urgency around Michigan State's football building on Wednesday afternoon. The coaches and players probably won't ever go out and say it, but this program needs to win this Saturday's game against UCLA.
Sure, the Bruins just beat then-No. 7 Penn State last week, but UCLA was 0-4 headed into that game for a reason. The result is widely considered the most shocking of the college football season for a reason, as well. It's because the Bruins, as a team, are bad. MSU getting them for a noon kickoff (9 a.m. PT) at home on homecoming *should* be plenty to end its two-game losing streak.
Still, UCLA did actually beat Penn State, a team with much more talent and way higher expectations right now. That deserves plenty of respect. One person who deserves plenty of it for his performance that day is Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava, one of the most interesting men in college football.
Iamaleava's Career
It's well down the list of weird things about college sports now, but Iamaleava has been the starting quarterback at two different schools in two years. One was quite good, and it certainly isn't UCLA.
Last season at Tennessee, Iamaleava had 2,616 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, and five interceptions. That was enough to get the Volunteers to 10-2 overall and get the No. 9 seed in the College Football Playoff. Tennessee lost in the first round to No. 8 seed Ohio State, who eventually won the whole thing.
He was set to be welcomed back to Knoxville again for the 2025 season, but he transferred during the spring, reportedly because of a dispute with his NIL compensation, though Iamaleava maintains his transfer decision was to be closer to family and his hometown of Long Beach, California.
Well, he's closer to home, but he's 1-4. After Iamaleava left, Tennessee went and got Joey Aguilar, who was at --- you guessed it --- UCLA until Iamaleava chose the Bruins and essentially took away Aguilar's spot as QB1. The Volunteers are currently 4-1, ranked 12th in the nation, and Aguilar is considered someone with an outside shot at the Heisman Trophy.
Iamaleava's Legs This Year
Iamaleava wasn't lighting up the stat sheet, at least through the air, against Penn State. The former five-star recruit had 166 passing yards, two touchdowns, and no picks. Normally, that would be a respectable day for any quarterback against a top-10 opponent that has the highest-paid defensive coordinator in college football, Jim Knowles.
But that's not all he did. Iamaleava had a career-high 128 yards and three touchdowns with his legs. A large portion of those numbers came on big runs; Iamaleava had separate runs of 52, 26, 22, and 20 yards.
In general, UCLA has utilized Iamaleava's legs more than Tennessee did; he's actually the Bruins' leading rusher. He averaged about 28 rushing yards per game last year with the Vols and is at 66 this year. Three of his top four rushing performances for his career have been from this season.
What Michigan State's Said
An opposing defense is always going to try to limit a quarterback's effectiveness. But after Iamaleava had his best rushing performance of his career with UCLA interim offensive coordinator Jerry Neuheisel calling plays for the very first time, some more attention has to be placed upon his ability to run.
- "It wasn't even so much called QB runs," MSU defensive coordinator Joe Rossi said Wednesday. "I mean, they had called QB runs, but he scrambled, and he hurt Penn State with the scramble. He had three or four really big ones.
- "That's always so deflating for a defense. Hey, you're in good coverage. You've got people covered up, and then the quarterback pulls it down and rushes, not only for the first down, but he goes and gets an explosive play. That was, to me, a big difference-maker in that game."
One of the best ways to prepare for a quarterback like that is to have your own. Aidan Chiles has been able to make plays with his legs all season.
- "We had to defend him (Chiles) all training camp, absolutely," Rossi said. "You've got a long guy with a really good arm who can run (in reference to Iamaleava). That is very similar to Aidan. So we've defended him all training camp and all spring."
What's also notable is that Iamaleava doesn't always scramble around the edges and out near the boundary, but he is also willing to take off in between the tackles.
- "He likes to scramble up the middle," MSU defensive tackle Alex VanSumeren said. "He can scramble outside. He's mobile. It's going to be a challenge for us to shut him down, but I think we can. I'm confident in us."
Michigan State needs this game. Defensively, it all starts with preventing the guy who's led a team to the CFP from running all over it. If Iamaleava is able to find room and an open field, problems will emerge quickly for MSU's defense.
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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