Bob Chesney, Dan Lanning Sound Off About Bear Alexander's Play On Nico Iamaleava

The No. 12 UCLA Bruins walked away from their 17-15 win against the unranked Oregon Ducks with a few wounds to their program, including an injury to quarterback Nico Iamaleava.

Sep 19, 2026; Pasadena, California, USA; Big Ten Network female sideline reporter Kelsie Kasper interviews UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) after the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Though the No. 12 UCLA Bruins caught a big victory of 17-15 against the now-unranked Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium, that win came with quite a few impacts to the rest of the Bruins' undefeated season as of Oct. 12.

One of the seven injury timeouts suffered by the Bruins throughout the tense matchup with the Ducks is the play right before halftime that forced starting senior quarterback Nico Iamaleava to leave the game with a knee injury. Now, that injury has continued to make headlines, even after the Bruins exited Autzen.

Oct 10, 2026; Eugene, Oregon, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) is injured on a play as he is tackled by Oregon Ducks defensive lineman Bear Alexander (1) during the first half at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Bob Chesney Addresses Nico Iamaleava Injury Play

On Monday morning, Oct. 12, ESPN writer Pete Thamel reported that Iamaleava was "out indefinitely" with a knee injury. Thamel also said a more concrete timeline for Iamaleava is coming after a future comprehensive medical evaluation.

Since that announcement, a video of a previous play on Iamaleava has gone viral, with many football fans online saying Oregon's fifth-year senior defensive lineman Bear Alexander crossed a line in the way he tackled UCLA's quarterback (Iamaleava was tackled by both Alexander and junior inside linebacker Jerry Mixon on a five-yard quarterback keeper rush play). The viral video is not believed to be the play that injured Iamaleava.

Hours after Thamel's report, UCLA coach Bob Chesney also spoke out against Alexander.

"I was talking to Nico, he's like, 'They keep punching me in the face.' ... I didn't see it," Chesney said. "But when you see it, it's certainly egregious. It shouldn't be a play that's allowed to occur in this sport and it's a shame that it was missed."

Oklahoma State's Drew Mestemaker (17) throws a pass as Oregon's Bear Alexander (1) defends in the first half of the college football game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Oregon Ducks at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Sept., 12, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Dan Lanning's Take on Nico Iamaleava Injury

In coach Dan Lanning's weekly pregame press conference, he was also asked about the Iamaleava hit from Alexander. Lanning said that Alexander is not facing any discipline from the team.

"Based on when I saw it, and I feel horrible for their team, you never want to see a player get injured," Lanning said. "I think Bear was trying to take a ball shot, you know. We were pretty aggressive about when the quarterback's running. There's opportunities that the ball is loose. Obviously it's late, right? And it's not the way it needs to be done. It wasn't executed the right way."

"You know, Bear knows that. I think he feels bad about that. It's one of the first things he said to me, 'I didn't want to - I wasn't trying to hurt the guy.' And I don't think that's how he got hurt, it was actually on a lower extremity. You don't want to see it play out like that, but you want your players to be aggressive and punch the ball out," Lanning added.

Oct 10, 2026; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning questions referees during the second half in a game against the UCLA Bruins at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Injury Storyline For Oregon and UCLA

Concerning injuries to quarterbacks are as much of a storyline for the Ducks as they are for the Bruins. In the Ducks' win over USC, starting quarterback Dante Moore was hit late in the second quarter and went down with a concussion.

After the injury, Chesney offered to check on Moore in case Lanning needed to travel back with the team as their quarterback continued treatment.

“I just wanted to make sure if he needed anything, that he knew I was there," Chesney said about the gesture. "Even if it was just to stop over real quick and make sure there's someone in the football world to say hi, that's what I wanted to be able to do and just make sure he understood that he wasn’t just left behind all alone here in L.A."

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