Biggest Winners and Losers From UCLA’s Week 3 Win Against Purdue

The Bruins have improved to 3-0 behind an electric offensive performance at home. Here’s who stood out in UCLA’s 52-38 win over Purdue in Week Three.

Winners

Semaj Morgan

Coming off a fantastic week against San Diego State, Morgan once again proved he can be a major playmaker for this Bruins offense. He kicked off the scoring with his first touchdown of the season, thanks to a beautiful ball from Nico Iamaleava.

He would quickly find the end zone again on a 27-yard catch-and-run, giving the Bruins their best offensive start so far this season.

Sep 19, 2026; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins wide receiver Semaj Morgan (4) celebrates after scoring on a 27-yard touchdown pass against the Purdue Boilermakers in the first half at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Morgan finished with 4 catches for 72 yards and 2 touchdowns, and he looked like he could be a star in this Bruins offense. Morgan didn’t start the season in a starting role, but it will be hard to keep him off the field at the start of games given the performance he’s been putting up lately.

Sammy Omosigho

Sammy Omosigho continues to be the best player on this UCLA defense. Everywhere you looked, Omosigho was seemingly nearby, making a play. He managed to force two fumbles that Sahir West would recover both times, making it his third straight game forcing a fumble.

Omosigho continues to impress this season and, moving forward, will no doubt be the motor for this Bruins defense. He ended the night with 12 tackles, 11 solo tackles, 2 sacks, 2 tackles for loss, and 2 forced fumbles - an absolutely insane performance.

Nico Iamaleava

This was by far Nico Iamaleava’s best game of the season. The senior quarterback made much better decisions than we had seen in his previous two games, and finally threw his first passing touchdown of the season on the first drive of the game.

Along with his passing success, Iamaleava had a solid night on the ground as well. He had various successful runs, including an impressive 32-yard flash in the first half.

However, Iamaleava would take a shot late in the third quarter and was noticeably in pain on the ground. He would then leave the game for the second time that night but would later return following the end of the third frame.

Sep 5, 2026; Berkeley, California, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) yells during the second quarter against the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Iamaleava ended with 19-for-31 passing for 276 yards and 3 touchdowns, and though he seemed to be in pain for a large portion of the game, he had a much better showing than the first two weeks of the season. Nico will have to remain healthy if the Bruins want to continue their perfect season.

Losers

Sep 19, 2026; Pasadena, California, USA;Purdue Boilermakers wide receiver Xavier Townsend (3) carries the ball against UCLA Bruins defensive back Scooter Jackson (1) in the first half at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

UCLA Secondary

Purdue’s offense was rolling against the Bruins for the entirety of the night. Quarterback Ryan Browne finished with 378 yards passing and 3 touchdowns. This UCLA secondary seemed completely lost for the majority of the game and continued to take far too many punches from Purdue’s offense.

Purdue’s leading receiver, Xavier Townsend, had a fantastic night against UCLA’s secondary, as he made multiple huge plays, including a 75-yard touchdown on the first offensive play for the Boilermakers. Townsend would end the night with 6 catches for 162 yards and 2 touchdowns.

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