What Nico Iamaleava Said After 30-23 UCLA Loss

Things are getting bleak for DeShaun Foster and the UCLA Bruins after enduring yet another devastating result, losing to Dan Mullen and the UNLV Rebels, 30-23

It was a tale of two halves, as Foster said. The Bruins started excruciatingly slow but spearheaded a promising comeback in the second half before a Nico Iamaleava interception shut the door.

Every week becomes more important for the Bruins to get a win.

Here is a transcript of what Iamaleava had to say following their second loss of the season:

On UCLA's Slow Start in Two Games

ucl — Aug 30, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) runs the ball as offensive lineman Sam Yoon (64) provides coverage against Utah Utes linebacker Lander Barton (8) during the second half at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

“I think it just starts with me, man. I’ve got to be better coming out. I started out a little slow on the first drive coming out. Overall, we got to clean up a lot of stuff.”

On Offensive Penalties

“Yeah, man, we’ve got to be more disciplined. There was too many penalties out there that cost us points. Man, it was just crucial penalties that we felt that we could have finished off with seven on a lot of those drives. We didn’t, man. We got to go back to the drawing board and execute what the coaches got for us.”

On What He Saw On His Game-Ending Interceptions

“I saw the (Mike linebacker) come across the middle, lost track of the Mike linebacker and made a bad decision of throwing over the middle. The guy tipped the ball. Yeah, man, I’ve got to be better.”

On The Offensive Line Change

“Good, man. We practice with a lot of different O linemen. It’s good to have more depth in there. Like I said, overall, as a group we’ve got to be better.”

Characterizing the Second Half

ucl — Aug 30, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; Utah Utes safety Tao Johnson (5) moves in against UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) during the first half at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

“Yeah, man. I think the whole game you’ve got to be even keel. Can’t get too high or too low. No matter how the game is going, we’ve got to stay even keel and be in the right mental space.”

On Starting His UCLA Career 0-2

“It’s tough, man. I hate losing, man. It’s a tough position to be in. But it tells us how much harder we’ve got to work.”

On Getting The Team Back on Track

“The discipline has got to be there, man. They came out hungrier than us. We let the school— or how the game was going affect our emotions. I think that caused us some penalties and we’ve got to be better.”

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