Northwestern Stadium Presents Unique Challenges for UCLA

Bruins interim coach Tim Skipper is both excited and worried about their host stadium on Saturday.

Sep 5, 2025; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Northwestern Wildcats head coach David Braun takes the field with his team against the Western Illinois Leathernecks at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

The travel that comes with moving to the Big Ten already proved to be a new obstacle for the UCLA Bruins last season. On Saturday, the Bruins travel to Evanston, Illinois to take on Northwestern in Northwestern Field at Martin Stadium.

Chicago, in general, has vastly different weather from Southern California, but, with the Wildcats' stadium sitting right at the edge of a lake, the gameday conditions are something Bruins interim coach Tim Skipper and quarterback Nico Iamaleava are taking note of.

"Kind of excited, man," Skipper said Wednesday on playing in the stadium. "When you get in the stadium, you can actually see the water right there. So it's pretty cool. Only thing that makes me a little nervous, I see the flags moving around in there, so we got to see how the wind is when we get there. And obviously, we're in Chicago, and it could change during the game, but to be honest with you, I'm very excited.

Sep 4, 2021; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Central Michigan Chippewas assistant head coach Tim Skipper reacts on the sidelines during the second half against the Missouri Tigers at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

"The locker room is kind of a four-minute walk and all that stuff. So that's football to me. I like it, so I'm just excited to go see it and see all the changes and all that stuff. Nice, intimate-sized stadium, so it'll be fun. I'm excited for that."

Nico Iamaleava's Thoughts

Iamaleava, on the other hand, isn't sure what to expect. He also detailed that there isn't much preparation that goes into playing in windy conditions.

"I don't think you can do anything to prepare for it when you're out here in Southern California," Iamaleava said. "But, yeah, I played in a lot of windy games, for sure. It's really about ball speed and making sure that spiral is right to spin through the wind."

Sep 12, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) warms up before the game against the New Mexico Lobos at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Saturday's clash with the Wildcats is an important one. The Bruins and Iamaleava have a chance to get back on track from what was an abysmal start to the season. UCLA and Northwestern kick off on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. PT on the Big Ten Network.

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