Young Quarterback’s Play Contributing to UCLA’s Early Season Struggles

The Bruins have officially dropped four straight to start the season, which is the first time since 2018. After firing DeShaun Foster on Sept.14th, fans were expecting things to turn around. Especially against a struggling Northwestern, which suffocated the Bruins in a low-scoring 17-14 game.

Most of the Bruins' issues have stemmed from the offense. Nico Iamaleava has been good, but he is not the quarterback that UCLA is paying $4 million in NIL money for. Many issues have plagued the offense, but it is up to Iamaleava to minimize them as much as possible.

The firing of Foster isn't going to help Iamaleava; an unstable environment is not the key to success, especially in college football, where stability is everything in program building.

Through his first four starts, Iamaleava has posted 788 passing yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions. Decent overall, but it is not enough for UCLA to start winning football games. However, his rushing stats tell a different story; he has led the team with 204 yards on the ground, something the Bruins have desperately needed.

His best game came against Northwestern last Saturday; he passed for a season-high 138.6 passer rating and also had a season-high in rushing yards. He played mistake-free football, something the Bruins have really needed from their quarterback.

The biggest issue for Iamaleava to start the season is his tendency to throw bad interceptions. Before the game against Northwestern, he threw a pick in each of the first three games. While interceptions against Utah and New Mexico wouldn't have changed the game's outcome, an extra possession against UNLV could have been the difference maker.

The blame still doesn't entirely fall on Iamaleava. There have been a plethora of issues in the Bruins' offense as a whole that have made his job much harder to start the season. Issues such as the offensive line and run game have contributed to UCLA's slow start.

The run game through the first four games has been abysmal. There has yet to be a running back who has stepped up and truly earned the starting job. Carries between the running backs have been inconsistent; UCLA is still trying to figure out which running back will be the main guy. Because of this, most of the run game has been credited to Nico Iamalavea, who leads the Bruins in rushing.

These issues with the run game have forced UCLA to become one-dimensional, causing them to lean more on Iamalavea to make plays. Teams have not been scared of the run while playing the Bruins. This completely takes away the team's ability to be successful in play-action, due to the threat of a running game being absent.

Another issue that has made Iamaleava's season hard is the offensive line. Through the first four games of the season, UCLA has had 36 penalties, 13 of which are credited to the offensive line. This lack of discipline has caused many of UCLA's drives to die out.

Along with penalty issues, the offensive line has also allowed Iamaleava to get sacked nine times. While this figure doesn't necessarily pop out, credit can be given to Iamaleava's ability to extend plays when under pressure, usually resulting in him scrambling for a few yards.

Sep 27, 2025; Evanston, Illinois, USA; UCLA Bruins interim head coach Tim Skipper takes the field against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first half at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Not all of the Bruins' offensive struggles can be pinned on Iamaleava; however, he still needs to step up and be the quarterback that everyone was expecting. Iamaleava's next game will be against a great Penn State team. This will be a tough test for Iamaleava and the Bruins.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @UCLAInsideronSI and @cmorenoNBA to keep up with every story surrounding UCLA athletics!

Please let us know your thoughts on this when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.