What Nico Iamaleava Said After Heroic Effort Wasted vs Nebraska

The UCLA Bruins (3-6, 3-3 Big Ten) were no match to Nebraska's newfound one-two punch of true freshman quarterback TJ Lateef and running back Emmett Johnson in a comeback-cut-short, 28-21.

Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava fought tooth and nail to will UCLA back into this game. He passed 17-for-25 for 191 yards and two touchdowns, but shined when he had to scramble, rushing for 86 yards on 15 carries, each more important than the last.

It took nearly three quarters for UCLA's defense to get back to the form it's taken the last few weeks of the season. Along with Lateef dominating, the Bruins hadn't forced a punt until midway through the third quarter.

ucl — Nov 8, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) runs the ball against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the first half at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

UCLA needed this win if it wanted any chance (although slim) at attaining bowl game eligibility. Sitting one loss away from matching last season's loss total, the Bruins have a gauntlet schedule ahead, which includes No. 1 Ohio State, No. 19 USC and No. 23 Washington.

Iamaleava spoke to with the media postgame and discussed what he saw out on the field, how he can be better and what it was like to match up against a close friend in Lateef. A full transcript of Iamaleava's postgame press conference is below.

Nico Iamaleava Postgame vs Nebraska

On 4th down attempt in the first half and re-watching it

“They sent the corner crash, and he mesh charged it, and at that point it was the best play to do. I should have just gave him in and let my running backs get that one yard. That one’s on me. I’ve got to play better in that aspect.”

“I’ve played football a long time. I’ve gotten hit a lot of times in many games. I don’t think it affected me in that way. Overall, we’ve just got to play better as a whole and finish games.”

ucl — Nov 8, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins running back Anthony Woods (6) celebrates his touchdown scored against the Nebraska Cornhuskers with wide receiver Kwazi Gilmer (3) and quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) during the second half at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

On getting hit so many times

On how close the game felt in second half

“It felt close. I thought if we got one more stop we were going to go back down and score and go for two and try to win the game.”

On TJ Lateef

“TJ’s my guy. He’s from back over here from the city. We hang out a lot, him and my little brother (Madden). We hang out off the field. So it was good seeing him shine. I kind of didn’t want to see him shine tonight, but he did a great job going into his first start.”

ucl — Nov 8, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback TJ Lateef (14) throws against the UCLA Bruins during the second half at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

On what he saw from Nebraska's defense in the second half

“I thought we were seeing everything well. It was just finishing drives. I think that fourth and one kind of hurt our momentum that we were building. You have that fourth and one and we go back out and we miss a field goal. We should have gotten closer for Mateen. It was just those certain drives we can’t have if we want to win close games.”

The Bruins hit the road to Columbus this week to take on the far-and-away best team in college football on Saturday, Nov. 15, at 4:30 p.m. PT on NBC.

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