Walters Registers Over-The-Top Concern About UCLA QB

As part of his weekly responsibilities as University of Washington defensive coordinator, Ryan Walters spent 10 minutes speaking to media members about Saturday night's football game against UCLA.

Specifically, he had a great deal to say about Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who may or may not play because he's been in concussion protocol.

As Walters leaned forward, arms crossed, in the Husky team meeting room, one got the distinct impression the former Purdue head coach was ready to jump out of his seat at any minute and go pull the nearest fire alarm.

He seems overly worried about a five-alarm Iamaleava blaze breaking out in the Rose Bowl.

"Man, I'll say, like Nico is as talented of a football player as I've ever seen," Walters said. "I didn't know he was this good."

Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) throws one against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at the Rose Bowl. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Iamaleava, of course, is the Bruins' 6-foot-6, 216-pound sophomore Long Beach, California, who transferred from Tennessee and returned home amid reports the SEC school wasn't paying him enough.

According to Walters, Iamaleava sounds like he's worth every last minted penny he's been seeking.

"You talk about a guy who is 6-6, can run, he can throw, he can make every throw," the UW coordinator said. "It seems like he's a good leader just the way the guys respond to him. He is an elite, elite talent at that position. It's going to be a huge challenge for us. In the games they've won, he's been Superman out there."

Iamaleava also has been Clark Kent at times, with the Bruins losing their first four games with him taking snaps. Some of those outings turned out very badly, such as a 35-10 setback to New Mexico, which led directly to coach DeShaun Foster's in-season firing.

Yet all of a sudden, the tall, spindly quarterback guided UCLA to three consecutive victories: 42-37 over Penn State, 38-13 over Michigan State and 20-17 over Maryland.

Lately, the Bruins are back on a three-game losing skid, with Iamaleava sitting out the last outing because of his concussion, a 48-10 defeat to Ohio State.

However the latest slide has done nothing to dissuade Walters of the quarterback's playmaking abilities.

"With the recent play of UCLA on offense, it's him taking over and making plays when they're not there," he said of Iamaleava. "You look at some of the third downs and everybody is covered and, all of a sudden,, it's 52 yards later and they're in the red area. It's like, man, there's not a whole of people in college football who can do that and especially at that size."

This dual-threat quarterback is 165-for-259 passing for 1,659 and 12 touchdowns, with 7 interceptions, while rushing 96 times for 474 yards and 4 scores.

UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) surveys the Nebraska pass coverage. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

While this game is not unlike the Huskies' recent 13-10 loss to Wisconsin, with the UW facing a team on a losing streak and down on its luck, the difference is the Badgers didn't have a high-level quarterback. They used three different non-descript guys to hand off in terrible weather conditions.

This situation, according to the UW defensive coordinator, is far different. There has been no way in practice to simulate what Iamaleava can do to an opponent.

"I don't think anyone in the country can recreate Nico," Walters said. "I'm serious, man. He's as special of a kid as I've ever seen on tape."

Nine, one, one, how can I direct your call?

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