Wisconsin Football Will Officially Face a Backup QB at No. 12 UCLA

UCLA's starter, Nico Iamaleava, was ruled out for the season Monday afternoon.

UCLA Bruins quarterback Ty Dieffenbach. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Wisconsin's road test with No. 12 UCLA just got a huge twist Monday afternoon.

The Bruins' starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava is expected to miss the remainder of the 2026 season, as first reported by CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz.

UCLA standout QB Nico Iamaleava is expected to miss the rest of the season due to a knee injury he suffered during the Bruins’ win over Oregon on Saturday, sources tell @CBSSports.

An unfortunate development for No. 12 UCLA and for Iamaleava, who had been brought up by multiple… pic.twitter.com/TemOyOlJjM

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) October 12, 2026

The language of the reporting leaves the door open for a potential return later down the line given that he's "expected" to miss the rest of the season, but one thing is for certain; he'll sit out Saturday evening against Wisconsin.

Things were trending this way after Iamaleava hurt his knee against Oregon and sat out the second half, with UCLA head coach Bob Chesney calling on Ty Dieffenbach in his stead. The latter tossed for 43 yards and a score on 3-of-6 passing, but there was some speculation that Chesney may have benched his starter at halftime after he was responsible for three turnovers (two interceptions and an rough fumble in which the ball just slipped out of his hands as he went through his throwing motion).

Without Iamaleava, Chesney looks primed to hand the keys to Dieffenbach once again. The Cal Poly transfer did what he had to to against the Ducks, although seven Oregon turnovers certainly helped the Bruins pull off the road upset as he completed just three passes in Eugene.

Last season at the FCS level, Dieffenbach tossed for 1,305 yards, nine touchdowns and nine interceptions on 58.6 percent completion, adding 321 yards and four scores on the ground. Wisconsin must now prepare to face a different kind of gunslinger, as though he officially notched four carries for -15 yards when factoring in sacks against Oregon, Dieffenbach appears more mobile; Iamaleava had only picked up 144 rushing yards thus far through five games.

The other (and seemingly far less likely) option for UCLA is Madden Iamaleava, Nico's brother. The smaller, slighter quarterback has thrown just one pass this season against Purdue, which fell incomplete, while rushing for six yards on three attempts. Given Dieffenbach's experience and Chesney's trust in him in a hostile road environment like Autzen Stadium, the Bruins will likely go with the latter Saturday evening.