Josh Pate names 'most stunning outcome' of the 2025 college football season

Stunning UCLA upset over Penn State reshapes the 2025 season and exposes major cracks.

UCLA interim head coach Tim Skipper led the Bruins to one of the most shocking wins in college football. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The shock of the weekend came out of Pasadena, and it set the tone for Sunday night’s episode of Josh Pate’s College Football Show. Josh Pate focused squarely on Penn State’s collapse against UCLA, calling it the single most jarring result of the season.

“UCLA beat Penn State in what I would call easily the most stunning outcome of the season so far. And in terms of Penn State football, the most stunning outcome I remember maybe in my lifetime. I don’t really know... I will give it credit. This was the most out-of-nowhere game I’ve ever seen,” Pate said.

He reminded listeners that UCLA’s supposed role was to be a get-right opponent for Penn State, to show up, unlock the locker rooms, and serve as a confidence booster. Instead, the Bruins flipped the narrative and left Penn State reeling, exposing flaws that had already surfaced during the Oregon loss a week earlier.

How UCLA Flipped The Script On Penn State

Pate called the game “the medicine they needed, and they got poisoned,” pointing to how UCLA dominated every measurable category. The Bruins scored on their first five possessions, went six for six in the red zone, converted ten of sixteen third downs, and held a nineteen minute edge in time of possession.

By halftime, the yardage split was 285 to 92, a margin that mirrored how completely UCLA controlled the game.

Quarterback Nico Iamaleava, a former Tennessee transfer, delivered his long-awaited breakout. Pate said Iamaleava “played out of his mind,” crediting his poise and ability to capitalize on Penn State’s defensive lapses.

UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) accounted for 294 total yards and five touchdowns against Penn State on Saturday. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Pate also noted the irony of a winless program led by an interim coach and a first time play caller outperforming one of the highest paid staffs in the country. He highlighted the contrast between UCLA’s energy and Penn State’s flat response, saying the Bruins “had the audacity to show up and compete,” while the Nittany Lions looked overwhelmed from the start.

What The Loss Means For Penn State

Pate called this the easiest Sarah McLachlan special of the year, describing how Penn State went from a 24.5-point favorite to trailing by 20 at halftime. He said the loss stripped away the guardrails that once defined James Franklin’s program and revealed a team in disarray.

He credited UCLA for its preparation and effort but focused most of his attention on the growing cracks within Penn State. Pate compared the Oregon loss to a final exam that the Nittany Lions failed, one that marked the end of what he called “James Franklin 1.0.”

Penn State football head coach James Franklin could be on the hot seat after back-to-back losses. | Benjamin Chambers/Delaware News Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The performance, he said, felt like a breaking point for a team once viewed as a playoff lock. “They’re probably going to lose more games,” Pate said, adding that the program now faces total uncertainty heading into the second half of the season.

The result underscored the growing gap between Penn State’s expectations and execution, while UCLA found an unlikely spark in its first win of the year. The Bruins will visit Michigan State next Saturday.