Urban Meyer analyzes Nico Iamaleava in Penn State win: 'He made them look silly'

Nico Iamaleava earned his first win as UCLA‘s quarterback last Saturday afternoon. It was a long time coming for the Vol transfer.

That win came at home against No. 7 Penn State, marking the first win for an 0-4 team against a team ranked in the Top 10 of the AP Poll since 1985. Iamaleava was unbelievable in the massive upset, completing 17/24 passes for 166 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also led the Bruins in rushing with 128 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries.

The former Tennessee quarterback has been through a boatload of adversity since his transfer this offseason, as the Bruins opened the season with four consecutive losses. Those losses weren’t particularly close either, as they lost by an average of 17 points per game.

On the latest edition of ‘The Triple Option‘ podcast, College Football Hall of Famer Urban Meyer raved about Nico’s performance in the win. Meyer was clearly blown away.

“I watched that film in depth for the Big Ten Network this weekend,” Meyer said. “Nico, I told after that performance, invite him to New York for the Heisman ceremony. I’m just kidding, but his talent, my God. He made them look silly. He ran for well over 100 yards. If you had no idea, just watching it like I did, UCLA was by far the better team.”

Iamaleava seems to finally be comfortable in UCLA’s offense

Through five games this season, Iamaleava’s numbers look considerably better than they did to open the season. He boasts 954 passing yards, six passing touchdowns and just three interceptions. He’s also been a force on the ground, rushing for 332 yards and four touchdowns. Three of those rushing touchdowns came in the win against the Nittany Lions.

“Man, we got a great win,” Iamaleava said following the big win. “Finally, we were able to pull out a win. Man, the belief we had in each other was still there even after a tough start. This means everything to me. We put a lot of work in for this game and we had to go out there and execute. We did a great job, but we let it get a little close at the end and we’ve got to finish better. But I’m proud of these guys.”

Iamaleava will help turn one win into two wins for UCLA this weekend at Michigan State. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. ET. The game can be seen on the Big Ten Network.