UCLA stuns No. 7 Penn State to earn first win of season
If the coast-to-coast travel has been an issue for Big Ten teams at times, it certainly bit Penn State on Saturday in a road trip to UCLA. The Nittany Lions never seemed to fully wake up for the early local kick and ultimately fell 42-37 to the previously winless Bruins.
UCLA raced out to a 27-7 halftime lead under new interim coach Tim Skipper, following a couple of staff changes in the last couple weeks. They certainly paid off.
The offense was reinvigorated and quarterback Nico Iamaleava looked like the guy many expected him to be when he initially signed with Tennessee out of high school. He simply did it all in the win, using his legs to get the Penn State defense off-balance and then hammering home some key shots with his arm after that.
When the dust settled, Iamaleava had run for 128 yards and three scores, while he threw for 166 yards and two touchdowns.
Penn State woke up after halftime, at least putting up a fight offensively. But it was too little too late.
The Nittany Lions pulled to within a score a couple times in the second half, but every time they did the Bruins were there with an answer. Iamaleava was a huge part of that, of course.
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What really stood out for UCLA was how efficient the offense was on third down. The team finished 10-of-16 on the key down, keeping the chains moving and ripping off big chunks of yardage when it mattered most. The team was also lights out in the red zone, scoring on all six trips in.
But the defense also came up with some key stops at times. Penn State totaled 357 yards of offense in the game and struggled to play from behind.
While the win for UCLA ultimately won’t mean a ton in the big picture — the program is still 1-4 and has already fired head coach DeShaun Foster — it is a huge shot of momentum for a program desperately needing some. The story on the other side?
Well, Penn State dropped a game it absolutely could not afford to drop. And for the Nittany Lions when it comes to the College Football Playoffs, that loss may very well mean Penn State can’t afford another. James Franklin and staff will have to head back too the drawing board, with plenty to figure out going forward.