UCLA quarterback Iamaleava injured late in the first half against Oregon

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava left Saturday’s game against No. 13 Oregon with a leg injury and did not play in the second half as the No. 21 Bruins beat the Ducks.

UCLA said Iamaleava sustained a leg injury. Backup Ty Dieffenbach took over to start the second half and helped lead the Bruins (5-0, 3-0 Big Ten) to a 17-15 win.

“He wasn’t close to being able to come back today,” UCLA coach Bob Chesney said. “I thought he got hit in the thigh. There might be a little more to it, which we’ll have to figure out as we go through the process tonight and tomorrow.”

Iamaleava left the game briefly in the second quarter following the injury timeout, was sidelined for one play, then returned, immediately threw an interception and did not play in the second half. Bruins senior Ty Dieffenbach replaced Iamaleava in both instances.

Iamaleava completed 10 of 17 passes for 162 yards and threw two interceptions for UCLA before he was hurt. Dieffenbach threw for 43 yards and a touchdown.

Dieffenbach transferred to UCLA after two years at Pittsburgh and a year at Cal Poly, where he started for the first time in college and was 92-for-162 and 1,305 yards, nine touchdowns and nine interceptions.

On the play, Iamaleava escaped the pocket to his left, but was tackled by two Oregon players and grabbed his left leg before being surrounded by trainers. Iamaleava, a former five-star recruit, transferred to UCLA ahead of the 2025 season from Tennessee, where he led the Volunteers to a College Football Playoff berth in 2024.

Nico’s brother, Madden Iamaleava, is also rostered by the Bruins and appeared in a game against Ohio State in 2025 but did not throw a pass.

Dieffenbach said the Bruins didn’t make a decision on a single backup quarterback between himself and Madden Iamaleava after the two split reps at the position throughout the week. Coaches told Dieffenbach on the field that he was entering when Nico wasn’t able to return.

“They went with me, so when I heard that, it was tunnel vision, just ready to go execute,” Dieffenbach said.

Nico, meanwhile, returned to the field in the second half in a sweatshirt with a towel over his head, and followed the first-down chains up and down the sideline while joining offensive huddles during timeouts.

“He’s getting everyone going — he’s a great leader,” Dieffenbach said. “I’ve learned so much from him already — I’ve been with him for 10 months now — and he’s just a great guy. He and Madden, they’re great leaders. They’ve been here as older guys, and it’s just great to learn from Nico.”

Chesney didn’t commit postgame to Dieffenbach as the full-time backup, and said “Madden’s going to be there the whole way through as well,” in what he described as a week-to-week process. This week, Chesney said, UCLA identified a potential to run with its quarterback, and he felt Dieffenbach excelled there during practices.

“(It’s) being able to keep composure and keep everyone on the same page,” running back Wayne Knight said of the Bruins’ reaction to Iamaleava’s injury. “One of our leaders went down, we needed to show up for them, and I think that’s what everyone did. We came together as a unit, and we put it all on the field for him.”

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