Oregon defensive lineman Bear Alexander won't face any discipline for the apparent punch he delivered to UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava.
Coach Dan Lanning told reporters on Monday, Oct. 12 there won't be any team punishment on Alexander, explaining that his player was "trying to take a ball shot," alluding to trying to punch the ball out.
"We're pretty aggressive about when the quarterback's running, there are opportunities where the ball is loose," Lanning said. "Obviously, it's late, right? It's not the way it needs to be done. It wasn't executed the right way. Bear knows that, and I think he feels bad about that. One of the first things he said to me was, 'I wasn't trying to hurt the guy.'"
The incident happened on the play during which Iamaleava
was injured. Late in the second quarter, the Bruins quarterback scrambled to his left when he was tackled by Alexander and linebacker Jerry Mixon. On the play, it appeared Iamaleava's left leg got twisted and he was hit on the knee. As he hit the ground, that's when Alexander swung his right arm and hit Iamaleava directly on the helmet.
"I don't think that's how he got hurt. I think it was actually on a lower extremity," Lanning said. "You don't want to see it play out like that. You want your players to be aggressive and try to punch the ball out."
Here's the play that knocked out UCLA QB Nico Iamaleava for the rest of the year with a knee injury. pic.twitter.com/pHKvM79U1n
— Underdog CFB (@UnderdogCFB) October 12, 2026
Lanning's comments came after UCLA coach Bob Chesney said earlier in the day it was an "egregious" move.
"It shouldn't be a play that is allowed to occur in the sport, and it's a shame that that was missed," Chesney said.
Iamaleava suffered a leg injury that is expected to sideline him for the remainder of the season. Chesney didn’t confirm his quarterback's status, but did mention there is "serious concern" as UCLA awaits more results to confirm the diagnosis and timeframe of how much time he will miss.
UCLA beat Oregon 17-15 to move to 5-0 on the season and win in Autzen Stadium for the first time since 2004.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Oregon's Bear Alexander won't face discipline for punch to Nico Iamaleava
