The UCLA Bruins are 1-0 after their 45-24 win on Saturday over Cal and perhaps the best news for the Bruins is that quarterback Nico Iamaleava avoided a serious injury.
Iamaleava left the game in the fourth quarter after picking up a first down on the ground. On the play, Iamaleava fumbled but was able to recover the ball. The UCLA quarterback hobbled to the sideline and saw his younger brother, Madden Iamaleava, come in to replace him.
Nico was able to return later in the game, handing the ball off and taking a knee to close out the game. Postgame, UCLA head coach Bob Chesney delivered some positive news on Iamaleava’s injury.
“He just got his calf kind of cleated, so he tried, it just kept cramping up,” Chesney said. “We’ve got to do some work
on that and get that cleaned up.”UCLA’s going to be quite reliant on Iamaleava this season. Iamaleava ran the ball nine times for 29 yards and a touchdown and dropped back to throw 22 times. Iamaleava went 14-22 through the air for 184 yards with one interception.
After last year’s struggles to run the ball, the Bruins’ ground game flourished on Saturday, rushing for 277 yards and scoring all six of their touchdowns on the ground.
While Madden Iamaleava’s skillset remains relatively unknown at the collegiate level, the Bruins will be needing Nico to compete in the Big Ten Conference this season.
The Bruins’ QB1 avoided bad injury news after the second half scare against Cal.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: UCLA and Nico Iamaleava avoid a serious injury for the quarterback
