UCLA confirms Nico Iamaleava needs surgery and will miss rest of season

UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava is officially out for the season.

Bruins coach Bob Chesney confirmed his quarterback’s status on Monday, Oct. 19.

“He’s going to be out,” Chesney said. “It’s severe. he’s going to probably have surgery coming up here today or tomorrow.”

Iamaleava was injured late in the second quarter of the win against Oregon on Oct. 10. He scrambled on a play and when he was tackled by Ducks defenders Bear Alexander and Jerry Mixon, his left leg looked like it got hit and then get twisted. He stayed on the ground after the play while he was attended to by support staff.

Initially, it didn’t appear as serious when Iamaleava ended up missing just one play, returning to the field before throwing the interception just before halftime.

<1 / 25

<2 / 25

<3 / 25

<4 / 25

<5 / 25

<6 / 25

<7 / 25

<8 / 25

<9 / 25

<10 / 25

<11 / 25

<12 / 25

<13 / 25

<14 / 25

<15 / 25

<16 / 25

<17 / 25

<18 / 25

<19 / 25

<20 / 25

<21 / 25

<22 / 25

<23 / 25

<24 / 25

<25 / 25

Chesney said going into halftime that his quarterback was good as the belief was Iamaleava hurt his quad, but it turned out to be more serious. Iamaleava didn’t come out with the team to start the third quarter and later emerged from the locker room without his jersey, watching the remainder of the game.

Iamaleava finishes his season with 982 passing yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions, along with 144 yards and one touchdown on the ground.

Losing Iamaleava was a big hit to UCLA’s season as it was 5-0 with a legitmate shot at making the College Football Playoff.

Luckily, the Bruins look to be in good hands.

UCLA turned to Ty Dieffenbach to handle the quarterback duties. He came in for relief against Oregon and did well in the limited opportunities he had, going 3-for-6 with 43 yards and a touchdown pass in the 17-15 win. It was the first time the Cal Poly transfer appeared for the Bruins as the backup job for the majority of the season had been Iamaleava’s younger brother, Madden.

Dieffenbach made his first start against Wisconsin on Saturday, Oct. 17 and played well enough to lead his team to a 17-7 win. He completed 22 of 33 passes for 264 yards and made clutch throws that extended to UCLA’s scoring drives.

“I just thought he came through in the clutch,” Chesney said postgame of his quarterback. “His confidence never wavered. Our confidence in him never wavered, and he delivered.”