Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1537537
9 2 A U G U S T 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M UCLA made the most newsworthy transfer acquisition of college football's offseason when it emerged as the un- likely victor for quarterback Nico Iama- leava. The redshirt sophomore had left Tennessee amid reported concerns over the NIL support he was receiving and the direction of the Volunteers' run- oriented offense, only to discover that the market for his talents was perhaps not as lucrative as he'd expected. Iamaleava completed 63.8 percent of his attempts for 2,616 yards, with 19 touchdowns and 5 interceptions last season, helping lead the Vols to the Col- lege Football Playoff. He'll likely up- grade a UCLA passing attack that aver- aged 242.7 yards per game to rank 47th in the country last season. The Bruins also added receivers Mikey Matthews from Cal and Jaedon Wilson from Ar- kansas, and they get back veteran tight end Hudson Habermehl. In his first two seasons, Habermehl caught 24 passes for 315 yards and 5 touchdowns, but he missed the 2024 campaign with a knee injury. A bigger challenge, though, will be to improve the running game. UCLA averaged a meager 86.6 yards per game on the ground last year, ranking 131st in the FBS. Only Kent State (76.9) and Colorado (65.2) were worse. Former Cal running back Jaivian Thomas is being counted on to boost those numbers. He totaled 626 yards and 7 touchdowns, averaging 6.3 yards per carry, while with the Golden Bears last season. Joining Thomas in the backfield is Jalen Berger, a sixth-year senior who is playing for his third Big Ten team after spending time at Wis- consin and Michigan State earlier in his career. Thomas and Berger will be run- ning behind a largely rebuilt offensive line, so improvement won't come easily. Defensively, UCLA was solid last year, ranking sixth in the nation against the run with an average of 96.2 yards al- lowed per game. Three members of last year's starting defensive line return, in- cluding both tackles, seniors Siale Tau- paki and Keanu Williams. Also back is senior edge rusher Devin Aupiu, who had 4.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in his first season as a starter. Behind that trio are a lot of new faces. The linebacker corps will feature two new starters in juniors Isaiah Chisom and Jalen Woods, while the secondary is made up almost entirely of transfers. The special teams suffered a blow when punter Brody Richter transferred to Minnesota, but placekicker Mateen Bhaghani was very impressive last year, hitting 20 of 24 attempts, including 3 of 5 from 50 yards and beyond. Bhaghani punted in high school and may be called on to fill in for Richter. Additional help arrives in the form of a more manageable road schedule than last year's. The Bruins traveled just over 22,000 round-trip miles in 2024, more than any team in college football. Vis- its to Penn State, Rutgers and Hawai'i inflated that total, but the only one of those teams they'll face this year is PSU, and that game will be at the Rose Bowl. The Bruins will leave the Pacific Time Zone only four times all season — a wel- come change after last year's globetrot- ting adventures. — Matt Herb O C T . 4 | T I M E T B A | T V T B A | R O S E B O W L S T A D I U M | P A S A D E N A , C A L I F. A former All-America running back at UCLA, DeShaun Foster led the Bruins to a 5-7 record in his first season as their head coach. PHOTO BY JAN KIM LIM/UCLA ATHLETICS GAME 5 UCLA 2025 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2024 Result Aug. 30 Utah — Sept. 6 at UNLV — Sept. 12 New Mexico — Sept. 27 at Northwestern — Oct. 4 Penn State L, 27-11 Oct. 11 at Michigan State — Oct. 18 Maryland — Oct. 25 at Indiana L, 42-13 Nov. 8 Nebraska W, 27-20 Nov. 15 at Ohio State — Nov. 22 Washington L, 31-19 Nov. 29 at USC L, 19-13 BEST-CASE SCENARIO Nico Iamaleava could lead an offensive resurgence after UCLA ranked 126th in the FBS in scoring last year at just 18.4 points per game, easing the pressure on the defense and elevating the Bruins to bowl contention. WORST-CASE SCENARIO If the transfers fail to jell, the Bruins could end up missing out on the postseason for the fifth time in eight years. QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: UCLA leads, 4-3 Last Meeting: With the Bruins making their first visit to State College since 1967, Drew Allar completed 17 of 24 passes for 237 yards to help the Nittany Lions coast to a 27-11 win on Oct. 5, 2024 Head Coach: DeShaun Foster (5-7 in one season at UCLA; career coaching record: same) 2024 Record: 5-7, 3-6 Big Ten Returning Starters: 10 (6 offense, 3 de- fense, 1 specialist) RETURNING LEADERS Rushing: RB Jalen Berger (178 yards) Passing: None Receiving: WR Kwazi Gilmer (345 yards, 2 TD) Tackles: DT Siale Taupaki (23) Sacks: DE Devin Aupiu (1.5) Interceptions: None