UCLA’s Stunning Upset Over Penn State: A Turning Point in the Season?
A team in need of a savior found one in the unlikeliest of places and most familiar of faces. Jerry Neuheisel, the UCLA tight ends coach who was elevated to playcaller only four days before his winless team faced a top-10 opponent, dialed up an offensive plan that produced points on each of the Bruins’ first five drives.
The fun let up only momentarily on the way to UCLA’s stunning 42-37 victory over No. 7 Penn State on Saturday afternoon at the Rose Bowl, fans providing their giddy verdict with a chant they unleashed from the opening drive through the fourth quarter. “Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!”
UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) evades Penn State defensive end Chaz Coleman (19) to scramble for a gain on Saturday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
A New Era for UCLA Football
After UCLA made a final defensive stop to secure its first victory over a top-10 team since beating Oregon in 2007, Neuheisel was hoisted into the air by his grateful players, winless no more. “He puts that belief in us that we can go out there and execute,” Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava said after accounting for five touchdowns on what might have been the finest day of his college career, “and he put together a great game plan for us.”
Masterfully running a new offense designed to give every player confidence was Iamaleava, who finally had something to show for his cross-country move from Tennessee that made him the talk of the offseason in college football. Iamaleava ran for a career-high three touchdowns, tying a school record for a quarterback, and passed for two more as the Bruins nearly doubled their previous high point total this season.
