Nico Iamaleava accounted for five touchdowns as host UCLA stunned No. 7 Penn State 42-37 on Saturday to earn its first win of the season.
Iamaleava went 17 of 24 for 166 yards with two touchdowns and ran 16 times for 128 yards and three more scores. Kwazi Gilmer recorded team highs of five catches for 79 yards and a touchdown for the Bruins (1-4, 1-1 Big Ten).
Drew Allar threw a pair of touchdown passes and finished 19 of 26 for 200 yards as Penn State (3-2, 0-2) dropped its second straight game following a home overtime loss to then-No. 6 Oregon last week. The Nittany Lions nearly pulled off a 20-point comeback Saturday, but they came up short at the end.
With Penn State facing a fourth-and-2 from the UCLA 9 in the final minute, Allar kept it on a read option and was tackled by the Bruins’ defense. UCLA went nowhere offensively and took an intentional safety with 17 seconds remaining, but the Nittany Lions never found their rhythm on their final drive.
UCLA took the opening kickoff and drove 75 yards to the end zone, capped by Iamaleava’s 11-yard scoring strike to Gilmer. The Bruins then executed a surprise onside kick and capitalized on the extra possession, with Mateen Bhaghani’s 24-yard field goal to make it 10-0.
Penn State responded with Kaytron Allen’s 13-yard TD run, but UCLA accounted for all 17 points in the second quarter.
Iamaleava’s 6-yard TD pass to Titus Mokiao-Atimalala made it 17-7 before a 43-yard connection from Iamaleava to Gilmer set up the QB’s 3-yard scoring run. Finally, Allar was sacked on fourth down in the waning minutes of the first half, setting up Bhaghani’s 54-yard field goal at the buzzer to make it 27-7.
The Bruins outgained the Nittany Lions 285-92 in the first half, but Penn State scored two touchdowns within a span of five minutes in the third quarter.
Iamaleava’s 1-yard TD plunge restored a two-possession lead for the hosts, but Allen responded with a short touchdown run of his own. After another rushing score by Iamaleava, Allar and Kyron Hudson hooked up for an acrobatic 15-yard TD catch with 4:11 remaining to bring the visitors within 42-35.
–Field Level Media
