UCLA went against Penn State in Week 6 at a sparsely crowded Rose Bowl as heavy underdogs. The team had recently fired its head coach, DeShaun Foster, after three losses, and Nico Iamaleava, despite his SEC caliber, hadn’t turned up in any game so far. The odds were stacked heavily against No. 7-ranked Penn State. But Nico, with his 166-yard passing and 128-yard rushing performance, ran riot over the Nittany Lions, as the Bruins sealed a 42-37 unexpected win. The performance also started a whole new redemption arc for Nico, and his mother is finally having the last laugh after Nico won the Big 10 player of the Week.

Nico’s transfer to UCLA and the widespread scrutiny that followed are widely known. His father was reported to have pushed the transfer, which also led to an online altercatio

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