Pandemonium in Pasadena: UCLA Stuns No. 7 Penn State, Ends Winless Season

Nico Iamaleava ran for three touchdowns and threw for two more, and UCLA upset No. 7 Penn State 42-37 on Saturday, earning its first win of the season after head coach DeShaun Foster was fired and two coordinators departed.

The Bruins (1-4, 1-1 Big Ten) were 25 1/2-point underdogs at the Rose Bowl, where tight ends coach Jerry Neuheisel called UCLA’s offensive plays for the first time against Penn State’s vaunted defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.

Leading 42-35, UCLA’s Scooter Jackson came up with a huge stop of Drew Allar on 4th and 2 and the Nittany Lions turned the ball over on downs with 37 seconds left. Bruins punter Will Karoll took a safety that made it 42-37.

UCLA racked up 446 total yards to 357 for Penn State, while outrushing the Lions, 280 to 127, and going 10 of 16 on 3rd downs.

Iamaleava had his best game since his high-profile transfer from Tennessee over the summer. He capped his day by scrambling right and running 7 yards into the end zone and then throwing a 2-point conversion pass to Kwazi Gilmer for a 42-28 lead with 6:41 left in the fourth. He was 17 of 24 for 166 yards passing and was the Bruins’ top rusher with 16 carries for 128 yards.

The Bruins scored on their first five possessions and led by 20 points before missing on a 56-yard field goal by Mateen Bhaghani early in the third.

The Nittany Lions (3-2, 0-2) turned the ball over on a fumble to open the third and then roared back with 14 quick points to trail 27-21. Khalil Dinkins caught a 40-yard pass by Allar. The Lions sacked Iamaleava twice before Dani Dennis-Sutton blocked Karoll’s punt — UCLA’s first of the game. Liam Clifford made a 6-yard blocked punt recovery for the other score.

But the Bruins extended the lead to 34-21 on Iamaleava’s legs. He scrambled up the middle for a 52-yard gain — longest of his career — and a first down. He completed the seven-play, 75-yard drive with a 1-yard plunge up the middle on a day when the Bruins’ relied on their running game.

Kaytron Allen got the Lions to 34-28 with a 2-yard run. Allar’s 15-yard TD pass to Kyron Hudson left the Lions trailing 42-35 with 4:11 remaining in the game.

The takeaway

Penn State: The Nittany Lions will drop out of the AP Top 25 after a second straight loss in their first Big Ten road game of the season. Their streak of 34 straight wins against unranked teams ended. They’ll get a chance at redemption when they visit No. 1 Ohio State on Nov. 1.

UCLA: The Bruins ensured they won’t have the first winless season in program history after ending a 16-game skid against Top-10 teams. It’s their first win against such competition at home since 2007, when they beat No. 9 Oregon 16-0.

Up next

Penn State hosts Northwestern and UCLA visits Michigan State next Saturday.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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