UCLA football head coach Bob Chesney walked into Monday in a great mood after stunning Oregon. But he addressed a controversial moment involving quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Which involved Ducks defensive tackle Bear Alexander.
Alexander swings his arm at the Bruins quarterback after he's down by contact, which occurred prior to Iamaleava's injury.
That's also the same play when Iamaleava injured himself and exited the game. Chesney addressed the “egregious” moment involving the Oregon player.
“It's a shame that it was missed,” Chesney told reporters on Monday.
Alexander stayed in the game and handed UCLA's offensive line all they could handle. Oregon's defensive line delivered four tackles behind the line of scrimmage. But Chesney's Bruins took advantage of Oregon's dismal offensive display, including picking off quarterback Dylan Raiola twice. Even backup Brock Thomas lost the football in costly fashion on a snap fumble that won the game for UCLA.
So UCLA's Saturday road win becomes the biggest victory of Chesney's coaching career, including at his previous stop James Madison University. Saturday rose as sweet revenge too, with Chesney taking a 51-34 loss at the hands of the Ducks during the College Football Playoffs.
But his Bruins must operate without Iamaleava, who was putting together a redemption tour under Chesney. Iamaleava showed efficiency and poise in running Chesney's attack. Plus started to rewrite his story following his abrupt exit from Tennessee. But now Ty Dieffenbach will take the quarterback reins moving forward for the undefeated Bruins, who will now face 4-1 Wisconsin inside the Rose Bowl this coming Saturday.