By Danielle Daniels
11 15 2025
UCLA GAME NOTES (PDF)
https://uclabruins.com/documents/2025/11/11/10-Ohio_State-Release-FB-2025.pdf
WATCH ON NBC
https://www.nbc.com/live?brand=nbc-news&callsign=NBCNN
LISTEN ON 790 AM
LIVE STATS
https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=604900&vislive=ucla
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Ohio Stadium (Columbus, Ohio)
Kickoff Time: 4:36 p.m. (PT)
Television: NBC
TV Talent: Noah Eagle (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (analyst), Kathryn Tappen (sideline)
Local Radio (UCLA Bruins Audio Network): AM 790 (LINK)
Local Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Matt Stevens (analyst), Wayne Cook (sideline), Nick Koop (pre/post-game host)
SiriusXM: Ch. 372
THE MATCHUP
The UCLA football team heads to No. 1-ranked Ohio State for its first game at Ohio Stadium since 1999 this week on Saturday, Nov. 15. Kickoff in Columbus, Ohio between the Bruins (3-6, 3-3 Big Ten) and Buckeyes (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) is scheduled for 4:36 p.m. (PT) on NBC. Broadcasters Noah Eagle (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (analyst) and Kathryn Tappen (sideline) are on the call. Fans in the greater Los Angeles region can listen live on AM 790, the new home of the UCLA Bruins Audio Network.
COACHING CHANGE
Tim Skipper will serve as UCLA’s interim head coach for the remainder of the 2025 season after DeShaun Foster was relieved of his head coaching duties on Sept. 14, 2025. Skipper previously served as the special assistant to the head coach under Foster earlier this season.
Last season, Skipper became Fresno State’s interim head coach in July of 2024 and guided the Bulldogs to a 6-7 record and a bowl appearance. Skipper was also the acting head coach for Fresno State at the 2023 New Mexico Bowl, which the Bulldogs won over New Mexico State, 37-10. Skipper’s previous coaching experience includes stints as defensive coordinator, most recently at UNLV from 2018-19, and assistant head coach responsibilities at Colorado State, Central Michigan and Fresno State. He also coached running backs at Florida from 2015-16 and linebackers from 2017-18.
UCLA FALLS TO NEBRASKA, 28-21
UCLA dropped a 28-21 decision to Nebraska at the Rose Bowl last Saturday, Nov. 8. The Bruins trailed by 14 points midway through the fourth quarter, cut Nebraska’s cushion to seven, 28-21, with 4:54 remaining, but were unable to complete the comeback against the visiting Huskers. UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava completed 17 of 25 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns, totaling a team-leading 86 yards on the ground. Iamaleava connected with Anthony Woods in the third quarter on a 45-yard touchdown on a screen play, marking the Bruins’ longest completion of the season.
• Iamaleava rushed for a UCLA first down on seven of his 12 rushing attempts (excludes sacks). Four times, Iamaleava moved the chains with his legs on third-or fourth-down situations. Twice he rushed for first downs on second-and-long situations (2nd-and-9 or longer). On 4th-and-1 at the beginning of the second quarter, Iamaleava rushed up the middle to put the ball at the Nebraska 1 yard line and set up a score for running back Jalen Berger. On 3rd-and-10 in the fourth quarter, Iamaleava scampered for a 17-yard gain to enter the redzone; the play helped set up his passing touchdown to Anthony Frias II which shrunk Nebraska’s lead to 28-21.
• Nebraska true freshman quarterback TJ Lateef, who was making his first career start, finished Saturday night’s game having completed 13 of 15 pass attempts for 205 yards and three touchdowns. Lateef did not throw an incomplete pass until early in the fourth quarter, having completed each of his first 11 pass attempts. Huskers running back Emmett Johnson was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after totaling 232 yards of total offense and three touchdowns.
KEY NOTES ON UCLA
• According to Big Ten Network Research, UCLA is just the third Big Ten team all-time to lose its first four games and then win its next three, joining 1963 Indiana and 2001 Penn State. The only power conference teams to do so in the BCS/CFP era are 2001 Penn State, 2021 Florida State, and 2025 UCLA.
• UCLA won three straight games against No. 7 Penn State (Oct. 4), Michigan State (Oct. 11) and Maryland (Oct. 18) under interim head coach Tim Skipper. Across those three games, UCLA scored 100 points with 12 touchdowns and averaged 422.3 yards of total offense (233.3 rushing, 189.0 passing).
• UCLA, led by an interim head coach and new offensive and defensive play-callers, defeated No. 7 Penn State, 42-37, at the Rose Bowl for its first win over an AP top-10 opponent since Sept. 24, 2010.
• The Bruins lead the Big Ten Conference and rank fifth in the FBS in redzone efficiency with 25 scores on 26 trips for a 96.2 success rate (10 passing TDs, 6 rushing TDs and 9 FGs). UCLA has scored on 100 percent of its redzone trips in eight of nine games this year, failing only once at Michigan State on a missed field goal attempt.
• Quarterback Nico Iamaleava has averaged 184.3 passing yards per game on 165-of-259 passing (63.7%), including 12 touchdowns, over the first nine starts of his UCLA career. He also leads the team in rushing yards (474), rushing touchdowns (4) and carries (96). The Bruins’ second-leading rusher trails Iamaleava by 197 yards (Jaivian Thomas, 277).
• N. Iamaleava accounted for all of UCLA’s five touchdowns (three rushing, two passing) and recorded 296 yards of total offense (166 passing, 128 rushing) in its 42-37 upset victory over Penn State. Iamaleava’s three rushing touchdowns tied a UCLA QB single-game record; the last time a Bruins quarterback ran for three touchdowns was Rick Bashore against Washington State on Oct. 14, 1978. Former All-American QBs Gary Beban and John Sciarra (twice) also accomplished the feat.
• Running back Anthony Frias II recorded a career-high 97 rushing yards on four carries (24.3 yards per carry), including his first career touchdown, in UCLA’s 20-17 win over Maryland. Frias’ score came on a 55-yard rush in the second quarter, which was good for UCLA’s longest scoring play of the season. The Turlock, Calif. native also recorded a 35-yard rush during the Bruins’ final drive of the game to put UCLA at the Maryland 5-yard line and set up the game-winning field goal.
• Wide receiver Titus Mokiao-Atimalala logged the first 100-yard receiving game of his career versus Maryland with 102 yards on six catches. Mokiao-Atimalala leads UCLA with three touchdowns this season.
• Linebacker JonJon Vaughns leads the Big Ten and ranks 12th in FBS with 9.8 tackles per game this season. Vaughns has recorded the first five double-digit tackle performances of his career in his final campaign in Westwood.
• Wide receiver Kwazi Gilmer has recorded a catch in 19 straight games. Gilmer leads the Bruins’ receiving corps with 395 yards and 33 catches (12.0 yards per catch). Gilmer scored UCLA’s first points against Penn State on an 11-yard pass on the first drive of the game. Gilmer also made the second-longest reception of his career against the Nittany Lions with a 43-yard play in the second quarter to set up a UCLA score.
TICKETS TO UCLA HOME GAMES AT THE ROSE BOWL
Various ticket packages, including season, mini-plan and single-game tickets, for the Bruins’ inaugural Big Ten season are now available. Fans can click HERE or contact UCLA Athletics Sales and Service at (310) 206-5991 or via email at tickets@athletics.ucla.edu for more information on personalized ticket options.
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