UCLA-UNLV just got personal.
The Week 2 matchup between the two West Coast teams is anything but a pushover, so much so that the biggest scapegoat may end up being UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who failed to deliver on his preseason hype with a Week 1 loss to Utah at home.
Having had time to review Iamaleava on tape, the Runnin' Rebels' defensive back room took note of Iamaleava's flaws. This included Aamaris Brown, giving a harsh critique of the former Tennessee star.
“Honestly, nothing really sticks out to me about him [on tape],” Brown told reporters. "You know, in the past, there’s been talk about ‘five-star this, five-star that.’ I have been around plenty of five-star and four-star [players], it don’t scare me."
Brown's coach, Dan Mullen, gave credit where it was due to Iamaleava. Given Mullen's lengthy coaching history, he has seen this movie play out before.
“Watching the film, you see the talent that he has,” Mullen said. “The performance in the end, statistically in the end, probably wasn’t the game he wanted to play, but you can certainly see his talent on film.... I think [Nico] is going to come out fired up and ready to put on a show and rebound from his performance. He is an extremely talented player.”
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The Rebels (2-0) are off to a fast start with wins over Sam Houston and Idaho State, scoring 38 points in both victories. Meanwhile, the Bruins (0-1) could only muster up a touchdown in their 43-10 loss to the Utes (1-0), as they began their second Big Ten season on the wrong foot following a 5-7 finish this past year.
Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT from Allegiant Stadium, the home of the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders, on Saturday.