MidValleySports.Com

By Alex. A Gonzalez

Pasadena – With nine new coaches and over 50 transfers, second-year head coach Deshaun Foster and the UCLA Bruins opened their 2025 campaign against former Pac-12 rival the Utah Utes on a warm Saturday night at Spieker Field at Rose Bowl Stadium. 

And with all the new additions, including a new offensive coordinator and quarterback, UCLA looked like they still needed time during the offseason to iron out the details as they fell to the Utes 43-10 in front of 35,032 fans that came out to see the 8:00 PM kickoff.

“Not the outcome we wanted for the first game, but we just got to learn from this,” commented UCLA head coach Deshaun Foster. “This is not going to be easy, but the one positive thing that I can take away from this is how they are sounding in the locker room right now.”

The Burins struggled on both sides of the ball, allowing Utah to score on its first three possessions, while their offense struggled to put together a drive that resulted in points.

Wayshawn Parker was the first to put points on the board for Utah after he took the handoff and followed his blockers up the right side for the 13-yard touchdown run. Transfer quarterback Devon Dampier completed three of his four passing attempts to help set up Parker’s rushing score. 

UCLA tried to return the favor on their first drive with their transfer quarterback, Nico Iamaleava, behind center. However, the Bruins failed to put points on the board when Iamaleava’s pass fell through the hands of Mikey Matthews on 4th and 2. 

“We just didn’t execute well. We have to finish drives. Coach Tino put us all in the right position to go out there and execute,” said Iamaleava, who finished the game 11-22 for 136 passing, with a passing touchdown and 47 yards rushing. After the game. “Me personally, I got to be better.”

The Utes made the most of the Bruins’ turnover as Dampier, who tallied 293 yards of total offense and scored three touchdowns, moved the ball down the field with both his arms and legs. UCLA had multiple chances to stop the dual-threat quarterback, but his elusiveness allowed him to slip away from Bruins’ arm tackles. Smith Snowden then gave Utah a two-touchdown lead when he took Dampier’s handoff and bulldozed his way into the endzone, making the score 13-0 at the 1:27 mark of the first quarter. 

The Bruins continued to struggle in the second quarter as their drive went backwards, including Iamaleava being sacked for a 13-yard loss. Then, on the ensuing possession, the defense allowed Utah to chew up the clock as they called four straight running plays to get them to the UCLA 14. Dampier scored the game’s third touchdown when he faked the handoff and found linebacker Lander Barton alone for the touchdown. 

UCLA seemed to settle down on its next possession as Imaleava used his legs to help drive the Bruins down the field for their first score. After gaining 28 yards rushing on the drive, Iamaleava got the Bruins on the board when he tossed a 19-yard pass to Anthony Woods for the touchdown, making the score 20-7 midway through the second quarter. 

Both teams then traded punts to close the final six minutes of play. That was until Dampier took over the final drive of the half by helping his team set up for a 54-yard field goal. After Dillon Curtis made a 54-yard field goal, UCLA went into the locker room down 23-7. 

The Bruins were able to find some success on their first possession of the second half, as Iamaleava carried the ball for a 16-yard gain that put the offense in plus territory. However, the front line of the Utes created fits for the Redshirt Sophomore quarterback, forcing them to attempt a 46-yard field goal that was good by Mateen Bhaghani.

Utah then made a statement when they went old school on their next possession, compiling a 20-play, 80-yard drive that consumed almost 10 minutes of game clock. The result of the drive was another Dampier touchdown, making the score 30-10.

The wheels then fell off for the Burins when the fourth quarter started. The defense allowed Dampier to drop back to pass, who then connected with Dallen Bentley for the score.

Then, after an Imalaeava interception, the Utes scored the final touchdown of the night, making the score 43-10 after Naquari Rogers punched in his rushing score from a yard out.