By midweek, with a handful of reporters following his every move, Niko Yamaleava looked like someone on the verge of an off-season rather than a rivalry.
In the early stages of practice on Wednesday UCLA the quarterback softly threw one pass before switching to observer mode for the remainder of the open viewing period.
Three days later, with thousands of searching eyes watching his every move, Yamaleawa was making passes much faster.
His efficiency in completing one pass after another against the No. 17. USC Saturday, helped the Bruins take a halftime lead, silencing the Coliseum crowd and sparking a commotion between the teams on one corner of the field as they headed toward the tunnel.
UCLA defensive back Niko Yamaleava (9) rushes for the first down against USC at the Coliseum on Saturday.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
This was the moment Yamaleawa dreamed of growing up in Long Beach and attending intercity competitions as a child.
“It means a lot, man,” Yamaleava said of the opportunity to compete with the Trojans.
But in keeping with the season's trajectory of downs, ups and downs, the dream ended amid a flurry of sacks and failed conversions on third and fourth downs. There was no way for Yamaleawa to power his way to victory, the Bruins ultimately conceding during loss to the Trojans 29-10 in which their quarterback was sacked four times, all in the second half.
And so, a season that began with Yamaleawa becoming the talk of the college football world following his controversial departure from Tennessee ended with him taking a lonely walk down the Coliseum tunnel toward an uncertain future.
“It’s been a great school year for me,” said Yamaleawa, who completed 27 of 38 passes for 200 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions against the Trojans. “You know, I've had a lot of rookies all season long. The way we started and then dealt with little, minor injuries, it's a lot. And I think, man, it just showed that I'm willing to go out there and put my life on the line for my teammates, man, whatever it takes.”
Yamaleawa showed many sides in the fight to finish the season 3–9. There was responsibility: Yamaleava appeared before reporters after each defeat. There was leadership: Yamaleawa told his teammates that if they wanted to leave because of the head coach's firing and the offensive coordinator's departure, then go ahead. Nobody did.
I have been determined over the past few weeks as Yamaleawa has been recovering from one injury after another. He missed just one game after suffering a concussion against Nebraska and missed only a handful of practices after taking a devastating hit against Washington last weekend that left him with neck spasms.
“Every day he's gotten better and better,” UCLA interim coach Tim Skipper said, “and today he came out and gave it his all, so I love the guy, he's a fighter. He fought and continued to carry us until the very end… He's a tough dude, man, and he's a competitor. That's what I'll say about him.”
LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 29, 2025: Southern California Trojans linebacker Eric Gentry (18) battles UCLA Bruins quarterback Niko Yamaleava (9) for a second-half loss at the Coliseum on November 29, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
For more than half, it seemed like Yamaleawa could make rivalry history.
Organizing a short and efficient passing attack, Yamaleava gave UCLA a 7–7 tie early in the second quarter when he found receiver Quasi Gilmer for a two-yard touchdown on a crossing line.
Then came a rare opportunity from a man who is usually happy to take contact as the Bruins were pushing for a good score. On third-and-7 at the Trojans' 26-yard line, Yamaleawa scrambled before sliding under a brutal hit from cornerback Alex Graham.
After coming within a yard on first down, Yamaleava tried to call USC's offsides with a tight fourth down score before kicker Matin Bhagani ran onto the field and kicked a 38-yard field goal.
In the second half, Yamaleava did little. One-third of the down ended with an eight-yard sack. Another failed to complete a pass that was interrupted.
Then things somehow got worse. With UCLA trailing 21–10 and clinging to faint hopes midway through the fourth quarter, the Bruins faced fourth-and-15 at USC's 45-yard line. The short pass to Gilmer only went 10 yards.
Pull up. Game over.
This made Yamaleava think about his future. He admitted back in late July that he wanted to move to the NFL if he had a successful season. It was hard to tell if that qualified after he finished the season completing 64.4 percent of his passes for 1,928 yards with 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
What's next?
“I didn’t even think about it, man,” Yamaleava said. “I'm here where my feet are, man. You know, we just lost a tough game, and I'm still thinking about it – what we could have done better to go out there and win that game.”
After answering the last question, Yamaleava glanced at the bottle of orange sports drink on the table in front of him.
“Can I have this?” he asked.
After receiving permission to take the bottle, he grabbed it, stood up from his seat and walked out the back of the interview tent, the off-season had finally arrived.
