While the Oregon Ducks turn the page to the Nebraska Cornhuskers, moments from Saturday's loss to the UCLA Bruins continue to linger.
One of those topics is the knee injury of UCLA senior starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who is expected to be out indefinitely after missing the second half against the Ducks.
Dan Lanning Reaches Out To Bob Chesney Regarding Nico Iamaleava
Reports of Iamaleava's injury surfaced on Monday, and UCLA coach Bob Chesney was asked by California Post reporter Ben Bolch if Oregon coach Dan Lanning had reached out regarding Iamaleava's medical status.
"He's as stand up as a man and football coach as you possibly can be. He not only called me about Nico, but he also called me when we were in the hotel when our plane was delayed," Chesney said.
Kindness Amongst Coaches
It seems that Chesney and Lanning have a friendly rapport, given the two coaches are on the rare younger side of the spectrum when it comes to college football coaches.Earlier in the season,Chesney reached out to Lanning to offer to check on Ducks' senior quarterback Dante Moore after he suffered a concussion in the second quarter of Oregon's road game against the USC Trojans.
“I just wanted to make sure if he needed anything, that he knew I was there. Even if it was just to stop over real quick and make sure there's someone in the football world to say hi, that's what I wanted to be able to do and just make sure he understood that he wasn’t just left behind all alone here in L.A.," Chesney said about his offer two weeks before the Bruins traveled to Autzen Stadium.
The Roughness Controversy With Bear Alexander
On the play that Iamaleava received attention from UCLA’s medical staff and subsequently exited the game, the Bruins quarterback was tackled on Oregon’s 22-yard line by both senior defensive lineman Bear Alexander and junior inside linebacker Jerry Mixon, late in the second quarter. Iamaleava returned after missing one play and threw an interception, and the UCLA quarterback came out of halftime in street clothes.
Many online shared the zoomed-in clip of the tackle that sent Iamaleava out for a play and honed in on Alexander's hand movements, which appeared to be "punching" towards the Bruins' quarterbacks' head.
When asked about Alexander's actions on the field, Chesney called it "egrigious." Lanning insisted that Alexander's punching motions were aiming for the ball.
"You know, Bear knows that. I think he feels bad about that. It's one of the first things he said to me, 'I didn't want to - I wasn't trying to hurt the guy.' And I don't think that's how he got hurt, it was actually on a lower extremity. You don't want to see it play out like that, but you want your players to be aggressive and punch the ball out," Lanning added.
Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.
Add us as a preferred source on Google