LOS ANGELES, CA — The UCLA Bruins pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the 2025 College Football season this past Saturday, beating No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions, 42–37, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
Quarterback Nico Iamaleava, recording a career-high five total touchdowns, completed 17 of 24 passes for 166 yards and rushed for 128 yards with three touchdowns as the nail-biting win snapped UCLA’s 16-game losing streak against AP top-10 ranked teams.
The Bruins’ last victory vs. an AP top-10 ranked team came in 2010 against Texas.
The finish was dramatic. UCLA went for it on fourth-and-inches from its own 32-yard line with two minutes left and the Nittany Lions stopping Iamaleava short.
Then, on the final drive, Penn State quarterback Drew Allar was struck by the defense and ended up short of the sticks. UCLA followed by taking an intentional safety on a punt with 17 seconds left to run out the clock.
Leading up to the matchup, UCLA (1–4 overall, 1–1 in BIG10) had been the only FBS team not to hold a lead this season. Also, the Bruins were 24.5-point underdogs, resulting in the largest upset of 2025.
Additionally, with the loss, Penn State (3–2 overall, 0–2 in BIG10) snapped a 34-game win streak against unranked teams.
Next week, UCLA faces Michigan State (3-2 overall, 0-2 in BIG10) while Penn State hosts Northwestern (3-2 overall, 1-1 in BIG10).
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