LAS VEGAS — The temperature at kickoff for Ohio State’s drubbing of Tennessee in the first round of the College Football Playoff in December was 25 degrees.
The conditions felt even colder to Nico Iamaleava, the Volunteers’ quarterback who later transferred to UCLA following a public fallout over his name, image and likeness compensation.
“It felt like 4,” Iamaleava said. “It was pretty cold. I’m not going to lie. I didn’t feel my hands pregame. It was hard to warm up. But once I got the adrenaline flowing, I thought I did a good job of getting acclimated.”
As Iamaleava completed 14 of 31 passes for 104 yards and ran for 47 yards and two touchdowns in their 42-17 loss, he took a pounding.
The Buckeyes sacked Iamaleava four times, and the frequent hits resulted in two of his helmets cracking, as he recalled during an appearance at Big Ten media days on July 24.
“I took some shots,” Iamaleava said. “It was a hard, tough game. I think the weather played a lot of effect with it being so cold. It was a fun game, though.”
The Buckeyes will see Iamaleava again this year as UCLA makes its first visit to Ohio State as a member of the Big Ten on Nov. 15, a meeting that the redshirt sophomore quarterback said he is anticipating.
“I’m excited to catch those boys again,” Iamaleava said. “It’ll be a big test for me. I know they want to beat me pretty bad like they did the first time. I’m going to try to hold my own.”
Iamaleava, a former five-star recruit from Southern California who made his debut as a starter in college last fall, said he learned from his previous experience in Columbus seven months ago.
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Publish date : 2025-07-25 01:28:00
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