Maryland at UCLA: Players to know ahead of critical week eight matchup

Joseph Luber
Oct 15
4 min read

After a close loss last week to Nebraska at home, Maryland looks to rebound against a hot UCLA Bruin team to avoid a three-game losing streak. Maryland opened as a 2.5-point underdog on the road, and that line on FanDuel has since moved to +3.5. UCLA started the season 0-4, and going winless seemed like a real possibility. Since then, they have cleared house by firing their head coach and both of their offensive and defensive coordinators. Coming off back-to-back wins vs Penn State and Michigan State, the Terps will have a tough task on their hand as they travel to the beautiful Rose Bowl Stadium this Saturday to try and take care of business. Let's take a look at some of UCLA's impact players and coaches that Terp fans should be aware of.

Interim HC Tim Skipper, OC Jerry Neuheisel: After UCLA parted ways with Deshaun Foster, Tim Skipper stepped into an interim HC position for the second time in his career – and he hasn’t disappointed with the Bruins now coming off their second consecutive win. As for the assistant who became a viral sensation among college football fans, most people remember Jerry Neuheisel as the back-up QB from 2013-15 who led UCLA to an upset win over the Texas Longhorns and got carried off the field. Well, fast-forward to 2025, Neuheisel was carried off the UCLA field after an upset win over Penn State. Although this time, he was a first-time offensive coordinator for the Bruins. Since taking over the Bruins' play-calling after UCLA's 4-0 start, Neuheisel has unlocked Nico Iamaleava and has had this UCLA offense looking great. Since Neuheisel has taken over the offense, UCLA has not surrendered a turnover in three straight games. In fact, over the last two games with Jerry Neuheisel, Nico has contributed to eight touchdowns and averaged 173.0 passing yards per game on 33-of-48 attempts with no interceptions. The Terps will try to prove on Saturday that this is a flash in the pan for UCLA as they look to shut this offense down.

QB Nico Iamaleava: It was a massive story last offseason when Tennessee's 5-star quarterback, who led them to the playoffs, left and landed in Pasadena, CA this offseason. This is the second week in a row that the Terps will face a former 5-star recruit behind center. Coming out of high school, Nico Iamaleava was known as a very gifted QB who everyone remembers wearing pajama pants during the Elite11, a prestigious camp for the top quarterbacks in the country. After leading the Vol's to the playoffs last year, Nico came to Pasadena in a very unusual manner. Many people thought Nico could really evaluate this program. After the first 4 games, it did not look like that at all. But since the newly named offensive coordinator, Jerry Neuheisel, took over play calling, Nico has looked like the same player who was once a 5-star recruit. Iamaleava threw for a season-high three touchdowns and 180 yards on 16-of-24 passing in UCLA's 38-13 road win at Michigan State last week. Over the last two games with new offensive play-caller Jerry Neuheisel, Nico has contributed to eight touchdowns and averaged 173 passing yards per game with no interceptions. As good as Nebraska's offense is, this new look UCLA offense that has come to life the past 2 weeks may be the best offense Maryland has faced so far this season, and Nico is the main reason why.

RB Jalen Berger: As good as Nico has been through the air since the coaching change, a large part of UCLA's recent offensive success comes from the production that running back Jalen Berger has been able to provide. Jalen Berger recorded a career-high-tying three touchdowns and 89 rushing yards on 12 carries in his return to Michigan State last week. His 89 rushing yards might not seem jaw-dropping, but it was the most by a UCLA running back in a game this season. This bolstered production has been key to this UCLA offense's recent evaluation. It was also only the second time this season that somebody besides Nico Iamaleava led the team in rushing, which is important if they can let Nico take fewer hits.

LB Isaiah Chisom: He isn’t alone with redshirt senior JonJon Vaughns ranked 12^th among FBS defenders with 9.7 tackles per game, but Oregon State transfer and sophomore linebacker Isaiah Chisom has been very involved in the Bruins' defense this season. Chisom, who recorded a team-high 17 tackles in his UCLA debut, has wreaked havoc this season as he ranks 23rd in the FBS in total tackles per game and also ranks 4th in the Big Ten in total tackles per game. Chisom doesn't just tackle; he also causes chaos, as he was responsible for one of Michigan State's fumbles last week. It will be very important this Saturday for Malik and his offensive line to identify where Chisom is before every snap.

DB Key Lawrence: UCLA has an entirely new secondary this season, and Key Lawrence brings a lot of experience to this new secondary with having played over 50 games in his collegiate career before UCLA. Lawrence came from the SEC, having played 1 season for both Tennessee and Ole Miss, and 3 seasons in the Big 12 with Oklahoma. Bottom line is that Lawrence, who starts opposite of Cole Martin at safety, is experienced and has played lots of football at a very high level. Lawrence accrued 158 tackles and 11 TFLs during his time at Ole Miss (2024), Oklahoma (2021-23), and Tennessee (2020). He was an All-Big-12 honorable mention performer in 2021 after recording three forced fumbles and 47 tackles. It will be important for Malik to know where the experienced corner is on the field at all times.

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