The UCLA Bruins and the Tennessee Volunteers essentially engaged in a quarterback swap involving Nico Iamaleava and Joey Aguilar, during the offseason. With the Bruins being terrible, how badly would the Vols crush them if they played?
The first two weeks of college football have shown the drastic difference between the two quarterbacks, but more importantly, the two teams and their coaching staffs. The Volunteers have the Bruins beat, from the coaching to the skill players to the defense to the quarterbacks. Here’s a breakdown of key elements on the two teams:
Coaching
Vols head coach Josh Heupel would run circles around the dysfunctional team DeShaun Foster runs. If proof is needed, here’s an excerpt from Dylan McNeill of UCLA Wire on the Vols’ latest win.
“Tennessee is now 2-0 while having put up 117 total points over their first two games, with a pair of blowout wins that didn’t require Aguilar to finish either game,” McNeill wrote.
The Bruins on the other hand are 0-2 with a combined 33 points compared to their opponents’ 73 points in their horrific losses. The team looks confused on offense and defense under Foster’s leadership. Although they put some drives together in the second half against the UNLV Rebels, they once again came undone in the end.
Playmakers
UCLA’s offense is putrid while the Vols have explosive players across the field. Two games into the season, the Vols have two running backs over 150 yards and 3 receivers with more than 100 yards, according to ESPN. Between the two position groups, they have 14 total touchdowns with each group having seven. This is absolute domination, and it shows what happens when great talent meets great coaching and scheme.
According to ESPN, the Bruins’ only 100-yard receiver is sophomore Kwazi Gilmer. Their leading rusher with 106 yards on 24 carries is not a running back; it’s redshirt sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava. How does a team that talked up its new offensive system that would cause defenses to defend every blade of grass — and how their running backs would be explosive weapons — fail this epically?
Simple: The Bruins are all talk without the performance, whereas the Vols let their performance on the field do the talking.
Defense
Tennessee has blown out its competition so thoroughly that its quarterback has rested in both games. That’s due to their stout defense. According to ESPN, the Vols have allowed an average of only 21.5 points per game. Most of the damage has come in the air because the Vols are cruising to victory and their opponents are desperately trying to score. That’s not the case for the Bruins.
The Bruins give up about 15 more points than Tennessee — 36.5 points per game — and give up over 200 passing and rushing yards per game. Why? Their defense can’t stop a nose bleed if it had to. In the Bruins’ first game, the Utah Utes demolished them; they ran through tackles and pounded their way over defenders and hit wide-open receivers for large chunks of yards. UNLV continued that trend in Week 2.
A Mountain West dominated the Big Ten Bruins until the game was almost out of reach. UCLA made a cosmetic comeback but was never in good position to tie the game, let alone win it. That’s a failure of coaching and execution, something we have not seen from the Vols. Their defense has caused multiple turnovers and devoured opposing offensive lines with eight sacks heading into their big Week 3 game against Georgia.
Quarterback
“Two things can be true. Aguilar has dominated his first two weeks with the Bruins compared to Iamaleava’s struggles with the Bruins,” I said in my weekly UCLA Wire column comparing the two quarterbacks. “The senior quarterback for the Vols is also in a situation that is much more supportive to Aguilar’s skillset compared to Iamaleava’s situation with inept Bruins coaching staff.”
The Iamaleava and Aguilar debate has been rough for UCLA and Iamaleava fans. If everyone was honest, Iamaleava has the talent, but he needs help. Aguilar has taken full advantage of the resources he was given in Tennessee. He’s more accurate, more poised, protects the ball better, and doesn’t miss opportunities for big plays when they come knocking.
Iamaleava has looked lost almost every time he’s on the field. He’s had three turnovers in two games. That’s not what you want from a star quarterback and the last thing the Bruins need. Who’s at fault? Of course, Iamaleava makes his own decisions, but he’s not getting any help from his teammates or, more importantly, his coaches.
With all that being said, it’s safe to say that so far the Vols won the trade and it’s difficult to see anything changing in the future.
Final Score: 50-17, Tennessee Volunteers
The Vols average over 70 points per game and the Bruins’ defense is terrible. Is it fair to say this is too harsh on UCLA’s defense? No. They haven’t proven anything. They can’t stop the run. They can’t stop the pass. The defense doesn’t even have a turnover on the season. That was all against a rejuvenated Pac-12 team and a Mountain West team. Yes, the Utes are now ranked No. 20 in the latest USA TODAY Sports US LBM Coaches Poll, but the Vols are ranked No. 15.
If anything, the score is generous, with the Vols “only” scoring 50 points. They should be able to put up more on the soft defense the Bruins have trotted out. Unfortunately for Tennessee fans, the 2025 Bruins won’t play the Vols. They will go against the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the USA TODAY Sports US LBM Coaches Poll in the Ohio State Buckeyes and Penn State Nittany Lions.
Bruin fans are in for a long season, but the Vols have the potential to compete for a national title. They have a chance to prove how good they are this week as they battle the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: If UCLA played Tennessee, how badly would the Bruins lose?
Reporting by Ryan Lorenz, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
