UCLA is now 2-0 without offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri. The Bruins are 2-1 since firing DeShaun Foster and mutually parting with defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe. The Bruins dominated Michigan State on Saturday, picking up a 38-13 win by dominating the Spartans on both sides of the field.
The Bruins have caught the attention of the rest of the Big Ten Conference after their consecutive wins, with UCLA looking like a whole new team in the two wins. Let’s rank the five biggest winners of UCLA’s turnaround.
1. Nico Iamaleava
Jerry Neuheisel has a deserving case to be atop of this list but hear me out. Iamaleava is looking like the quarterback he always could be over the last two weeks. He’s made good decisions with the football, has unleashed some beautiful throws and has shown his ability with his legs.
Those are traits that can get him into the NFL and if Iamaleava can earn NFL quarterback money then there’s no bigger winner than him. The Tennessee transfer has been fantastic in UCLA’s two wins with Neuheisel unleashing the SoCal native.
2. Jerry Neuheisel
UCLA’s prodigal son is working his way into becoming UCLA’s offensive coordinator of the future. After the mess Sunseri had been running, Neuheisel’s offense looks transcendent. The Bruins had struggled to run the ball since Chip Kelly left town, that was until Neuheisel took over. First unleashing Iamaleava’s legs against Penn State and then letting the running backs do the heavy-lifting on Saturday against the Spartans.
3. Tim Skipper
Tim Skipper sure does look like a head coach. It’s still to be seen if that will be with the UCLA Bruins but he’s earning a head coaching gig somewhere next season. He’s taken some risks but they seem to all be going in his favor. After losing a low-scoring game to Northwestern to begin his head coaching career with the Bruins, he’s picked up back-to-back impressive wins with the Bruins being underdogs in both games. UCLA could do a lot worse than Skipper on their sideline.
4. Martin Jarmond
There were no public gestures calling for Martin Jarmond’s job this week. Not saying he doesn’t still deserve to get fired but when the Bruins are winning, there’s a lot less attention on getting rid of the athletic director. A good end to the season for UCLA could salvage Jarmond’s job, for better or for worse for the UCLA football program.
5. The Big Ten Conference
UCLA was looking like an utter embarrassment to begin this season. Losing to New Mexico and UNLV with pathetic showings, the Big Ten must be happy to see UCLA field a more competitive team. The Bruins have already upset two conference opponents and will have more chances to play spoiler as the season rolls on.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: The five biggest winners from UCLA football’s massive turnaround
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
