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Jerry Neuheisel’s postgame admission makes UCLA’s upset of Penn State even crazier
UCLA Bruins assistant head coach Jerry Neuheisel. Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Jerry Neuheisel’s postgame admission makes UCLA’s upset of Penn State even crazier

The UCLA Bruins pulled off the biggest upset of the college football season thus far, and one that's going to be tough to top. After a miserable start to the season, in which they were outscored 125-57 through four losses, the program fired head coach DeShaun Foster and both coordinators.

UCLA tabbed Tim Skipper as the interim head coach, who promoted Jerry Neuheisel, son of former UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel, to offensive coordinator. 

While the Bruins suffered their closest loss of the season under new leadership, a 17-14 result on the road against Northwestern in their fourth game, the new offense came alive under Neuheisel.

And it was just in time to pull off a stunning top-10 upset of No. 7 Penn State.

UCLA took the lead in the first quarter and never trailed, responding every time Penn State managed to cut it to a one-score game. As shocking as the upset was, a comment by Neuheisel after the game made it even more incredible, as Fox Sports revealed.

"First thing I want to say is, I love UCLA more than anything. The kind of kids that you see, that played on that field today, is exactly why you love a place like this," Neuheisel said. "We had two days to practice the new gameplan, and all they did was believe. We came out and played as hard as we could for 60 full minutes."

Neuheisel revealing that the Bruins rolled out a new offensive game plan, doing so with just two days to learn it before a matchup with a top-10 opponent, is incredible. However, the fact that they executed it is even more stunning, and as impossible as it sounds, this makes the upset even more unbelievable.

Former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava led the way with both his arm and legs, tallying 166 yards through air, completing 17-of-24 passes with two touchdowns. He rushed for 128 yards on 16 attempts and three scores and showcased the upside most were expecting when he transferred to UCLA.

Jeff Smith

Jeff Smith has extensive experience as a sports writer and editor, including stops at ESPN, FOX Sports, CBS Sports, USA TODAY SMG, and Heavy. Jeff's passion for sports content starts and finishes with writing and he's grateful to be able to work in that field on a daily basis.

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