Indiana 56, UCLA 6
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This game had two quarterback prospects on display for NFL evaluators, and Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is in contention to be the top quarterback prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft. Mendoza cruised over a bad UCLA team, carving up their defense and showing his starter skill set.
In the first quarter, Mendoza was leading the Hoosiers down the field when he had some bad luck strike. He had a pass batted at the line of scrimmage, and a Bruins defender was able to catch the deflection for an interception. Mendoza came back to lead Indiana on a pair of drives that produced touchdowns. One was rushing, and the other was a short strike from Mendoza to wideout Elijah Sarratt. To cape the blowout by halftime, Mendoza rolled out to his left, reset his feet, and threw a strike into a tight window for a short touchdown.
Early in the third quarter, Mendoza showed his athleticism by taking off around the right side and running 20 yards through the Bruins’ defense for a touchdown. Shortly later, Mendoza rolled out as no receiver was open, and wideout E.J. Williams broke off his route to run open in the deep part of the field. Williams was wide open in busted coverage, and Mendoza lofted in a deep ball for a 62-yard touchdown. Mendoza finished completing 15-of-22 passes for 168 yards with three touchdowns.For the NFL, Mendoza looks like a pro starter. Mendoza has a strong arm and is accurate in passing at all levels of the field. This year, he has shown improvement in his pocket presence, reading coverage, working through progressions, and manipulating the pocket with his feet. He was smart and read the field well. Mendoza threw accurately with good timing and anticipation. This tape will help Mendoza get a starter’s grade from NFL teams.
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UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava has the skill set to be a pro-starter as well. Iamaleava has fallen under the radar playing on a bad team, but he is a very talented prospect with excellent mobility, passing talent, size, and athleticism. Iamaleava carried the Bruins to a huge upset of Penn State, but Indiana dominated and Iamaleava didn’t stand a chance. UCLA’s defense was dominated, the offensive line was horrible, and the wide receivers were incapable of getting open.
It was a horrific start to the game for UCLA. On the first play, the protection quickly broke down, and Iamaleava was sacked. On the second play from scrimmage, Iamaleava was pressured by a blitz off the edge; his running back was losing the block on the blitzer, and Iamaleava threw into the blitz —typically a good decision. However, his receiver just past the line of scrimmage had a bunch of defenders around him, and linebacker Aiden Fisher intercepted the pass and had a short return for a touchdown.
Iamaleava came back to throw some strikes, and he used his legs to move the ball, but the Bruins’ drives were stalling out as the receivers could not generate separation, and the offensive line was getting whipped at the point of attack. In the third quarter, Iamaleava made an incredible play, breaking two tackles in the pocket and saving his offensive linemen from giving up a sack. After scrambling, he was being hugged by another lineman, but still threw a perfect pass downfield for a gain of about 20 yards. Iamaleava used his legs for an impressive run a few plays later. Iamaleava finished completing 13-of-27 passes for 113 yards with two interceptions.
For the NFL, Iamaleava has a good skill set with a strong arm and dynamic running ability. Iamaleava has a burst to accelerate into the open field, shiftiness as a runner, and strength to run through tackles. As a passer, Iamaleava has the arm strength to push the ball vertically and throws some fastballs in the short to intermediate part of the field. He could use development, but Iamaleava has the skill set to be a starter in the NFL. It would probably be in his best interest to return to college football and continue to develop before jumping to the pros. Iamaleava should transfer to a team with better talent around him to help his development and draft grade.
