AP Player of the Week: Nico Iamaleava had hand in 5 touchdowns in UCLA’s upset of Penn State
The Associated Press national player of the week in football for Week 6 of the season:
Nico Iamaleava, UCLA
The transfer quarterback from Tennessee was responsible for all five UCLA touchdowns in the 42-37 upset of Penn State. With tight ends and wide receivers coach Jerry Neuheisel calling the plays for the first time, Iamaleava completed 17 of 24 passes for 166 yards and two TDs and ran for 128 yards and three scores on 16 carries.
Iamaleava led the Volunteers to a 10-3 record and the College Football Playoff last season. He announced his transfer to UCLA in April and lost his first four games as the starter. His head coach, DeShaun Foster, was fired after the third game and offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri was let go after the fourth.
Iamaleava is completing 66% of his passes (98 of 148) for 191 yards per game and six TDs. He’s thrown three interceptions and been sacked 12 times. He leads the Bruins in rushing with 66 yards per game and four TDs.
Runner-up
Eli Heidenreich, Navy. He caught eight passes for a school-record 243 yards and three touchdowns against Air Force. The senior’s 14 career touchdown catches are most in school history, while his three TD receptions tied the single-game school record.
Honorable mention
Illinois WR Hank Beatty had 186 yards receiving and a touchdown in a win over Purdue. Beatty amassed his career-high yardage on just five receptions, including a 62-yard TD. … Ball State DE Nathan Voorhis was credited with 3.5 sacks in a win over Ohio. He leads the country with eight in five games. … Notre Dame CB Leonard Moore had two of his team’s four interceptions against Boise State in his return from injury. … Miami QB Carson Beck threw for 241 yards and four TDs against Florida State. … TCU QB Josh Hoover threw for 275 yards and four TDs against Colorado. … Florida QB DJ Lagway passed for a season-high 289 yards and two touchdowns in the Gators’ upset of Texas.
Six stats
__ Missouri’s Ahmad Hardy was idle this past weekend but took over the national rushing lead after UTSA’s Robert Henry Jr. was held to 42 yards by Temple. Hardy averages 146 yards per game to Henry’s 133.
__ Buffalo LB Red Murdock leads the nation with 11 forced fumbles since the start of the 2024 season. That’s five more than the next player.
__ Georgia State is on pace to become the first team since Toledo in 2021 to average 10 or more penalties per game. The Panthers average 12 per game, most in the country.
__ San Diego State has not lost a fumble in 15 games.
__ Auburn has allowed an FBS-worst 21 sacks in five games, six fewer than its 12-game total in 2024.
— With Southern California, Indiana and Oregon among the top six scoring teams in the nation, points are up significantly across the Big Ten through Week 6. The average number of total points in games involving Big Ten teams is 43.5, according to Sportradar. That’s up from 36.9 at this point in 2024.
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AP voters: Cliff Brunt, Pat Graham, Stephen Hawkins, Mark Long, John Marshall, Eric Olson.
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