Look, being a Bruins fan hasn't exactly been a walk in the park lately. If you spent your Saturdays in 2025 watching the scoreboard at the Rose Bowl, you already know the vibe was... off. But when you actually sit down and pick apart the ucla bruins football stats, a weirdly specific picture starts to emerge. It wasn't just "bad luck." It was a perfect storm of a brutal Big Ten schedule and an offense that couldn't quite find its rhythm when it mattered most.
The record says 3-9. That’s the reality. It’s a tough pill to swallow for a program that usually expects to be bowling in December. But honestly, the raw numbers tell a story that's way more nuanced than just "they lost a lot."
The Nico Iamaleava Era: The Stats Behind the Hype
Everyone was talking about Nico Iamaleava coming into the season. The transfer from Tennessee was supposed to be the spark plug. Did he deliver? Well, yes and no. It depends on which column of the stat sheet you're obsessing over.
Nico finished the year with 1,928 passing yards. He completed about 64.4% of his passes, which isn't terrible at all. He threw for 13 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. On paper, that’s a decent "game manager" season. But UCLA didn't bring him in to manage games; they brought him in to win them.
The real story with Nico was his legs. He actually led the team in rushing yards for a good chunk of the year, finishing with 505 yards on the ground and 4 rushing touchdowns. Basically, he was the offense. When the pocket collapsed—which happened a lot—he was often the only one making plays.
Why the Scoring Stalled
The Bruins only averaged 18.2 points per game. That ranked them 126th out of 136 FBS teams. You can’t win many games in the Big Ten scoring 18 points. It’s just not enough.
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A Defense That Felt the Big Ten Weight
If the offense was struggling to stay on the field, the defense was getting absolutely gassed. They allowed 33.4 points per game. That’s a massive jump from what Bruins fans are used to seeing.
But check this out: UCLA had the fewest sacks in the entire nation.
Just 10 sacks in 12 games.
Think about that. You can’t give Big Ten quarterbacks that much time to breathe. It’s suicide.
JonJon Vaughns was a bright spot, though. The guy was everywhere. He racked up 104 total tackles, which is a monster stat. He was the glue holding a very leaky boat together. Isaiah Chisom also stepped up big with 86 tackles, showing that the linebacking corps was doing its job, even if the front four couldn't get home to the quarterback.
The Ground Game Mystery
We have to talk about TJ Harden. Or rather, the lack of him. Early in the year, everyone expected Harden to be the bell cow. Instead, he ended up with 171 carries for 787 yards and 9 touchdowns. Wait, those aren't UCLA stats?
Actually, if you look at the 2025 game logs, the backfield was a bit of a rotating door. Jalen Berger handled 81 carries for 364 yards. Anthony Woods chipped in nearly 300 yards. It felt like the coaching staff was constantly searching for a "hot hand" that never really stayed hot.
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The team's rushing average of 4.5 yards per carry isn't awful. It's actually better than some of the teams that finished above them in the standings. The problem was consistency. One week they'd look like they could run over anyone, and the next, they'd get stuffed for 2 yards on every first down.
Key Performance Metrics at a Glance
- Passing Leader: Nico Iamaleava (1,928 yards, 13 TDs)
- Rushing Leader: Nico Iamaleava (505 yards—yes, the QB led the team)
- Receiving Leader: Kwazi Gilmer (50 receptions, 535 yards, 4 TDs)
- Tackle Leader: JonJon Vaughns (104 tackles)
- Sack Leader: Multiple players tied with 1.5 sacks (Ouch)
The Schedule Was Actually a Nightmare
You can't ignore the Strength of Schedule (SOS) when looking at ucla bruins football stats. According to Sports-Reference, UCLA had the 2nd hardest schedule in the country.
They had to play (1) Ohio State, (2) Indiana, (7) Penn State, and (19) USC. That is a gauntlet. They actually pulled off a massive upset against Penn State, winning 42-37 in early October. That game showed what this team could have been. They put up 42 points on a top-ten defense! But then they followed it up by scoring only 6 points against Indiana.
The variance was wild. It’s hard to build an identity when you’re swinging between "Elite Offense" and "Completely Stagnant" every other week.
What Most People Get Wrong About This Team
The common narrative is that the defense was the problem. While the points allowed look bad, the lack of a pass rush was the real killer. It’s hard to play secondary when you’re asking your DBs to cover for five or six seconds every snap.
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Also, people sleep on the kicking game. Mateen Bhaghani was actually really solid. He went 16-for-20 on field goals, including a long of 54 yards. In a season where points were hard to come by, he was often the only reason the Bruins were on the board.
The move to the Big Ten was always going to be a culture shock. The physicality is just different. You see it in the "Time of Possession" stats where UCLA was frequently losing the battle by 5-10 minutes. They were getting out-muscled in the fourth quarter, which explains why so many close games turned into multi-score losses late.
Actionable Insights for the Next Season
If you're tracking the Bruins for 2026, here is what actually matters based on the data:
- Monitor the Portal for Edge Rushers: If the sack count doesn't double, the win count won't move. They need a "dude" on the line.
- Red Zone Efficiency: UCLA was abysmal in the red zone in 2025. Watch the early games to see if they've simplified the playbook inside the 20.
- Quarterback Health: Nico took a lot of hits because he ran so much. If the offensive line doesn't improve, the backup stats will matter more than the starters.
- The "Indiana Effect": Look at how they handle physical, ball-control teams. If they continue to get dominated in time of possession, the defensive stats will continue to look worse than the players actually are.
The talent is there. Kwazi Gilmer is a legit threat at receiver, and the linebacker room is deep. But until the Bruins can find a way to generate pressure on the QB and find some level of consistency in the run game, these stats are going to keep looking like a roller coaster ride that most fans want to get off of.