UCLA vs. Washington 2025 Recap: Bruins Can’t Survive in Final Home Game, Lose 48-14

PASADENA, CA — The UCLA Bruins returned to the Rose Bowl for their Week 13 matchup against the Washington Huskies. The former Pac-12 members met under the bright lights of Pasadena for UCLA’s Senior Night.

In what turned out to be a massive blowout, the Bruins’ loss drops them to 3-8 on the year and 3-5 against Big Ten opponents. On the other side, the Huskies continue their positive season, improving to a 8-3 (5-3) record.

UCLA Bruins vs Washington Huskies: 2025 College Football Week 13 Recap

All that could go wrong for the Blue and Gold, went wrong. It had its second consecutive scoreless first half, and trailed 20-0 by halftime before suffering a 48-14 defeat. Surprisingly, the explosive Huskies’ passing offense remained in check for the more competitive moments in the game. It was their defense that took on the role of the hero. With three forced first-half turnovers, it marked the beginning of the end for UCLA.

Nico Iamaleava’s Return and Exit

After missing his first contest of the season last week against top-ranked Ohio State, Nico Iamaleava made his return Saturday night against the Huskies.

The star transfer didn’t have much going early through the air. His first 30 minutes only consisted of 58 yards on 14-of-22 passing. As a rusher, Iamaleava gained 31 yards on four attempts, but also fumbled once.

Despite being cleared to play, the explosive quarterback looked out of sorts. He missed on some makable throws, and opted to rush instead of connecting to open receivers on a handful of plays. It all played a part in the 12.5-percent third-down conversion rate in the first half.

His night didn’t continue for much longer, as a hit to the head in the third quarter ended Iamaleava’s outing. Even prior to his exit, he didn’t play too great. He only managed to total 69 yards through the air and netted 16 on the ground, while completing 62-percent of his throws.

Last week’s starter, Luke Duncan, relieved the duties of an injured Iamaleava and immediately led a 7-play, 82-yard touchdown drive to get the Bruins on the board. Nothing more surfaced for the offense.

“Nico’s been there for Luke,” offensive lineman Gerrett DiGiorgio said. “Stepping in that Ohio State game is not the easiest task for a second-string quarterback. I think [Iamaleava] was just in [Duncan’s] corner, supporting him as much as he could, just trying to lift him up … I know Nico was super supportive and only wanted [Duncan] to perform the best he could.”

UCLA’s Costly Turnovers

Ball security was a major issue. Heading into Saturday night’s game, the Bruins only managed to lose three fumbles. Against Washington, the Blue and Gold coughed up three — one of which came off a fake field goal attempt that was returned for a touchdown. Outside of the scoop and score, UCLA’s turnovers handed the Huskies two possessions in plus-territory.

Regardless of the minimized damage, the Bruins’ lack of offensive output kept them in a deep hole. This Bruins team has not been capable of finding ways to crawl back and win games, so the early deficit practically put the game on ice.

To be noted, UCLA’s punt unit did have its own scoop and score in the fourth quarter, but too little too late.

Demond Williams Jr. Overwhelms Bruins

Sophomore quarterback Demond Williams Jr. continued his outstanding campaign, adding 213 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, 56 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns to his season totals.

UCLA’s defense had no answer for the dynamic quarterback. Williams faced no pressure, having all night to throw and was as smooth as silk in the pocket. He made big-time throws down the field (six passes exceeded 15 yards) and had rushes that got by the defense. Scrambling quarterbacks have been a problem for the Bruins all year long, and Williams’ performance was another showing.

“[We] just couldn’t stop the bleeding,” UCLA interim head coach Tim Skipper mentioned. “We couldn’t really move [the ball], and [Washington] just kept making plays. Turnovers are always going to kill you, so we have to find a way to fix that … We fought tonight, the score wasn’t our way, but we kept fighting.”

The defense started better than expected, limiting the Huskies to just 13 points (excluding Washington’s special teams score). However, it followed up by allowing four straight scoring drives and nearly 300 yards in the final two quarters.

The highlight of the night for UCLA’s defense came in the second quarter, where the hometown kid Cole Martin had his first interception of the season, and the second of his three-year career. Other than taking a possession away from the Huskies, his takeaway didn’t result in much.

Up Next for UCLA

One final game remains for the Bruins’, and at this point in the season, it’ll be the most important one. A trip down the highway to the Coliseum will be UCLA’s final pitstop — a matchup against long-time rival USC.

The nationally-ranked Trojans will look to expand on their 8-3 season, while the Bruins will look to get close-in on the all-time record between the two.

Kickoff is scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. kickoff.