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UCLA needs a statement win on the road against a potentially sneaky-good Maryland team. In order to take care of business, they’ll need to win on both sides of the ball.
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I think UCLA pulls out the win in Week 4, but here are some bold predictions to go along with it.
Nico Iamaleava Has His Best Game Yet
We’ve seen Iamaleava improve with every game so far in some aspect. Last week, he took care of the ball, won in the red zone, and put up 276 yards and three touchdowns.
It’ll be hard to improve upon that a ton, but Maryland’s defense has been quite generous in how many yards they have allowed through the air. I think we could see Iamaleava have his first 300-yard game of the season.
Last week in the loss to Virginia Tech, the Terrapins allowed quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer to throw for 314 yards and three touchdowns. With Nico’s talent, he could surpass that and leave Maryland with some questions about its secondary.
Chris Durr Jr. Goes for 150+ Yards
Speaking of questions surrounding a secondary, the Bruins have allowed far more yards through the air than one should feel comfortable with. Last week we watched Xavier Townsend torch the UCLA defensive backs for 162 yards and two touchdowns. This week, the Bruins face another test in Chris Durr Jr.
If there haven’t been some serious adjustments over the course of the week at practice, I could easily foresee Durr having quite a game against UCLA.
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UCLA Scores on Every Red Zone Trip
UCLA looked much better in the red zone against Purdue, and they’ll need to continue that success if they want to leave Maryland 4-0. Luckily, the Terps are tied for the worst red zone defense in the country, having allowed points on 100% of opponents’ trips. Hopefully, this doesn’t jinx things, and UCLA won’t be the first to change that.
UCLA Forces Malik Washington’s First Turnover
The Bruins have been excellent at taking the ball away this season, recording an interception in every game so far.
In contrast, Maryland quarterback Malik Washington has yet to throw an interception this season, so something must give in this matchup. UCLA’s secondary may give up some yards to Durr Jr. and Co., but I think they still can manage to come up with a takeaway, one that may prove to be crucial in the final result.
Today’s best reads
- 3 Storylines I’m Watching Most in UCLA’s Week 4 Matchup
- 3 Storylines I’m Watching Most in UCLA’s Week 3 Matchup
- UCLA Week 4 Injury Report: Latest Updates, Status for Maryland
- 3 Bold Takes for UCLA Football Ahead of Week 4
- UCLA Stock Report: 3 Offensive Players Trending Up After Week 3
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/ucla as 4 Bold Takes for UCLA Football Against Maryland.
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This story was originally published September 25, 2026 at 3:05 AM.