Former third-string QB Ty Dieffenbach leads unbeaten UCLA into Minnesota game
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The gist
UCLA senior quarterback Ty Dieffenbach, a former third-stringer, has 683 passing yards and three touchdowns in three starts.
He faces Minnesota next as No. 8 UCLA tries to stay unbeaten.
Background
Ty Dieffenbach is a UCLA senior quarterback and former Agoura High standout who began the season third on the Bruins' depth chart. He took over after starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava tore his ACL in UCLA's 17-15 win over Oregon on Oct. 10, and has since led the Bruins to an 8-0 record. The Bruins' passing game has drawn scrutiny from coaches ahead of a Big Ten road test at Minnesota.
How it unfolded
- Oct 10, 2026Nico Iamaleava tore his ACL in UCLA's 17-15 win over then-No. 13 Oregon in Eugene; backup Ty Dieffenbach took over.
- Oct 13, 2026Dieffenbach, a former Agoura High standout, took first-team reps at practice in competition with Madden Iamaleava, younger brother of the injured starter.
- Oct 17, 2026Dieffenbach, UCLA's former third-string QB, led the then-12th-ranked Bruins to a 17-7 victory over Wisconsin.
- Oct 31, 2026Dieffenbach threw for 178 passing yards and a touchdown and added a rushing touchdown in No. 5 UCLA's 27-0 win over Nevada at the Rose Bowl.
- Nov 4, 2026Preview notes Dieffenbach will make his fourth start at Minnesota; he has passed for 683 yards and three touchdowns against one interception and rushed for one touchdown.
- Nov 6, 2026Report says Dieffenbach was held to less than 200 passing yards and a 60% completion percentage in each of the last two games; UCLA converted only 11 of 29 third-down opportunities.
- Nov 7, 2026No. 8 UCLA (8-0) faces Minnesota (5-3, 3-2) in a Big Ten game in Minneapolis on Saturday afternoon.
Key terms
- third-string
- A player ranked third on a team's depth chart, behind the starter and backup at that position.
- ACL
- A knee ligament that can be stretched or torn, often along with other knee structures.
- Big Ten
- A major U.S. collegiate athletic conference, the oldest in NCAA Division I, originally named for its ten member universities.
Source: Wikipedia
Who’s saying what
- Caution
- UCLA coach Bob Chesney said the pass game had opportunities where the team has to "pull the trigger and trust," adding "We're a little off."
- Analysts
- Offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy said there is now a lot of tape on Dieffenbach and the challenge is identifying the many coverages and attacking each one.
- Support
- Dieffenbach said after beating Wisconsin that he was ready for this opportunity, one he had waited for since watching the Bruins at the Rose Bowl as a kid.
Still unverified
At the time of the Oct. 13 report, Nico Iamaleava was believed to have a torn ACL, though UCLA's staff, per coach Bob Chesney, had not officially confirmed the diagnosis.