Starting the Dan Mullen era with a 2-0 record, the UNLV Rebels face their toughest test yet on Saturday when they take on the UCLA Bruins at Allegiant Stadium.
The Bruins come into the matchup motivated to make a quick turnaround on their season. Despite the hype surrounding Tennessee transfer and former five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava, he struggled in UCLA’s Week One 43-10 blowout loss to Utah. As a result, he heads into Las Vegas with a sizable chip on his shoulder.
After the comments made by UNLV, that chip might have grown just a bit larger.
One of UNLV’s top defenders may have added some extra fuel to the fire for UCLA.
During a press conference, UNLV defensive back Aamaris Brown spoke about his team’s preparations against UCLA, where he took a not-so-subtle dig at Iamaleava.
“Honestly, nothing really sticks out to me about him [on tape],” Brown said. “You know in the past there’s been talk about ‘five-star this, five-star that.’ I have been around plenty of five-star and four-star [players], it don’t scare me.
“I have played competition higher than them, including Alabama and all that. … Going against a guy like Nico, there’s no surprise, no excitement or nothing like that.”
While Brown was confident in his defense’s ability to shut UCLA down, Mullen was far more cognizant of the danger that Iamaleava presents.
“Watching the film, you see the talent that he has,” Mullen said, via CBS Sports. “The performance in the end, statistically in the end, probably wasn’t the game he wanted to play, but you can certainly see his talent on film.”
Brown has officially laid down the gauntlet for his team, and UNLV will now feel the pressure of having to back up their words.
