The roars accompanied Ty Dieffenbach with every step he took as he returned to the sideline in the third quarter Friday.
It was a heroic comeback for the quarterback who left UCLA’s game against Illinois just before halftime.
The Rose Bowl once again greeted Dieffenbach with cheers once he took the field with a minute left in the third quarter and his team held a 12-7 lead over Illinois.
The one thing UCLA football definitely didn’t want to happen Friday night was lose another quarterback.
But Dieffenbach needed help leaving the field in the final minute of the first half after suffering an upper-body injury.
Dieffenbach first grabbed his left arm after that area of his body appeared to crash into the field as he was tackled. Then he remained on the ground for a few minutes before leaving the field.
Madden Iamaleava, the younger brother of injured UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava, replaced Dieffenbach and threw two incomplete passes before the No. 4 Bruins headed to the locker room with a 10-0 lead over Illinois.
Madden Iamaleava started the second half for UCLA.
Nico Iamaleava started UCLA’s first five games of the season before suffering a torn knee ligament before halftime against Oregon last month.
Dieffenbach played admirably in Iamaleava’s absence. He completed 8 of 13 passes for 168 yards with a touchdown and an interception against the Fighting Illini in the first half.
Dieffenbach’s touchdown came on a 54-yard pass to Aidan Mizell, who now has 307 receiving yards in his last two halves of football.
The Bruins dominated the first half, outscoring Illinois, 252-84, in total yards, but were unable to build a larger lead after Dieffenbach threw a pass that was intercepted in the end zone.
Gn sports
