UCLA QB Ty Dieffenbach, former 3rd-stringer, saves day in epic win

EUGENE, Ore.— One moment, UCLA backup quarterback Ty Dieffenbach is watching from the sideline, not having thrown a pass all season.The next, he catches his name being called to replace injured starter Nico Iamaleava in the Bruins’ biggest game in years.“When I heard that,” Dieffenbach said, “I was just tunnel-visioned and ready to go execute.”This wasn’t just any opportunity.

Dieffenbach entered a nationally televised showdown against Oregon in one of the most intimidating environments in college football.The onetime third-stringer didn’t feel any nerves as he stepped onto the field before a sellout crowd at Autzen Stadium.“I’ve been waiting for this moment,” he said.“I’m ready.”Was he ever.In a gutsy performance for the ages, Dieffenbach helped the No.

21 Bruins hold off No.13 Oregon, 17-15, on Saturday afternoon.Playing the entire second half, the transfer from Cal Poly threw the fourth-quarter touchdown pass that provided the decisive score and effectively managed the offense to help his unbeaten team notch a momentous triumph.Dieffenbach leapfrogged fellow backup Madden Iamaleava to earn the opportunity, coach Bob Chesney explaining afterward that Dieffenbach had put together an excellent week of practice and was a better option to run the ball in a game where the Bruins needed his legs.His performance provided another example of Chesney’s mantra that players are either exposed or revealed when someone goes down and a teammate must step up.“For Ty to step up in that moment when Nico couldn’t go,” Chesney said, “he put himself in a spot where he was revealed for knowing the run game, knowing what to get us into, the touchdown pass.”That revelatory moment came early in the fourth quarter with the Bruins (5-0 overall, 3-0 Big Ten) holding a 10-6 lead and needing another score to create some breathing room.On third-and-3 at Oregon’s 9-yard line, Dieffenbach rolled out and fired a pass to running back Wayne Knight, who wa...