Prior to the Ohio State Buckeyes Week 12 matchup, On3's Brett McMurphy reported early on Saturday morning that the UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava will not play against on Saturday night. 

The breaking news spoils the return for Iamaleava, who led the Tennessee Volunteers into Columbus last December for the first round of the College Football Playoff. The night didn't go as planned for the quarterback, and Saturday was going to be his opportunity to try and rewrite the script 

Instead, the storyline will fade into the abyss, and fans will always wonder what could have been for this game. Now, the Bruins will face the No. 1-ranked team in the country with a quarterback who hasn't taken a snap yet this year. 

Nico Iamaleava Returns to The 'Shoe | UCLA and OSU Play for the 10th Time | Second CFP Rankings Drop The Ohio State Buckeyes welcome the UCLA Bruins and their old friend Nico Iamaleava to the Horseshoe on Saturday Night. UCLA is working its way through a rol...

This season, Iamaleava has been subpar at best, completing 63 percent of his passes and registered 1,659 yards for 12 touchdowns to seven interceptions. 

In UCLA's last game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Iamaleava threw for 191 yards and two touchdowns but suffered a concussion during the matchup. He didn't make it out of the protocol for Saturday, so he will not suit up for UCLA.

Starting in his place will be sophomore signal caller Luke Duncan. Duncan has a similar stature to Iamaleava, as he stands at a lanky 6-foot-6 and weighing just 210 lbs. Saturday night in Columbus will be Duncan's first career start, a tall task for the young gun slinger.

This season marks Duncan's third calendar year in the UCLA program. He was an early enrollee in the 2023 year as he stepped foot onto campus in January of '2023. He didn't see any game action in both his freshman and sophomore year.

Duncan came to college surrounded by a lot of hype. He was a four star recruit by Rivals and a three star according to 247Sports and ESPN. He was the number 39th ranked player in the state of California coming out of high school, while being registered as the 27th ranked quarterback in the country and the 34th ranked pocket passer in the country. 

Ohio State's road to victory just changed a little bit. They went to bed on Friday night as massive favorites already, and they woke up this morning as even bigger favorites.

The Buckeyes and the Bruins kick off at 7:30 PM inside Ohio Stadium for a Week 12 matchup that should be nothing more than a speed bump for Ohio State.

UCLA had their eyes on a historic upset, but those dreams now seem faint at best.