Oregon's Bear Alexander criticised over unpenalised hit as UCLA's Nico Iamaleava is injured
UCLA beat Oregon 17-15 on Saturday, but a second-quarter play in which Oregon's Bear Alexander struck quarterback Nico Iamaleava drew criticism. No penalty was called, and Iamaleava left the game injured.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2UCLA, ranked No. 21, beat No. 13 Oregon 17-15 in a Big Ten game on Saturday, and a play involving Oregon defender Bear Alexander drew criticism. NewsweekN “A Big Ten battle between No. 21 UCLA and No. 13 Oregon saw the Bruins emerge with a hard-fought 17-15 win to remain undefeated” Read at Newsweek ↗ BreitbartR “The incident occurred during UCLA’s close 17-15 win over the Ducks” Read at Breitbart ↗ Mixed · 2With 32 seconds left in the second quarter, Alexander and teammate Jerry Mixon tackled UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava as he scrambled, and both appeared to try to punch the ball out of his hands. NewsweekN “With 32 seconds remaining in the game's second quarter, UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava was scrambling when Alexander and teammate Jerry Mixon took him down.” Read at Newsweek ↗ BreitbartR “The video also showed Mixon trying to deliver a shot, but his blow didn’t connect” Read at Breitbart ↗ Mixed · 2Newsweek said Alexander's swing came after Iamaleava landed on top of him and that it made contact with the quarterback's neck. Breitbart described it as Alexander seemingly smacking Iamaleava in the face and rocking his helmet. NewsweekN “he instead made contact with Iamaleava's neck” Read at Newsweek ↗ BreitbartR “the cameras caught Alexander seemingly smacking the GB in the face, noticeably rocking his helmet” Read at Breitbart ↗
Mixed · 2No penalty was called. Breitbart, citing the New York Post, said the broadcasters did not mention the play even though it was replayed. NewsweekN “the referees didn't issue any penalties” Read at Newsweek ↗ BreitbartR “But even the game broadcasters ignored the incident and didn’t mention it, according to the New York Post.” Read at Breitbart ↗ Mixed · 2Iamaleava left the game with an injury and did not return after halftime, and Ty Dieffenbach replaced him. Newsweek described a lower-body injury and Breitbart a leg injury. Breitbart added that the head shot itself did not appear to have affected him. NewsweekN “Iamaleava exited the game with a lower-body injury after that play and didn't return for the second half; backup Ty Dieffenbach replaced him” Read at Newsweek ↗ BreitbartR “Iamaleava left the game in the second quarter with a leg injury, so the dirty head shot didn’t appear to affect him.” Read at Breitbart ↗ Centre · 1Newsweek reported that fans on X, replying to a video from On3's Dean Ralsky, called for Alexander to be suspended or penalised by the Big Ten. NewsweekN “Multiple commenters suggested that the Oregon defensive lineman should be punished for the incident.”“"Bear should get a suspension."” Read at Newsweek ↗
Centre · 1Newsweek noted that weeks earlier Oregon coach Dan Lanning called a late hit on his quarterback Dante Moore by USC's Desman Stephens II a "disgusting play", and USC suspended Stephens for one game. It said Oregon's response to Alexander's play could test Lanning's remarks. NewsweekN “USC announced it was suspending Stephens for one game for his unnecessary late hit.”“How the program responds to Alexander's unpenalized actions against UCLA could put Lanning's previous comments to the test.” Read at Newsweek ↗ Right · 1As of Sunday morning, neither Oregon nor Big Ten officials had commented on the incident, according to Breitbart. BreitbartR “As of Sunday morning, neither Oregon nor any Big Ten officials had commented on the incident.” Read at Breitbart ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left0 outlets
No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- Fan backlash and a question for Oregon coach Dan Lanning, set against the earlier Dante Moore hit.
- Emphasis
- Fan calls for suspension and the contrast with Lanning's earlier comments.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not say whether Oregon or the Big Ten responded.
- Charged language
- “controversial play”“Fans Want Oregon’s Bear Alexander Punished”
- For example
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“Many were understandably irate about what they saw from Alexander and that the referees didn't issue any penalties.” — Newsweek
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- Short video-led item reporting an accusation of a dirty hit.
- Emphasis
- The head hit, the missing penalty and the broadcasters' silence.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention fan calls for suspension or the Moore/USC precedent.
- Charged language
- “dirty hit”“dirty head shot”
- For example
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“Oregon defender Bear Alexander was accused of a dirty hit on UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s head on Saturday.” — Breitbart
What every side reports
- UCLA beat Oregon 17-15.
- Alexander and Jerry Mixon tackled Iamaleava in the second quarter and tried to knock the ball loose.
- No penalty was called.
- Iamaleava left the game injured.
Where accounts differ
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Where Alexander's blow landed and what injury Iamaleava had
- Centre
- Newsweek: contact with the neck; lower-body injury.
- Right
- Breitbart: a smack to the face that rocked the helmet; leg injury, with the head shot seemingly not affecting him.
Left0 articles
No coverage yet.
Centre1 article
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Fans Want Oregon’s Bear Alexander Punished for Hit That Injured Nico Iamaleava
Critical Reports fan backlash and ties it to Lanning's earlier criticism of USC's hit on Moore.
Right1 article
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WATCH: Oregon's Bear Alexander Accused of Dirty Hit on UCLA QB Nico Iamaleava’s Head
Critical Calls the play a dirty hit and stresses the lack of a penalty and broadcaster comment.
- 11 Oct 02:49 First NewsweekN Fans Want Oregon’s Bear Alexander Punished for Hit That Injured Nico Iamaleava
- 11 Oct 18:28 +15h 38m BreitbartR WATCH: Oregon's Bear Alexander Accused of Dirty Hit on UCLA QB Nico Iamaleava’s Head
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.