Behind Penn State Lineman Vega Ioane's Viral Moment Against UCLA

Ioane, Penn State's starting left guard, produced the play of the day against the Bruins. And then he hugged his offensive coordinator.

Penn State offensive lineman Vega Ioane celebrates during the 2024 Blue-White Game at Beaver Stadium. / Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK

STATE COLLEGE | Penn State ran the play once at full-speed, during spring drills, the one with 350-pound guard Vega Ioane lining in the slot, going in motion and then barrelling through a defensive end. They didn't run it, at full speed, again until Saturday. This was why.

"Y'all saw what happened," Ioane said after Penn State's 27-11 win over UCLA on Saturday.

Ioane, Penn State's left guard with the quick feet and mean streak, put UCLA defensive lineman Luke Schuermann on his back. When Schuermann tried to get up, Ioane put him on the ground again. Then, Ioane got up and let out a gutteral scream. The Beaver Stadium crowd loved it.

Turns out, Ioane thought he was celebrating a Kaytron Allen touchdown, though the running back didn't score. However, the play proved to be the viral highlight of Penn State's victory. And Ioane's reaction after the game was priceless.

"I only reacted like that because I thought we scored on the play," Ioane said. "It would have been a lot cooler if we had scored. I hit him and I put him down again, and I turned around and thought we scored. So I turned around and got the crowd hyped a little bit and I looked up and we didn’t score. They were replaying the play, so I thought it was pretty cool."

OH MY GOODNESS 😱

OL Olaivavega Ioane in motion just mad a MASSIVE hit 😳@PennStateFball pic.twitter.com/W6HqpBXiEa

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 5, 2024

Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, who called some similar stuff at Kansas, introduced the play concept during spring drills. He chose Ioane because, for a 6-4, 350-pound guard, he moves almost like a tight end.

"There's not many people that are 350 pounds that can move like him," offensive line coach Phil Trautwein said during the season. "And that's great for a pulling guard, or a guy that has to go to the second level, or a guy that can just maul people off the ball."

So during spring drills, Kotelnicki introduced the play during a meeting. "Oh, that's pretty cool," Ioane said. "I've never done anything like that." Though they've repped the play in practice (though not at full speed), Ioane has been eager to get the call live in a game. That finally happened Saturday in the second quarter.

"He looked at me and said, 'This one’s for you,'" Ioane said of Kotelnicki. "I just told him thank you. I saw him after the game in the locker room when everybody was celebrating, and he told me good job. And I just looked at him and gave him a hug. And I was like, thank you."

From behind the play, quarterback Drew Allar had to pause.

"Honestly, I didn’t know if the run popped or if it was Vega," Allar said. "I heard the crowd’s reaction and turned around and I just saw Vega jumping on top of the guy. I think it’s just fun to be able to play everybody at different positions."

Ioane arrived at Penn State in 2022 as a 3-star prospect from Graham-Kapowsin High, located south of Tacoma, Washington. He's a rare Penn State player from Washington state, recruited in part by former Penn State special teams coach Stacy Collins, now at Boise State. Ioane played four games as a true freshman and started five last season at left guard. Though he made the lineup in 2023, Ioane still struggled with his confidence as a redshirt freshman.

"Every time I'd go in, I had guys like Olu [Fashanu] and Hunter [Nourzad] next to me, guys who got drafted," Ioane said. "It was always a thought to me, 'Don't let them down,' which also got to my confidence. This year, going out there I was like, 'I'm going to have your guys' backs.'"

Ioane looks much more confident this season, in which he has become Penn State's pancake-block master. The guard drives linemen, pulls with athleticism and occasionally lines in the slot for those unique looks. In short order, he has become perhaps Penn State's top offensive lineman.

"He's he's an awesome player, awesome kid, and he just loves football," Trautwein said. "And you know, he's only been here for three years, so his best football is still ahead of him. He'll continue to get better and better and he'll be playing on Sundays one day."

More Penn State Football

What they said after the Penn State-UCLA game

What we learned from Penn State's win over the Bruins

The Penn State-UCLA report card

Penn State on SI is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on X (or Twitter) @MarkWogenrich.