CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Football season arrived in Pasadena Saturday afternoon as I sat on a couch 2,500 miles away, fumbling with a lagging Chromecast, sporting a bright blue UCLA T-shirt and surrounded by Virginia fans.
Like much of the Bruin faithful, I wasn’t physically at the Rose Bowl; instead, I found myself across the country in the shadow of Scott Stadium, home of the very team that UCLA faced off against in the season opener: the Virginia Cavaliers.
Here are some of the best moments, quotes and lessons from my weekend with the Wahoos.
Pregame
Friday evening, less than 24 hours until kickoff. “Oh, where do you go to school?”
I respond – with slight hesitation – to the first question I receive when my boyfriend, Nick, a second-year at the University of Virginia, introduces me to his friends. The answer gets some raised eyebrows, but nobody gives me a hard time about my allegiance.
Most people who mention the Virginia football team tell me they aren’t expecting much. Numerous times, however, they like to remind me of last year’s closer-than-expected 28-20 UCLA victory – there’s a glimmer of hope.
Saturday morning, four hours until kickoff. In a sea of navy blue and orange, my Bruin blue T-shirt is hard to miss as Nick and I cross Grounds to grab brunch at Bodo’s. I don’t receive many comments, only a “The f— is that?” and “Bold move…” muttered in passing.
The shirt does manage to garner the attention of a homeless man just a block off Grounds. Flashing a quick smile, he warns me that I had better take the Wahoos seriously. I reassure him that I will.
He is easily the most confident fan I encounter during the entire visit.
Saturday afternoon, 20 minutes until kickoff. Nick and I sit down in the living room, the TV set up in the corner, a 2015 Cavalier Football poster above it and the air conditioner on full blast. Chromecast, after a few minutes of configuration, finally appears to be working as we test the connection with Taylor Swift’s newest music video. Fox Sports Go, however, is too much to handle, and we ditch the choppy picture for the smaller computer screen atop a physics textbook. Game time.
Mid-game highlights
First quarter. UCLA 0, UVA 0 – 15:00. Andrew, one of Nick’s housemates, walks in the door as Virginia sets up for its first offensive play of the afternoon. The two Wahoo fans offer their fearless predictions: 32-17 UCLA from Nick and 28-14 UCLA from Andrew. I ask if they’re confident with those predictions.
“Maybe we’ll score 17 if we want to be really optimistic,” Andrew adds.
UCLA 0, UVA 3 – 9:14. A Cavalier field goal opens the scoring and everybody exchanges looks of mild surprise. Within minutes, however, Andrew and Nick begin repeating “Fire Mike London” under their breath as a pair of penalties stall an offensive possession. It becomes apparent plenty quickly that the Virginia coach isn’t popular around these parts.
Second quarter. UCLA 7, UVA 3 – 15:00. “At least we scored first,” Nick says as the second quarter gets underway with the Cavaliers in a four-point deficit.
I try countering that scoring first really doesn’t matter at that point.
“We take what we can get,” he replies. Fair enough.
Meanwhile, a new arrival of Virginia students nearly triples our watch party and the Internet promptly crashes. Our woes are solved as John, another housemate, grabs an HDMI cable, and we’re back in business.
UCLA 7, UVA 6 – 9:00. “Do you guys do?” Emily asks the group. Punchline: “Vanderdoes.”
UCLA 17, UVA 9 – 0:02. I offer Andrew and Nick a chance to reevaluate their pre-game predictions as the clock winds down toward halftime, but both remain unchanged. I’m quickly introduced to one of their favorite phrases – “Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.”
Where’s the confident homeless man when you need him?
Third quarter. UCLA 17, UVA 9 – 11:48. I try to keep hopes up by reminding everybody that their team is only in a one possession deficit, but nobody is buying it. Things quickly start to fall apart.
UCLA 31, UVA 9 – 3:00. The Fox announcers mention that this a rare ACC vs. Pac-12 matchup, and somebody agrees that UCLA is an “actual” team compared to Virginia. I quickly correct them, explaining that the commentators said “Pac-12,” not “actual” team. My correction falls on deaf ears.
UCLA 31, UVA 9 – 2:00. Even Virginia fans can appreciate freshman quarterback Josh Rosen. Someone remarks that the Bruin quarterback is actually younger than all of us sitting around the TV, a fact which everybody needs a minute to comprehend.
Fourth quarter – UCLA 34, UVA 16 – 0:00. The clock runs out with little fanfare – actually no fanfare, really. Over the final minutes, the room has emptied, save for John, Nick and me. John is asleep on the couch, Nick looks up from his homework and I disconnect the HDMI cable to begin editing the game wrap.
Postgame notes
Reflecting back on the weekend, the prevailing impression I received of ‘Hoos football was indifference, cynicism and fading hope. The main takeaway that I’m bringing back to Westwood is that this Bruin team should not be taken for granted.
Just four years ago, UCLA football had gone 21-30 over four seasons with Rick Neuheisel as head coach. The program was mired in a serious slump, much like Virginia is with Mike London’s 23-39 record since 2009, and there just wasn’t much to get excited about when college football season came around.
Jim Mora and his 30-11 record as head coach, however, has brought life back into the Bruins, establishing a multiyear stretch of success that UCLA hasn’t seen since the mid-’80s. It won’t last forever, so fans would be wise to recognize the good times, marvel at Rosen, junior linebacker Myles Jack, redshirt junior running back Paul Perkins or any number of the outstanding players on the 2015 squad, and enjoy the team’s current run of dominance.
