All that was missing was someone wearing a “The End is Near” sandwich board Saturday night.
But that’s not to say there weren’t any signs. There were – hanging in tailgate tents.
There was also chitter-chatter throughout the parking lots, concourse and even press box, all surrounding the thought – the fear – in nearly everyone’s mind.
That Saturday may have been the Bruins’ final home game at the Rose Bowl after 43 years.
But with UCLA football’s (3-8, 3-5 Big Ten) contest against longtime conference foe Washington (8-3, 5-3) taking place in Pasadena, there would be no Hollywood ending.
The de facto Pac-12 After Dark affair proved a nightmare for the Bruins, who fell to the Huskies 48-14. This ensured UCLA would finish the 2025 campaign with – at best – their worst record since 2019.
“We just couldn’t stop the bleeding,” said interim head coach Tim Skipper. “We couldn’t really move it, and they just kept making plays. … So we got to find a way to fix that as we get into next week.”
Nico Iamaleava attempted to flee a collapsing pocket on a third-and-10 with just under nine minutes left in the third quarter, but was taken down by a trio of defenders and stayed down.
While the redshirt sophomore quarterback managed to walk off under his own power, the offense was thrust into fellow redshirt sophomore quarterback Luke Duncan’s hands for the rest of the night.
“We’ll get an update as we know,” Skipper said. “All I really know is that he was out.”
Still, it didn’t really matter.
Skipper has preached “starting fast” every week since he took the helm in late September, but the Bruin offense only sputtered – even with its starting quarterback.
UCLA didn’t crack the scoreboard until 2 minutes 58 seconds remaining in the third. By then, Washington already led 34-7.
The Huskies ran for 212 yards, converted 4-of-11 third downs and 2-of-3 fourth downs. The Bruins were outmatched in all three categories – with just 57 rushing yards and a 2-for-13 and 0-for-3 performance on third and fourth downs, respectively.
The Bruins have enjoyed the game-changing dual-threat abilities of Iamaleava – who made his return to the gridiron after missing Nov. 15’s contest with concussion symptoms – all season, but they got a taste of their own medicine Saturday.
Husky quarterback Demond Williams Jr. entered the affair with 2,508 passing yards and 512 rushing yards, respectively. He added 213 yards through the air and 56 on the ground against the Bruins.
Williams ran through UCLA’s defense for a 25-yard touchdown after keeping on a read-pass option to put Washington up 10-0 in the first quarter. In the third, a designed run from the Bruin 11-yard line gave Williams his second taste of paydirt.
Meanwhile, Iamaleava struggled to match Williams’ rushing ability, and the rest of the Bruins couldn’t pick him up.
Junior Mikey Matthews made a catch on the first play of UCLA’s second possession, but was stripped of the ball. Washington suddenly found themselves on the edge of the red zone – leading to the Huskies’ 3-0 lead.
Iamaleava tried to preserve the Bruin drive with his legs – as he’s done all season – but his scramble on a third-and-four ended in the team’s second fumble and another three points for the Huskies.
Through the first 30 minutes, it seemed as if the Bruin offense couldn’t catch any positive momentum if it hit them in the head – just like the football that knocked redshirt senior wide receiver Titus Mokiao-Atimalala in the helmet before falling to the ground on a second-quarter third down.
With the offense stalling, it was up to the defense to keep UCLA in the game. And after the Bruins’ first three turnovers, it almost seemed like a miracle that the Huskies only led by 13.
“We were definitely fighting out there,” Skipper said. “The guys kept playing, man. I liked our plan. I liked the way we attacked. … It’s just we were out there on the field too much.”
Redshirt sophomore safety Cole Martin picked Williams off with 3 minutes 20 seconds remaining in the second quarter and ran the ball 27 yards to Washington’s 24-yard line.
“Anytime you can push momentum is huge,” Martin said. “We played our butts off the whole game and that play sparked us for sure.”
Yet the Bruin offense found a way to stay off the scoreboard.
Set up on Washington’s 41, UCLA attempted a fake field goal, but redshirt senior holder Cash Peterman’s pitch to Mateen Bhaghani went wide. The junior kicker evaded falling on the loose ball with a Husky defender in his face.
Safety Alex McLaughlin picked up the football and ran it back 59 yards for a touchdown.
“I’ll take the heat,” Skipper said. “It was probably a bit too complicated – there was too much communication, and we miscommunicated.”
At halftime, Iamaleava had just 58 yards on 48 completions. UCLA had just 43 rushing yards – 31 courtesy of their quarterback – and had yet to make it into the red zone.
All of UCLA’s offense – even if few and far between – came from the unexpected.
Duncan, who made his first start against Ohio State last week, found Matthews for a score and the signal caller had 61 passing yards after just two completions – eight yards shy of Iamaleava’s total on 16-for-26 passing.
“Nico’s been there for Luke,” said redshirt senior Garrett DiGiorgio, who was a part of the pregame senior night ceremony. “Nico was super supportive and only wanted him to perform at the best he could.”
The Bruins’ second touchdown came when redshirt freshman defensive back Kanye Clark leveled wide receiver Dezmen Roebuck on a punt, knocking the ball free and allowing fellow redshirt freshmen defensive back Jamir Benjamin to complete the scoop and score.
But as it’s been far too often this season – it was too little, too late.
Even if it’s only the final home game of this season, it was an uninspiring final act in Pasadena for the Bruins.
At least, that’s what the crowd of 38,201 seemed to think.
Many fans had left by the third quarter – possibly making their way to the Rose Bowl exits for the last time.
