The game was over, and so were five years of competing at the Rose Bowl.
UCLA quarterback Mike Fafaul and left tackle Conor McDermott, longtime teammates and roommates, returned to midfield and lay down on the turf to contemplate the end of a journey. A wholly unsatisfying end.
“It’s very emotional and it’s just disappointing to go out like that,” Fafaul said late Saturday after the Bruins’ 36-14 loss to USC.
UCLA was picked by the media to win the Pac-12 South Division but can finish no higher than fourth place.