The true freshman led his teammates out of a Rose Bowl tunnel about an hour before their game against Fresno State on Saturday, knowing he would be making a second consecutive start for a team seeking its first victory of the season.
A week after appearing to make significant improvement, the Bruins backtracked their way to a 38-14 loss before a fast-emptying stadium that contained more fans in red than blue in the final minutes.
There were boos at the end of an abysmal first quarter in which UCLA played little defense, lost a fumble when Thompson-Robinson couldn’t handle a snap, and committed a slew of penalties.