A few hours before UCLA players dragged each other to the ground as part of a one-on-one competition and linemen thudded viciously into one another, there were fist bumps and hugs in the revival of a grand Bruins tradition.
Wearing white sweatpants and hoodies adorned with a Bruins logo on the chest, players disembarked from a bus at the Rose Bowl and walked between roped-off lines of family and friends, some cheering and others holding up cellphones to document the moment.
Coach DeShaun Foster, easy to spot in a blue sweatsuit amid the sea of white, paused to interact with a handful of fans on his way into the stadium.