A hush had fallen over the Rose Bowl in the final minute, the boos that serenaded UCLA players running into the locker room at halftime replaced by indifference among the few remaining fans.
Down to fourth-string quarterback Chase Griffin because of injuries, the Bruins were forced to run one last meaningless play against Arizona State. When Griffin’s pass fell incomplete, a teammate on the sideline threw up his hands in disgust and turned to leave the field.
As chants of “A-S-U!” filled one corner of the stadium near the end of the Bruins’ 17-7 loss, a UCLA fan behind the team’s bench rendered a different verdict.