A crowd of about 12,500 showed up to catch UCLA's annual Spring Game at the Rose Bowl on Saturday night -- none bigger than Tom Brady, David Beckham, Wes Welker and Jerry Rice.
Rice's son, Jerry Rice Jr., is a walk-on receiver, so the elder's presence at the game is justified. But Brady and Beckham?
“That was Norm Chow's son’s buddies,” coach Rick Neuheisel said. “I didn’t see them, but they’re good Bruins. It’s absolutely the place to be now. It always has been.”
See for yourself:
No one was particularly pleased with what happened on the football field itself, though.
Said Chow: "I'm a little disappointed and I told them so. We've been practicing very well, but for some reason we came over here and it didn't seem like we came out on fire."
Said quarterback Kevin Prince: "A little sloppy. It wasn't our best performance of the spring."
Here's a brief breakdown:
Offensive player of the game: With poor play from quarterbacks Prince and Richard Brehaut, the honor goes to tailback Derrick Coleman, who carried the ball six times for 64 yards and a touchdown. Prince and Brehaut were a combined eight for 22 for 106 yards.
Defensive player of the game: It's a toss up between Datone Jones, who had two sacks, and cornerback Andrew Abbott, who displayed outstanding coverage by breaking up a pair of pass attempts.
Play of the game: Linebacker Glenn Love laid a vicious hit on Coleman on a short dump off on the flat. Coleman caught the ball, but was blindsided by the hit and fumbled the ball. When asked if he had ever hit someone that hard, Love said, "I don't think so."
Quote of the night: In response, Coleman said, "He got me. I wasn't prepared for it, but he got me. I admit it."
Other news and notes: Kicker Kai Forbath nailed four field goals (44, 34, 51 and 57 yards). ... Cornerback Marlon Pollard returned an interception 84 yards for a score. ... Cornerback Courtney Viney made an impressive interception a slant pattern thrown by Prince. ... Former UCLA quarterback Wayne Cook, now a color commentator on the team's radio broadcasts, was summoned by Neuheisel for an impromptu appearance. He completed the pass to Nelson Rosario.