PASADENA — Cotton-candy skies of pink and orange bathe the San Gabriel Mountains, the hang-it-in-the-Louvre backdrop that forever sinks into football fans’ brains across the United States.
That’s the Rose Bowl. That’s what America’s Stadium sings. That’s what college football programs dream of seeing with their own eyes. You’ll see it on postcards; you’ll see it on laptop screensavers.
But the annals of Rose Bowl history will certainly try to forget the display of UCLA against Washington — an attempt to scrub a whimper of a late gloomy kickoff that saw the Bruins (3-8, 3-5 Big Ten) fall 48-14 in their potentially permanent Pasadena finale.
Yes, UCLA may have played its last home football game on Saturday night as rumors swirl over the Bruins’ future home stadium, hooked into a legal battle with the City of Pasadena and the Rose Bowl Operating Co. But maybe most of America turned a blind eye to the result — and SoFi Stadium executives, too — and pressed delete on UCLA’s effort, adjoined with scattered booes as the Bruins failed to score in a half for the first time this season.
UCLA tallied three turnovers — all fumbles — and punted thrice across its first six drives. Its first drive? A turnover on downs.
The Bruins converted a woeful two-of-13 on third down and accrued just 10 first downs on Saturday. Washington (8-3, 5-3) outgained UCLA 426-208 thanks to a four-touchdown performance from Huskies standout sophomore quarterback Desmond Williams Jr.
Two hundred and eight yards of total offense was the Bruins’ second-worst mark, only to their 50-point defeat to No. 2 Indiana.
“We just couldn’t stop the bleeding,” UCLA interim coach Tim Skipper said.
And late in the second quarter, the Bruins even earned virality for the wrong reasons.
Down 14-0 with 1:55 remaining in the half, kicker Mateen Bhaghani lined up for a 46-yard field goal. Moments before the ball was snapped, Washington’s defense slowly retreated away from their scheme.
Read like a book.
Kick holder Cash Peterman — more known for his viral TikToks and YouTube vlogs than his one-year stint as UCLA backup kicker — flipped a no-look lateral over his head and toward Bhaghani.
UCLA’s fake field goal was so muffed, gone so wrong that Bhaghani never touched the ball. Washington safety Aidan McClaughlin scooped the fumble and comfortably took it to the house to place the Huskies ahead 20-0.
“It’s probably too complicated, to be honest with you,” Skipper said. “(Washington) stemmed out of (its scheme), and the communication on our end got all jacked up. … I’ll take the heat for it.”
If the Bruins’ potential last game at the Rose Bowl was going to become known for one moment, it may have been the fake field goal that quickly swept social media.
UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava, before he exited the game during the third quarter after taking a hit to the head on a booming sack, never found his comfort zone against Washington. Errant overthrows were just as common as completions for the redshirt sophomore, who missed last week’s game against Ohio State with concussion-like symptoms, finishing 16-of-26 with 69 passing yards and whose future with UCLA is also an active question mark, along with the Rose Bowl.
Iamaleava walked to the locker room with a towel over his head, but later returned to the sideline for the end of the game. Skipper said he wasn’t completely sure if the Bruins’ starting quarterback suffered a concussion, but was talking on the field following the hit.
“It’s unfortunate to see him go down again,” redshirt senior offensive lineman Garrett DiGiorgio said. “And I hope nothing best for his health, and he recovers fast. But it’s honestly part of the sport we play. We’re forced to face those injuries, and all we can do is try to get back as fast as possible. I know that’s what he’s going to do, is prioritize his health and get back to the sport he loves.”
DiGiorgio smiled as he stepped off the Rose Bowl press conference stage, but before leaving, he leaned into the microphone for one last remark.
“Thank you for the last five years,” he said.
Backup quarterback Luke Duncan entered for Iamaleava and immediately asserted himself for 61 yards on two passes and a touchdown during his first drive (secured with a Mikey Matthews’ 37-yard reception).
In the fourth quarter, redshirt freshman defensive back Kanye Clark forced a fumble on a punt return, leading to redshirt freshman Jamir Benjamin recovering and returning the ball 13 yards for a touchdown — UCLA’s first score off of a turnover of the season.
“We played our butts off the whole game,” redshirt sophomore defensive back Cole Martin said.
The Bruins avoided the shutout, a glimmer on a somber, forgettable journey that may cap UCLA’s Rose Bowl marriage.
But no matter which way the history books portray Nov. 22, 2025, UCLA’s loss to Washington will be remembered for the wrong reasons.
