In just a matter of seconds, the Rose Bowl went completely silent.
The UCLA football team led San Diego State by nine points halfway through the third quarter of Saturday’s eventual 33-14 victory when redshirt freshman starting quarterback Kevin Prince fell awkwardly as he was being sacked.
Prince remained on the grass, causing an energetic crowd of 55,761 to hush with obvious concern.
Some players even thought the worst.
“I was freaked out, I’m not going to lie,” sophomore offensive lineman Jeff Baca said.
Fortunately for the Bruins, Prince suffered nothing more than leg cramps and came out of the game for just one play.
It was a sigh of relief for Prince, who became the first freshman quarterback to start a season opener for the Bruins in 20 years. He had been impressive prior to the sack, completing 13 of his 19 pass attempts for 158 yards and a touchdown.
“I thought he showed that he can play at this level,” coach Rick Neuheisel said. “Then he showed that he’s still a freshman.”
Prince threw a pair of interceptions and completed only five of 10 pass attempts after cramping up. He limped off the field after throwing his second interception.
“There’s a lot of things we can correct,” Prince said. “So that’s kind of exciting in itself. We played well, but there were a lot of mistakes that were made. I made a lot of mental errors.”
After the game, Prince admitted that he failed to recognize the defensive adjustments the Aztecs made at halftime.
“Maybe he lost a little focus,” offensive coordinator Norm Chow said. “But I thought he played very well. I thought he did a nice job, especially in the first half.”
Prince came out firing right from the start, rolling out to his left and completing a 20-yard pass to senior receiver Terrence Austin while getting hit in the backfield. The play drew cheers from those in attendance, who had just witnessed a somewhat stunning 14-play, 69-yard touchdown drive for San Diego State.
“I got everything I wanted out of the first play,” Prince said. “I couldn’t ask for more than that.”
If Prince had any jitters while playing in his first game in over two years, they disappeared right then and there. He was five-of-six for 67 yards on the opening drive.
“It’s fun to get out there and throw the ball early,” Prince said. “I think coach was trying to get me in a rhythm.”
Prince closed out the first half with a pair of impressive throws. Sophomore Taylor Embree, who led the Bruins with 97 receiving yards on six catches, was on the receiving end of the first ““ a 34-yard completion down the middle of the field that set UCLA up for a first-and-goal opportunity.
Prince connected with Austin in the corner of the end zone on the very next play to hand the Bruins a two-possession lead.
“He did great, especially for his first game,” Embree said. “I’d definitely give him an A. He made some unbelievable plays in the pocket. He was calm and running the huddle out there.”
Asked if he was pleased with Prince’s debut, Chow pointed to the fact that UCLA won the game.
“I mean, he’s a redshirt freshman,” Chow added. “He hasn’t played for two years, so I thought he handled himself real well.”
Despite all the praise, Prince was quick to credit an improved offensive line and a newfound running attack for his success.
“It was just another day,” he said.
With reports from Sam Allen, Bruin Sports senior staff.