While Saturday night’s game against New Mexico State, a predicted blowout for the Bruins, isn’t exactly UCLA’s marquee home matchup of the season, coach Jim Mora is still hoping the UCLA faithful in attendance will “go nuts.”
At the first home game for the Bruins since the death of Nick Pasquale, the football team and athletic department plan to honor and celebrate the life of Pasquale, a walk-on wide receiver who saw his first and only snap in UCLA’s home opener against Nevada.
In order to assist UCLA in carrying this out at the Rose Bowl on Saturday, Adidas has been working in conjunction with ASUCLA to make shirts sporting No. 36, Pasquale’s number with the Bruins, for sale, first at the game and then later in UCLA’s bookstore and online.
One hundred percent of the sales from the donated shirts will be given to the Nick Pasquale Foundation, started last week to provide financial support to less fortunate athletes and programs that demonstrate “extreme effort and leadership.”
“When 100 percent of the proceeds can go right to the foundation, I would hope that we’d be able to raise a lot of money for that foundation and I’m just really appreciative of Adidas,” said Mora following Thursday’s practice. “You just see a whole lot of people that were affected by this and are coming out to help, and it’s just a great gesture.”
Also lending a hand in order to proper remember Pasquale Saturday is Gorilla Marketing—a company started at UCLA in 1979—which plans to donate 30,000 blue towels, likewise showing Pasquale’s No. 36, to hand out to fans prior to the game.
Additionally, UCLA intends to hold a moment of silence for Pasquale at the Rose Bowl prior to kickoff.
“I know our fans will be very respectful during that moment of silence and then I think we just need to let it all out and show them how much we care,” Mora said. “That’s what we’re trying to do as a team and I know our fans will follow suit.”
Making Radio Headlines
Redshirt senior wide receiver Shaquelle Evans created some Los Angeles radio traction yesterday in an interview with ESPN Radio’s Max Kellerman and Marcellus Wiley.
Reflecting back on USC’s 50-0 drubbing of UCLA at the L.A. Coliseum in 2011, Evans had some choice words for his crosstown rivals, in addition to a prediction for this year’s November matchup between the teams, also at the Coliseum.
“The tables have turned,” said Evans in the interview. “With them beating us 50-0 two years ago, we owe them a little bit.”
“It’s so much fun seeing them struggling,” he added. “How we used to struggle, they’re struggling and it’s just awesome to see that. I hate them, so I’m just loving it.”
When asked about his receiver’s radio hit on Thursday, Mora said it was the first he had heard of the interview and that his attention was fixed elsewhere.
“I don’t know anything about that. Shaq’s a heck of a receiver, man,” Mora said. “We’re worried about New Mexico State University right now.”
Fifteenth Time’s the Charm
A win for No. 13 UCLA (2-0) Saturday would hand New Mexico State (0-3) its fifteenth consecutive loss, the Aggies’ most recent win coming in August 2012 against Sacramento State.
Even while heavily favored to win, both from a historical and Las Vegas wagering perspective, redshirt sophomore quarterback Brett Hundley insisted the game is anything but another walk-through.
“Any week, any team can beat anybody,” Hundley said. “All these teams are big-time people. They may not look the best and their record may not show that, but we just have to take it like we came out for Nebraska and play hard and come up with a victory.”