TUCSON, Ariz. “”mdash; Trailing big just before halftime, the UCLA football team thought it had seen it all: missed opportunities, a couple of turnovers and six Arizona touchdowns. The Bruins were ready to head into the halftime locker room with their tails between their legs.
Then, a man dressed in referee’s clothing made his way onto the sideline and eventually the field. The man was actually a streaker who took off running when everyone realized he wasn’t an official. His short pants and the fact that he entered the field right where the real official was planted were good indicators that he was an impostor.
Just as stadium security had wrestled him to the turf, both sidelines cleared and a brawl broke out at midfield leading to two ejections. The fight extended almost the length of the field as coaches and security officers tried to restore order.
UCLA senior wide receiver Taylor Embree and Arizona cornerback Shaquille Richardson were each issued personal fouls and forced to leave the game. The Pac-12 Conference is expected to review the tape and possibly take further action.
Bruins’ coach Rick Neuheisel also said he would look at the tape to see if it required internal action.
“It was an altercation that spun out of control,” Neuheisel said. “I’m glad it got back into control quickly.”
Several other UCLA offensive players were involved in beginnings of the brawl, including redshirt junior quarterback Kevin Prince, redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Albert Cid and senior wide receiver Nelson Rosario.
“That’s not what we represent here at UCLA,” redshirt sophomore wide receiver Ricky Marvray said. “It all happened so fast. One minute, everything was fine. The next minute, it was a brawl.”
“Emotions get the best of you,” redshirt junior tight end Joseph Fauria added. “I was out there trying to break it up. It’s something that shouldn’t happen and it’s really embarrassing. That’s not what this program is about. It won’t happen again.”
Newly named Arizona interim coach Tim Kish surely didn’t expect this in his first game after previous coach Mike Stoops was fired last week. As for Neuheisel, a brawl coupled with a 48-12 loss doesn’t look good for a coach fighting to keep his job.
What could have been
In a different world, the brawl may not have even begun. Richardson was originally a Bruin at one point as he signed with UCLA out of high school. He, along with two other would-be Bruins, were arrested on campus for suspicion of theft. All three players were dismissed from the team by UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel and all transferred.
Richardson was making a difference on defense for the Wildcats before being ejected. He forced a fumble and thwarted a UCLA drive when he stripped Rosario on the first play of a drive after a 26-yard gain.
Gonzalez fairy tale ends
Former UCLA soccer manager and current UCLA football kicker missed his first career field goal attempt from 39 yards. Gonzalez converted two extra point attempts in the Bruins’ win over Washington State.
Redshirt freshman Kip Smith was the kicker to start the season but has missed the last five games because of a right quadriceps injury.
Thursday night-mare
UCLA is now 0-3 in Thursday-night games under Neuheisel. They were beaten by Oregon and Washington on Thursday nights last season and have been outscored 132-32 in those games.