The day before No. 8 Oregon’s rout of UCLA, as the Ducks landed in the Pasadena area, their social media posted a video with the team departing the plane captioned “first touchdown of the day.”

It was a sign that things were about to get a lot more fun for the green and yellow. 

However, all while Oregon was beating down on UCLA, I was lucky enough to cover the game for the Daily Emerald, living just ten minutes away in my hometown of Pasadena. 

The four-mile turned 30-minute traffic that awaited my drive to the stadium made me miss Eugene. But the sunny skies and picturesque San Gabriel Mountains made me thankful to be home. 

PREGAME

To say I knew the drive to the stadium would be an understatement. Going to high school three exits down, and playing baseball just five minutes away meant I really knew this drive. As I exited on Mountain St, I remember being unbelievably nervous as if I was playing the game myself. 

I recall finding it funny that I would see all of my fellow Oregon sports media at this game — they only exist in my Eugene bubble. So weird. 

There was an unbelievable presence of Duck fans at this game. Call it UC-Oregon or whatever you want. The Ducks were there and were loud. “Mighty Oregon” and “Go Ducks” rang out aplenty as I walked around the UCLA tailgate, meeting up with a high school friend who attends UCLA. I then went back to my car and grabbed my bag. 

As I walked around the familiar track prior to  entering the Terry Donahue Press Box, I noticed that sitting below me were a pair of writers that I’ve read and been inspired by since I was about 11.  

I later met with a pair of Daily Emerald alumni, both of which have worked professionally and live here in Los Angeles — the Eugene to L.A. pipeline must be real. Shortly after, UCLA players took the field for a walkthrough in baby-blue fitted suits. I’m curious as to what Oregon’s pre-game outfit budget is. 

I walked down to the field as players went through the start of warmups. There I met with one of my former baseball coaches who is also the field superintendent here at the Rose Bowl. “What’s the best part of the job?” I asked him.

 “This,” he responded, looking out as the Rose Bowl sunset caps the San Gabriels. Soon after, I ran into a fellow Oregon-based journalist who advised me to “Take it in.” There’s nothing quite like the sunset at the Rose Bowl.  

I particularly enjoyed being so close to the Ducks’ sideline — a caveat an away game allows for as I listen to each coach’s pre-game theatrics. 

Gametime/Postgame

There’s not much to say about the game itself other than it was pretty much all Ducks. And so, Dan Lanning lingered a little longer than usual in a worn-down room inside a 100-year-old building, his lauded team having played up to its full capability. 

“It was a complete game in a lot of ways,” Lanning said of the win, his team’s first against a Big Ten opponent. 

I found UCLA’s in-game presentation top-tier — with a bevy of performances keeping the crowd engaged and happy. A TV timeout pause for a mariachi performance was a nice touch. 

The stadium atmosphere, at least on my end, was a bit strange with the press box windows closed. Although the closed windows helped keep out a cool breeze, it left me feeling a little detached from the product on the field. 

Regardless, I can’t stress enough how memorable this opportunity was. Taking in a game at a 100-year-old stadium in my hometown is something I’ll cherish forever. 

Update: the ride home was safe — I know that way, too.