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UCLA suffered a humiliating loss to Washington Saturday that included a fake field goal attempt which ended in a comical Huskies touchdown.
Washington routed UCLA 48-14 to secure a second win in a row for the first time since early October. It was only their second win at the Rose Bowl in 30 years, having gone 1-9 in their previous 10 games.
On Saturday night, they were given a huge helping hand by their hosts shortly before half time.
With the Huskies leading 13-0, and a little under two minutes left of the second quarter, UCLA lined up for a 46-yard field goal attempt.
But the Bruins opted for a trick play which saw holder Cash Peterman toss the ball behind his head for onrushing kicker Mateen Bhaghani.
Unfortunately for UCLA, the ball landed in front of Bhagani and ended up in the hands of Washington safety Alex McLaughlin.
Alex McLaughlin scored a touchdown for Washington after UCLA botched a fake field goal
One fan suggested the play meant Tim Skipper had 'just lost his shot at the permanent job'
McLaughlin barged past Bhaghani, scooped up the ball, evaded Peterman's desperate attempted tackle, and carried it all the way to the end zone.
The play soon went viral, drawing scorn from rival fans. 'This is the most UCLA play I've ever seen,' one wrote. 'I think that summed up UCLA's season,' added another. 'This has to be AI,' a third wrote on social media.
One fan even suggested that the embarrassing play meant interim head coach Tim Skipper 'just lost his shot at the permanent job.'
As McLaughlin celebrated in the end zone, cameras cut to Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava who was wearing a wry smile on the UCLA bench. His opposite number Demond Williams Jr. scored on two quarterback keepers and threw for two touchdowns.
'We made the game big,' Huskies coach Jedd Fisch said. 'We let them know we're going to the Rose Bowl, we're going to go win this thing. These guys didn't think it was too big for them. They're just getting better and better and better.'
Williams was 17-of-26 for 213 yards passing, hitting Dezman Roebuck with an 18-yard score and Decker DeGraaf with a 24-yard TD. Williams ran for TDs of 25 and 11 yards.
'Our D-line dominated up front, so it just makes it easier for us,' McLaughlin said.
