High above the Rose Bowl, UCLA’s only Heisman Trophy winner watched the team’s current quarterback founder for nearly three quarters in the season opener.
Gary Beban was ready to vacate his suite inside the Terry Donahue Pavilion before halftime with Josh Rosen and the Bruins getting crushed, but there was a guest to consider. It would have been rude for Beban to abandon his business associate from Texas A&M, the team that had built a lead that would reach 34 points
By the fourth quarter, both observers had become riveted by the same player.