This
Saturday, USC defeated long-time rival UCLA 28 to 14 in their annual football matchup; however, the UCLA football team wasn’t around to see their embarrassing defeat. The team spent the
second half of the game sleeping in the locker rooms at the Rose Bowl.
According to offensive coordinator Norm Chow, the team decided to take a quick “cat-nap” in order to regain energy after the challenging
first half.
Head coach Rick Neuheisel initated the practice of napping mid-games
in 2008 when he came onto the program, and according to sources, the
players immediately embraced the technique, often bringing blankets,
tattered stuffed animals, and warm milk to the lockers.
“We thought the boys looked so cute during their nap that we should
just let them keep sleeping,” Neuheisel said in a post-game
conference. “They had worked so hard during that first half and they
deserved a nice break.”
Fearing a delay-of-game
penalty, USC coach Lane Kiffin convinced PAC-10 officials to allow the game to resume
even though the entire UCLA bench remained noticeably empty.
The Trojans managed to chalk up three touchdowns while playing unopposed for a full half.
They also allowed UCLA one
touchdown in the fourth quarter.
“My bad,” sophomore quarterback Matt
Barkley responded via Twitter.
UCLA Chancellor Norman Abrams said the school would not punish
Neuheisel or any of the
coaching staff for the blunder, making an official statement, “my boys need
their nappy time.”
