EL PASO, Texas — For a few forlorn minutes, it appeared the final image of Dorian Thompson-Robinson in a UCLA uniform would be him walking slowly off the field and into a tunnel, his left arm draped around the shoulder of a trainer.
The injured quarterback was granted a reprieve Friday afternoon when his team picked up a fourth-down stop and drove nearly the length of the field for the go-ahead points against Pittsburgh in the Sun Bowl. Thompson-Robinson returned to the field, slapping hands with jubilant teammates while a wide smile split his face, the Bruins apparently on the way to an epic comeback victory with just 34 seconds left.
In the end, there was only a dazed expression as Thompson-Robinson made another dejected walk back toward the tunnel, his face capturing the essence of what had just transpired during No. 18 UCLA’s crushing 37-35 loss.
