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UCLA hero Jerry Neuheisel and wife share incredible hug after Penn State shocker

Rick Neuheisel's son Jerry and his wife stole the spotlight in the UCLA Bruins' stunning upset win over the No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions.
Matthew Graham|
Sep 25, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Jerry Neuheisel (11) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium.
Sep 25, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Jerry Neuheisel (11) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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UCLA Bruins

So you're saying there's a chance.

Not many college football pundits were giving the winless UCLA Bruins a chance against the No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions at a sparsely-filled Rose Bowl, mostly with Happy Valley faithful. But as the classic adage goes, that's why they play the games.

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Jerry Neuheisel
Dec 16, 2023; Inglewood, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins wide receiver coach Jerry Neuheisel celebrates a victory after defeating the Boise State Broncos in the LA Bowl at SoFi Stadium. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

In a shocking upset, UCLA won 42-37, and recently-promoted offensive coordinator and former Bruins quarterback Jerry Neuheisel stole the spotlight as he got doused with Gatorade and gave his wife Nicole Knox a hug for the ages.

33-year-old Neuheisel, who still looks 18 with his signature surfer blonde hair, is UCLA royalty as the son of former Bruins head coach and quarterback Rick Neuheisel. It was obvious how much it meant to both he and his wife after an ugly season that had gotten head coach DeShaun Foster fired, with interim coach Tim Skipper taking the reins.

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Afterwards dad Rick, 64, now a CBS Sports college football analyst, couldn't contain his emotions on-air in a sweet moment after the colossal upset.

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Afterwards Jerry summed it up best, "How can you not love college football when you have days like this?... Special."

For Penn State fans, it's another season of high expectations with crushing defeats. Unlike Neuheisel, they probably aren't calling it special.

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Matthew Graham
MATTHEW GRAHAM

Matthew Graham has over 20 years of media experience and oversees The Athlete Lifestyle On SI. He has had previous leadership roles at NBC Sports, Yahoo, and USA TODAY, where he co-founded For The Win (named Best Mobile Site by Digiday). He has also written for ESPN, Cosmopolitan, US Weekly, People, E! Online, and FHM, covering major sports and entertainment events like the Oscars, the Golden Globes, NBA Finals, Super Bowl, and winning the Yahoo Superstar Award for coverage of the Olympics.

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