UCLA will debut its black “The City” uniform and are encouraging fans to wear black for a “Blackout” theme for Thursday night’s Pac-12 football game against California at the Rose Bowl.
The uniform designed by Adidas in collaboration with UCLA is highlighted by a metallic version of the UCLA stripes and matching metallic gold numbers with a custom blue online.
The metallic numbers and stripes are laser cut and serrated, allowing for maximum ventilation and flexibility, according to Adidas.
A metallic version of the UCLA script logo is prominently featured on a black matte helmet and the left hip of the pants.
When asked on a conference call if wearing an all-black uniform will help his team, Bruins coach Jim Mora responded, “No, I think playing well will help us. It’s not the uniforms, it’s the players and coaches that are out there performing that help you play better.”
In response to being asked if encouraging fans to wear black would help UCLA, California coach Sonny Dykes said, “that’s kind of the in-vogue thing in college football to have these type of things. I think it’s good. I think the fans probably get more of a kick out of it than the players do.”
California (5-1, 2-1 in conference play) will wear white jerseys, with blue helmets and blue pants. The Golden Bears have four sets of jerseys and pants (blue, gold, navy and white) and one set of helmets, according to Associate Director of Athletic Communications Kyle McRae.
“We try to stay pretty traditional,” Dykes said. “Our approach is if you’re making a college decision based on uniforms or uniform combinations, you’re probably not a Cal student-athlete. This is a serious school for people that take going to school seriously.
“I think a bunch of different uniform combinations and all that kind of stuff, if that means too much to a kid that we’re recruiting, we’re not recruiting the right kid.”
UCLA wore a different version of a black uniform for a Friday night game at the Rose Bowl and the Sun Bowl in 2013, winning both times. The Bruins wore an alternate gray uniform in a victory over Arizona last season.
UCLA will wear pink ribbon decals on its helmets in connection with Breast Cancer Awareness Month for the second consecutive game.
Family members of players, coaches and staff members who have been affected by breast cancer will take the field before the game and serve as honorary captains.
“We’re going to honor their courage,” said Mora, who said one of his grandmothers died from breast cancer and his mother is a two-time breast cancer survivor.
Each Pac-12 football team is obligated to play host to two Thursday or Friday night games in a three-year span, David Hirsch, the conference’s vice president of communications told City News Service.
The conference plays Thursday and Friday night games to satisfy its contracts with ESPN and Fox, Hirsch said.
Oddsmakers have made UCLA (4-2, 1-2) a 3-to-3 1/2-point favorite. ESPN’s Football Power Index gives the unranked Bruins a 58.3 percent chance of defeating California, which was 20th in the most recent poll conducted by The Associated Press, its highest ranking since 2009.
—Staff and wire reports