MENLO PARK — A year before The Game, he watched it from the stands, having sneaked into the Coliseum bearing the student ID of a USC coed.
Three months before The Game, he dreamed about it from the bench, a fifth-string, non-scholarship quarterback who held a practice dummy.
One month before The Game, allowed into the huddle only because of injuries to others, he struggled to hide a learning disability that caused him to jumble up the plays.
Three weeks before The Game, he jumbled the plays so badly during a test that one of the coaches accused him of smoking pot.
Two weeks before The Game, another coach formed letters with his body on the sidelines to remind him of those plays.
A few days before The Game, when confirming that this kid would be actually his starting quarterback, the head coach closed his eyes and softly banged his head on a table.
Then John Barnes, the UCLA senior with a vagabond past and vague future, staggered into The Game.
It was 10 years ago this week.
Neither has been the same since.
He threw one touchdown pass against USC on an audible while his coach, Terry Donahue, was shouting, "No! No! No!"
He threw another touchdown pass on an audible that had receiver coach Rick Neuheisel shouting, "Oh my God! What is he doing?"
He threw for 384 yards that afternoon, 204 yards during a fourth-quarter comeback, and 90 yards on a game-winning touchdown pass.
He led the Bruins to a 38-37 victory over the Trojans that confirmed why The Game remains eternal.
It has no memory and holds no expectations.
It doesn't care who you were before kickoff, or who you will become later.
It is about one city, one afternoon, one moment.
John Barnes bears witness to how anyone with enough under his jersey can grab that moment.
He was starting for only the third time at UCLA. He was attending his fifth college. As a senior who had run out of time and transcripts, this was his last chance.
What he did with that chance will endure forever.
Even if, in keeping with the game's personality, his moment ended that night.
"I remember walking outside into the Rose Bowl after the game and they were cutting the grass," Barnes said, shaking his head. "Cutting the grass! It was like, man, it's over."
On the way to a Westwood party, Barnes was approached in a gas station.
Barnes took him for a fan, but he gave Barnes $5 and asked him to fill his tank on Pump No. 5.
