 While attending the University of California , Los Angeles , Mitchell played for the UCLA Bruins football team from 1997 to 2000 . He sat out the 1997 season by taking a redshirt and subsequently lengthening his college football eligibility . In his first game , a 49 – 31 win over Texas on September 12 , 1998 , Mitchell threw a 34 @-@ yard touchdown pass to Brian Poli @-@ Dixon and had four catches for 108 yards and one touchdown pass ( 79 yards ) from quarterback Cade <unk> . He had one rushing attempt for 30 yards on a reverse , 78 yards on three kickoff returns , and 17 yards on three punt returns . He was named the Pacific @-@ 10 Conference Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts in the game . On September 19 , Mitchell had surgery on his left femur after suffering a fracture at the end of a kickoff return in the first quarter of a 42 – 24 win over Houston the same day . Mitchell was expected to miss the rest of the season . However , after a " remarkable " recovery , according to a member of the UCLA medical staff , Mitchell was able to play for eleven snaps in the Rose Bowl on January 1 , 1999 . He threw a 61 @-@ yard touchdown pass to <unk> Price on a flea flicker play in the first quarter of the loss to Wisconsin . 
