Foster Farms Bowl Game Preview (UCLA vs. Nebraska)

          After an up-and-down season, the UCLA Bruins will travel up to San Fransisco to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Foster Farms Bowl. This post will recap both of these two teams' seasons. Then I will make my predictions on what I think the result of the game will be.
          First of all, UCLA and Nebraska are very familiar with each other. Recently, both teams completed a home-and-home series. This is when a team plays against a certain team in two seasons. In one season, one team visits the other and vice versa. UCLA's and Nebraska's home-and-home series was done over the 2012 and 2013 football seasons. Overall, UCLA and Nebraska are tied in a 6-6 overall series.
          In 2012, UCLA played against #16 Nebraska at the Rose Bowl. The Bruins defeated the Huskers 36-30, which propelled the Bruins into the national ranks for the first time since 2005. Brett Hundley led the Bruins with 305 passing yards and 4 touchdowns. Taylor Martinez of Nebraska threw for 179 yards and had 1 interception.
          In the two teams' last meeting in 2013, #16 UCLA traveled to #23 Nebraska. Earlier that week, UCLA walk-on wide receiver Nick Pasquale was killed by being run over by a car. Bruins dedicated this game to Pasquale, and as a matter fact, so did Nebraska. Before the game, a bunch of Nebraska student fans held up a big banner with a blue and gold Nebraska logo (which is just a big letter N). Next to it was "#36", Pasquale's jersey number. That was also in blue and gold. The two pictures below the post show the banners that Nebraska fans used.
          Anyways, back to that game, Nebraska built a 21-3 lead in the first half. The halftime score was 21-10 Nebraska. Playing against teams with memorial games is usually a rough one, as UCLA proved in the second half. The Bruins' offense erupted as they scored 38 unanswered points. Brett Hundley led the way once again, as he completed passes to 11 different receivers. He threw for 294 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 41-21 victory against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
          Last year, Nebraska had 9 wins and losses in former coach Bo Pelini's final year as a Husker coach. The Huskers barely lost to #24 USC in the Holiday Bowl 45-42. On Nebraska's final drive, the Huskers stalled around USC's 25-yard line on 4th down and 3.
          UCLA went to the Alamo Bowl and defeated #11 Kansas State 40-35. UCLA had a 31-6 halftime lead before K-State started their comeback in the second half. With 2:40 left in the fourth quarter, running back Paul Perkins ran a 67-yard touchdown to make the score 40-28. The two-point conversion was no good. Kansas State responded with a long touchdown pass and cut the score to 40-35. The onside kick didn't work for K-State, which sealed the game and a 10-win season for UCLA.
          In last year's Foster Farms Bowl, Stanford came off of shocking #8 UCLA 31-10 and cruised by Maryland 45-21. The Terrapins and the Cardinal were tied 7-7 in the first quarter, then Stanford started to roll up the points, scoring 35 unanswered points until Maryland scored on a kickoff return.
          This season was wacky for both teams. UCLA was ranked #13 to start the season and won their first 4 games. The Bruins were ranked 7th in the nation before losing two straight against Arizona State and Stanford. The Bruins won three straight games after falling out of the top 25. They got back in at #19, but lost to Washington State 31-27 with 3 seconds left in the game. The Bruins fell out of the top 25 again, but shocked then-#13 Utah 17-9. They lost 40-21 to crosstown rival USC a week later.
          Nebraska hired former Oregon State coach Mike Riley before the start of the season. Riley's debut as a Cornhusker was spoiled against BYU as Cougars quarterback Tanner Mangum threw a Hail Mary to shock Nebraska 33-28. Nebraska demolished South Alabama 48-9, and then failed a comeback as they lost to Miami 36-33 in overtime. They defeated Southern Mississippi 36-28 and then lost their first two conference games. They blew out Minnesota 48-25 to snap this streak, but only to form another losing streak. They barely lost to Northwestern (one of two teams that defeated Stanford this season) and then lost 55-45 to Purdue. With 6 losses and #7 Michigan State next, it seemed that hope was lost for a bowl game for Nebraska. Nonetheless, they wound up with their greatest game of the season. The Huskers trailed 38-26 late in the 4th quarter, but scored to cut the lead to 38-33. After an MSU punt, the Huskers hurried down the field, beating Michigan State 39-38 on a controversial call. Nebraska is the only team that defeated Michigan State (who is now in the College Football Playoff) this season. The Huskers beat Rutgers 31-14 and barely lost to #4 Iowa 28-20 in their regular season finale.
     
Key players:
UCLA Offense:
QB #3 Josh Rosen (Freshman)- 266/447 pass completions/attempts (60%), 3,351 yds, 20 TDs, 9 INTs
RB #24 Paul Perkins (Junior)- 225 rush attempts, 1,275 yds, 13 TDs
RB #1 Soso Jamabo (Freshman)- 66 rush attempts, 403 yds, 4 TDs
WR #9 Jordan Payton (Senior)- 75 receptions, 1,069 yds, 4 TDs
TE #18 Thomas Duarte (Junior)- 49 receptions, 820 yds, 10 TDs
C #54 Jake Brendel (Senior)
OL #74 Caleb Benenoch (Junior)

UCLA Defense:
DB #1 Ishmael Adams (Junior)- 30 tackles (17 solo tackles), 2 INTs, 109 INT return yds, 1 pick-6
DB #2 Jaleel Wadood (Sophomore)- 62 tackles (41 solo tackles), 2 INTs
DB #3 Randall Goforth (Junior)- 60 tackles (35 solo tackles), 2 INTs, 17 INT return yds
DB #9 Marcus Rios (Junior)- 46 tackles (27 solo tackles)
LB #12 Jayon Brown (Junior)- 87 tackles (55 solo tackles, leads team), 0.5 sacks
LB #58 Deon Hollins (Junior)- 18 tackles (9 solo tackles), 2.5 sacks
DL #97 Kenny Clark (Junior)- 63 tackles (39 solo tackles), 5 sacks, 1 receiving TD

UCLA Special Teams:
PK #15 Ka'imi Fairbairn (Senior)- 20/23 FGM/Att (87%), 44/44 XPM/Att (100%), 104 pts,
LNG 60 yd FG
P #19 Matt Mengel (Senior)- 50 punts, 1,996 yds, AVG 39.9 yds

Key UCLA Injuries:
DL #47 Eddie Vanderdoes (Junior) (injured during season-opening 34-16 win vs. Virginia)
DB #10 Fabian Moreau (Senior) (injured during 24-23 win vs. BYU, may return for bowl game, will return for next season)
LB #30 Myles Jack (Junior) (injured after 24-23 win vs. BYU, already going into 2016 NFL draft, predicted to go in first round)
WR/S #14 Mossi Johnson (Sophomore) (injured after 38-23 loss vs. Arizona State)

Nebraska Offense:
QB #4 Tommy Armstrong Jr. (Junior)- 210/383 pass comp./att. (55%), 2,856 yds, 21 TDs, 16 INTs
RB #32 Imani Cross (Senior)- 96 rush attempts, 389 yds, 5 TDs
RB #34 Terrell Newby (Junior)- 143 rush attempts, 743 yds, 5 TDs
WR #1 Jordan Westerkamp (Junior)- 63 receptions, 874 yds, 7 TDs
WR #87 Brandon Reilly (Junior)- 37 receptions, 716 yds, 4 TDs

Nebraska Defense:
DB #28 Byerson Cockrell (Senior)- 65 tackles (35 solo tackles)
S #25 Nate Gerry (Junior)- 75 tackles (46 solo tackles), 1 sack, 4 INTs, 90 INT return yards
LB #3 Marcus Newby (Sophomore)- 34 tackles (17 solo tackles)

Nebraska Special Teams:
PK #34 Drew Brown (Sophomore)- 20/26 FGM/Att (77%), 40/41 XPM/Att (98%), 100 pts,
LNG 50 yd FG
P #27 Sam Foltz (Junior)- 53 punts, 2,352 yds, AVG 44.4 yds

I'm sorry, but I don't know as many Nebraska players compared to UCLA players.

          Statistically, UCLA has an advantage over Nebraska. Both teams average the same amount of points per game (32.5 PPG, T-45th in the nation). UCLA's offense produces 472.6 yards per game (24th) compared to Nebraska's 442.5 yards per game (37th). UCLA's defense allows 25.1 points per game (52nd) and 393.5 yards per game (62nd). Nebraska allows 27.8 points per game (T-75th) and 401.6 yards of offense per game (71st).
          Both the Cornhuskers (5-7) and the Bruins (8-4) are familiar with each other. I am sure that this will be a wild game knowing that both of these teams play tough, despite UCLA's advantages. I hope that UCLA does win this game and gets their ninth win of the season. Gooooooooooo Bruins!!!!!!!!

Here are the banners that the classy Nebraska fans brought

to honor former UCLA walk-on wide receiver Nick Pasquale. 

I wonder who thinks that Nebraska Cornhuskers fans are 

the most classy fans around?

I think so.

2015 College Football Playoff Preview, Analysis, and Prediction

          The 2nd College Football Playoff field is all set and ready to be played. Who will win it? The ACC champions in Clemson, the SEC champions in Alabama, the Big Ten champions in Michigan State, or the Big 12 champions in Oklahoma? In this post, I will go through each playoff team's season and try to predict who will win it all.
           The #1-ranked team in this year's College Football Playoff is none other than the only undefeated team in the nation this season: the Clemson Tigers. Clemson was ranked 12th in the nation in the preseason. The Tigers defeated FCS Wofford 49-10 in the season opener, Appalachian State 41-10 the week after, then Louisville 20-17 the following Thursday. Clemson had chosen a good time to take a bye week because up next was #6 Notre Dame. This bye week helped the Tigers as they defeated Notre Dame 24-22 at home in "Death Valley". Yes, that's what some people call Clemson's Memorial Stadium. The Tigers climbed up to 6th in the nation after their win over Notre Dame. Three weeks later, #6 Clemson shut down Miami 58-0 down in Florida. Miami had 8 wins this season, so this really pushed Clemson up higher, into the top 5. Finally, after defeating North Carolina State 56-41 on Halloween, Clemson became number 1 in the nation, jumping ahead of Ohio State. they made sure that stayed when Heisman contender quarterback Deshaun Watson helped Clemson defeat then-#16 Florida state 23-13 in "Death Valley". That day, they won the ACC Atlantic Division and went to the ACC championship after 3 more victories. They defeated #10 North Carolina 45-37 to form an easy path to the College Football Playoff.
          Number 2 in the country is the only team that has made it to both College Football Playoffs: the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Tide were ranked #3 in the preseason and started strong with a 35-17 win over then-#20 Wisconsin. They rolled past their second nonconference foe, Middle Tennessee State 37-10. Another ranked team came to Tuscaloosa to following week: then-#15 Ole Miss. The 2nd-ranked Tide trailed by as much 43-24 and rallied, only to lose 43-37. Alabama fell out of the top 10 and made their way back in 2 weeks later by defeating then-#8 Georgia 38-10. They just kept on rolling, cruising by then-#9 Texas A&M 41-23 and then-#2 LSU 30-16. With the help of Heisman-winning running back Derrick Henry, the Tide cruised past then-#17 Mississippi State 31-6 and in-state rival Auburn 29-13. The #2 Crimson Tide breezed by #18 Florida in the SEC championship 29-15. Alabama was the only team in the preseason top 4 to make it to the College Football Playoff this season.
          The #3 team that will challenge #2 Alabama in the Cotton Bowl is the Big Ten champion: the Michigan State Spartans. MSU was ranked 5th in the nation in the preseason. They have to most quality wins out of every team in the playoff this year (Sorry, Bama fans, but every ranked team you guys defeated are not in the top 15 anymore). Fifth-ranked MSU beat #7 Oregon on week 2 of the season. They got as high as #2 in the country before hanging on to beat 1-win Purdue 24-21. They struggled against Rutgers and won on a late touchdown 31-24. The Spartans fell to 7th in the country and had to play #12 Michigan (who shut out their last 3 opponents) at the Big House. With 10 seconds left in the game, all Michigan had to do was punt the ball away, but it was fumbled, recovered by Michigan State and returned all the way to the Michigan end zone. Three weeks later, the Spartans lost 39-38 to Nebraska (whom UCLA is playing against in the Foster Farms Bowl) on a controversial call (or as a friend of mine, who is a Michigan State fan, would call a "bull call"). They fell to 13th in the nation and recovered with wins over Maryland, then-#3 Ohio State, and Penn State. The Spartans clinched the Big Ten East Division and defeated then-#4 Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game. This sealed a spot in the College Football Playoff for Michigan State.
          Of all of the teams in this year's playoff, the one that we least expected to make it to the College Football Playoff was #4 Oklahoma. The Sooners were ranked 19th in the preseason. They cruised past Akron 41-3 in their season opener and defeated then-#23 Tennessee 31-24 in overtime in Knoxville, Tennessee. When they defeated then-#23 West Virginia 44-24, they climbed up to 10th in the nation. Their top-10 appearance was spoiled by Red River rival Texas 24-17. The Sooners fell back to their preseason ranking of 19th. Four consecutive 50-point victories later, 12th-ranked Oklahoma had to play against undefeated #6 Baylor. OU won 44-34 and jumped to #7 in the nation. They survived #18 TCU 30-29 in their home finale and jumped to #3 in the country. Rival Oklahoma State had just lost to Baylor and fell to 11th in the country. But Oklahoma only added salt to the wound, capturing the Big 12 title and coasting past Oklahoma State 58-23 and earning the Big 12 conference's first-ever College Football Playoff berth.
          The Orange Bowl will consist of a rematch between the Clemson Tigers and the Oklahoma Sooners. Both teams played in last year's Russell Athletic Bowl. Then-#15 Clemson crushed Oklahoma 40-6. Clemson hasn't lost a game since falling to last year's Orange Bowl champion Georgia Tech 28-6 last season. Ever since the Red River Rivalry loss, Oklahoma has scored 52 points per game. Overall, they average 45.8 points per game, ranking 3rd in the nation behind Big 12 Conference rivals Texas Tech and Baylor. Clemson ranks 15th in the nation with 38.5 points per game. The Sooners rank 7th in the nation in total offense with 542.9 yards per game. The Tigers rank 12th in the country with 510.6 yards per game. On the other side of the ball, Oklahoma allows 20.8 points per game (21st in the nation) and 350.7 yards per game (31st). Clemson allows 20.2 points per game (18th) and 295.7 yards per game (7th). Oklahoma is 4th in the country in sacks per game, with 3.17 sacks per game. Clemson is 12th in that category, with 2.92 sacks per game. Personally, I think that Oklahoma will win this game.
            The Cotton Bowl will host the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Michigan State Spartans. These two teams last met in the 2011 Sugar Bowl, where then-#15 Alabama crushed then-#7 Michigan State 49-7. Alabama won the next two national championship games against LSU (21-0) and Notre Dame (42-14). Before losing to Ole Miss, Alabama cruised past then-#20 Wisconsin 35-17 in their season opener and beat Middle Tennessee State 37-10. Alabama lost 42-35 in last year's College Football Playoff Sugar Bowl to eventual champion Ohio State. Michigan State had a 12-game win streak before surprisingly falling to Nebraska. Their last loss before this was a 49-37 decision against the same Ohio State team in East Lansing. MSU averages 32.1 points per game (tied for 49th in the nation) and 398.6 yards per game (68th). Alabama averages 34.1 points per game (36th) and 422.5 yards per game (49th). Defensively, Michigan State allows 20.5 points per game (T-19th) and 342.9 yards per game (26th), while Alabama allows only 14.4 points per game (3rd) and merely 258.2 yards per game (2nd). Michigan State may seem slightly over matched due to Alabama's sturdy offense (led by Heisman-winning running back Derrick Henry) and the Tide's tight defense, but I think that MSU has played tougher foes and will win this game.
          The National Championship will be hosted in Glendale, Arizona at University of Phoenix Stadium, home of the NFL team, the Arizona Cardinals. Will it be the Tide or the Spartans? The Tigers or the Sooners? I think that the national championship will be #3 Michigan State vs. #4 Oklahoma, like I stated in the previous two paragraphs. Oklahoma would beat Clemson 42-31 in the Orange Bowl (and avenge their big loss from last year) and Michigan State would survive Alabama 38-35 in the Cotton Bowl on another last-second field goal (just like how they beat Ohio State earlier this year). In the championship, Oklahoma would defeat Michigan State 45-24 to take the national title home to Norman, Oklahoma.
          These are just my predictions for this year's College Football Playoff. Every person might have their own thoughts on this playoff. Feel free to express your thoughts and predictions on the 2nd annual College Football Playoff in the comments section and watch the College Football Playoff action begin on New Year's Eve at 1:00 PM Pacific time on ESPN, when #4 Oklahoma takes on #1 Clemson in the Orange Bowl. The Cotton Bowl (#2 Alabama vs. #3 Michigan State) will begin four hours later, after the end of the Orange Bowl, and will also be televised on ESPN.
         

The Pac-12 Championship

          The Pac-12 Championship was one of the more confusing conference championship games to predict. In the end, it was the USC Trojans and the Stanford Cardinal. UCLA, sadly, did not make it to the Pac-12 Championship due to their unfortunate last two losses to Washington State and USC. The Bruins have 8 wins and 4 losses. All four of these losses came from conference play (38-23 vs. Arizona State, 56-35 vs. Stanford, 31-27 vs. Washington State, 40-21 vs. USC). The Bruins started the season ranked 13th in the country. They rolled to 4 straight wins and climbed as high as #7 in the nation. They lost two consecutive games to Arizona State and Stanford and fell out of the top 25. The Bruins won three straight after their losing streak. But that streak was snapped on a late touchdown by Washington State with 3 seconds left in the game. UCLA shocked #13 Utah 17-9 in Salt Lake City, but got creamed by crosstown rival USC a week later. This post will be about the Pac-12 Championship game, even though UCLA did not play in it.
          USC started the season in top 10, sitting at #8 in the country. They defeated their first two points by an NCAA-high 99 combined point margin. Unranked Stanford stunned 6th-ranked USC 41-31 in the Trojans' first real test of the season. USC bounced back by crushing Arizona State 42-14 in the desert. After a bye week, the Trojans lost two straight, being shocked at home 17-12 by the struggling Washington Huskies and beaten on the road at then-#11 Notre Dame. The Trojans were unranked and had 3 wins and 3 losses. They came back to Los Angeles one week later and denied #3 Utah's path to the College Football Playoff 42-24. They won three more games after that, until they crumbled against then-#23 Oregon 48-28. They came back to LA unranked, but that didn't stop them from defeating then-#22 UCLA 40-21, winning the Pac-12 South for the first time.
          Stanford was ranked #21 at the beginning of football season. The Cardinal suffered a season-opening 16-6 loss at the Northwestern Wildcats of the Big Ten conference. They defeated #6 USC two weeks later and kept on winning. During this win streak, they set some program records in their 56-35 demolishing of #18 UCLA. Stanford kept winning and rose up to #7 in the country. Then they barely lost to the unranked Oregon Ducks 38-36 at home. They won their last 2 games against rival UC Berkeley (35-22) and #6 Notre Dame (38-36). The Cardinal had 10 wins and 2 losses.
          Stanford rolled up a 13-0 lead on USC in the first half. First, they drove down to USC's 23-yard line and kicked a field goal. In the second quarter, sophomore running back Christian McCaffrey threw a touchdown pass to Stanford senior quarterback Kevin Hogan. Yes, it is written down correctly. A running back threw a touchdown pass to the quarterback. A pair of field goals from each team made the halftime score 13-3 Stanford. USC scored two touchdowns to start the third quarter to take a temporary 16-13 lead. Stanford took control of the reins from then on. First, Hogan had a 6-yard touchdown rush to take the lead back 20-16. The Cardinal added salt to USC's wound by sacking USC senior quarterback Cody Kessler, who fumbled the ball. The ball was picked up by Stanford defender Solomon Thomas and returned all the way back for a Stanford touchdown. Yes, it is that same play from UCLA's games against Colorado and USC. USC scored another touchdown, but could not complete the two-point conversion to come within a field goal of Stanford's now-27-22 lead. It was all Stanford from that point on. Christian McCaffrey scored two more touchdowns (one reception and one rush) to expand the lead to 41-22, which was the final score. Stanford won their third Pac-12 title in four seasons.
          The final rankings came out the next day. USC dropped from 20th to 25th while Stanford moved up from 7th to 6th. UCLA remained unranked, unfortunately. The bowl games were announced too. Ten of the teams from the Pac-12 had reached a bowl game. Arizona (6-6) will play against New Mexico (7-5) in the New Mexico Bowl. Number 22 Utah (9-3) will play against "Holy War" rival BYU (9-3) in the Las Vegas Bowl. Washington State (8-4) will play against Miami (8-4) n the Sun Bowl. Washington (6-6) will play against Southern Mississippi (9-4) in the Heart of Dallas Bowl. UCLA (8-4) will play against Nebraska (5-7) in the Foster Farms Bowl (That's a low-tier bowl game Bruin fans. I'm not the happiest person out there, either.). California (UC Berkeley, 7-5) will play against Air Force (8-5) in the Armed Forces Bowl. Number 25 USC (8-5) will play against Wisconsin (9-3) in the Holiday Bowl. Arizona State (6-6) will play against West Virginia (7-5) in the Cactus Bowl. Number 15 Oregon will play against #11 TCU in the Alamo Bowl (where then-#14 UCLA defeated then-#11 Kansas State last season). Finally, #6 Stanford (11-2) will play against #5 Iowa (12-1) in the granddaddy of them all, the classic Rose Bowl game, located at the very same Rose Bowl where UCLA football hosts some of their games.
          The 2nd College Football Playoff was released as well. The four playoff teams are the top-ranked Clemson Tigers (13-0), 2nd-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (12-1), 3rd-ranked Michigan State Spartans (12-1), and 4th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners (11-1). In the College Football Playoff, four teams go to special bowl games (Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl). The #1 seeded team (Clemson) will play against the #4 seed (Oklahoma), as the #2 seed (Alabama) will play against the #3 seed (Michigan State).
          The Heisman trophy is given to the best player in college football in a season. The last five winners were all quarterbacks. In 2010, it was Auburn's Cam Newton (current starting quarterback at the NFL team Carolina Panthers). In 2011, it was Baylor's Robert Griffin III (current backup quarterback at the NFL team Washington Redskins). In 2012, it was Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel (current starting quarterback at the NFL team Cleveland Browns). In 2013, Florida State's Jameis Winston (current starting quarterback at the NFL team Tampa Bay Buccaneers), and in 2014, Oregon's Marcus Mariota (current starting quarterback at the NFL team Tennessee Titans).
          This year's Heisman campaign was known for most of the season as the "Year of the running backs". For over half of the season LSU's Leonard Fournette led the nation for the Heisman campaign. After LSU's three-game losing streak, he was knocked out of the Heisman race. Replacing him was Alabama running back Derrick Henry. The top 3 Heisman candidates were announced after the final Playoff rankings came out. Two of the three Heisman front-runners are running backs. These running backs are Derrick Henry and Christian McCaffrey. The last spot for the Heisman top 3 was Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson. Personally, I think that Christian McCaffrey should win the Heisman trophy. This isn't just because of how he and Stanford dominated UCLA earlier this season, but also, he knows how to break through opposing defenses and make big runs out of them. This applies to his receiving plays too. Anyways, let's see how these bowl games end up and who wins the Heisman trophy.

Part 12: #22 UCLA vs. USC

          It is rivalry week in college football, featuring big games such as #8 Ohio State vs. #10 Michigan,, #2 Alabama vs. Auburn, #14 North Carolina vs. NC State, #16 Northwestern vs. Illinois, #22 UCLA vs. USC, #18 Ole Miss vs. #21 Mississippi State, #6 Notre Dame vs. #9 Stanford, #13 Florida State vs. #12 Florida, and #3 Oklahoma vs. #11 Oklahoma State. But in this post, I will be talking about the UCLA Bruins vs. USC Trojans crosstown rivalry. The Bruins and the Trojans both had struggles in this football season. UCLA had suffered many key defensive injuries while USC came back after the firing of their former head coach Steve Sarkisian. The Bruins and the Trojans are tied for the top of the Pac-12 South, as the winner will head to Santa Clara for the Pac-12 Championship to take on Stanford. It was a preseason prediction that UCLA vs. USC would determine the Pac-12 South title, and it did happen.
          UCLA and USC have played in these rivalry games dating back to 1929, and playing for the Los Angeles Victory Bell since 1942. Before this game, USC led the overall series 44-31-7 (44 USC wins, 31 UCLA wins, 7 ties). However, UCLA had claim over the Victory Bell for the past 3 (almost 4) seasons. The story behind this crosstown battle for the Victory Bell begins as the bell used to ring for trains running through Los Angeles. The bell was given to the UCLA student body in 1939 as a gift from the alumni association. At the time, both teams played their home games at the L.A. Coliseum. In UCLA's 1941 season opener, USC students infiltrated the UCLA cheering section and stole the Victory Bell. UCLA students went all over Los Angeles County trying to find the bell and the two schools began to pull more pranks on one another. On November 12, 1942, the two schools agreed to a compromise, stating that the bell would become the trophy of the winner of each rivalry game. Even still, the Bruins and the Trojans remained bitter rivals.
          In the two teams' previous meeting last year at the Rose Bowl last year, #9 UCLA romped #19 USC 38-20. After an early USC pick-6, former UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley stepped up his game and threw 2 first quarter touchdown passes to former UCLA wide receiver (now Arizona State graduate player) Devin Lucien and tight end Thomas Duarte. The Bruins led 24-14 at the half. After two more UCLA touchdowns (a 13-yard touchdown pass to Eldridge Massington and a 15-yard rush by Hundley), USC fans began to leave the Rose Bowl. To add to the fun, UCLA fans kindly sang a goodbye song to the Trojan fans. Also, USC quarterback Cody Kessler was sacked 6 times by UCLA's defense. All UCLA fans were happy and relaxed that night.
          In the first quarter, USC kicked a field goal on their first drive to take a 3-0 lead. But the Bruins replied with a 19-yard touchdown rush from running back Paul Perkins for a 7-3 lead going into the second quarter. USC scored their first touchdown of the game on senior quarterback Cody Kessler's 1-yard touchdown run. Again, UCLA responded with a 19-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Josh Rosen to junior tight end Thomas Duarte. USC marched right back down the field, but the UCLA defense stopped the Trojans on the UCLA 4-yard line. The Trojans kicked a field goal to have a 1-point game of 14-13. On the next UCLA drive, the Bruins stalled and punted on 4th down and 25 on their own 8-yard line. The punt wasn't all too good because it only went to UCLA's 42-yard line. That wasn't all though. USC sophomore cornerback Adoree' Jackson returned the punt all the way back for a USC touchdown. The halftime score was 20-14 Trojans.
          In the third quarter, Paul Perkins ran for another score to take the lead back 21-20. After a USC punt, the Trojans were in control for the rest of the game. Rosen was sacked and fumbled the ball on UCLA's 41-yard line. It was picked up by USC freshman defensive tackle Rasheem Green and returned all the way for a touchdown. The two-point conversion was no good and the score was 26-21 USC. That sack-fumble-touchdown play sounds familiar, am I right? It happened when UCLA played against Colorado at the Rose Bowl on Halloween, when Rosen was sacked and fumbled the ball. It was picked up by Colorado's Samson Kafovalu and returned for a touchdown.
          Anyways, after that sack-fumble-touchdown, USC was in the driver's seat for the rest of the game. On the next drive, Rosen was intercepted by USC freshman cornerback Iman Marshall. This was the first interception for Rosen in 245 pass attempts. This snapped the second longest streak of pass attempts without an interception in Pac-12 history (The longest was Oregon's Marcus Mariota with 343). USC scored two more times on passing touchdowns and UCLA kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn missed a 48-yard field goal attempt. At this point (since I was watching the game at home), I left the room to stop watching this nightmare. Eight minutes later, I came back to see if the Bruins had anything going well for them. But I only came back to see Rosen picked off on a long pass, which practically ended the game. The final score was 40-21, a USC win.
          Rivalry week was chaotic, however. Number 19 TCU shocked #7 Baylor 28-21 in double overtime in the rain. Number 8 Ohio State beat up #10 Michigan 42-13. Number 4 Iowa defeated Nebraska 28-20. Number 17 Oregon held off Oregon State 52-42. Washington cruised past #20 Washington State 45-10. Top-ranked Clemson hung on to beat South Carolina 37-32. Colorado fell short at #23 Utah 20-14. Number 2 Alabama defeated Auburn 29-13 in the Iron Bowl. Number 14 North Carolina scored 5 touchdowns in the first quarter and held off NC State 45-34. Number 16 Northwestern beat Illinois 24-14. Number 18 Ole Miss defeated #21 Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl 38-27. Number 12 Florida collapsed against #13 Florida State 27-2. Number 9 Stanford stunned #6 Notre Dame on a field goal to win 38-36. Finally, #3 Oklahoma entered the College Football Playoff after crushing #11 Oklahoma State 58-23.
          UCLA's injury plague caught up to the Bruins, as they were banged up for most of the season. UCLA lost many things from this game:
1. The LA Victory Bell
2. A chance to rematch Stanford in the Pac-12 Championship game
3. A chance to play in the Rose Bowl game
4. A 10-win season
5. The Pac-12 South title
6. A high-quality bowl game
So much for starting the season 4-0 and in the top 10. Number 20 USC travels up to Santa Clara next week (I know this post was published after the Pac-12 Championship and I know the result of the game) to take on #7 Stanford. UCLA fell out of the rankings again after losing two of their last three. The Bruins are projected to play in either the Sun Bowl or the Foster Farms Bowl. They finished 3rd in the Pac-12 South and 6th in the conference overall. The Bruins will be unranked going into the bowl game and probably unranked even after a bowl game win. Let's hope that the UCLA Bruins, even though beaten up and unranked, will bounce back from this loss and win their bowl game. Goooooooooooooooooooo Bruins!!!!!!!!!