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!!!!!!!!!
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