Taylor says this is the best he has felt in two months

For the first time in nearly two months, middle linebacker Christian Taylor made it through a full week of practice.

Taylor has been playing on Saturdays after sitting out some midweek workouts to protect a nagging ankle injury. But the extra week off -- UCLA had no game last weekend -- gave him enough rest to fully prepare for this afternoon’s game against No. 2 USC at the Rose Bowl.

“He doesn’t like not practicing and then playing in games,” Coach Karl Dorrell said of Taylor, the quarterback of UCLA’s defense. “Now he feels better prepared and he did some good work.... I know mentally and physically he’s going to feel the best he’s felt in the last four or five games.”

Taylor, who has one interception, is third on the team with 64 tackles and 10 tackles for loss, including 4.5 sacks. A year ago, Taylor started his only game of the season against USC and finished with six tackles.

“I haven’t felt this good since we played Arizona” on Oct. 7, Taylor said. “I can move better laterally and it really helps that I’ve been able to practice.

“It still hurts, but I’m able to do the things that I used to be able to do.”

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Junior Taylor, a fifth-year senior, today will play his final college game in the Rose Bowl. With 152 receptions, Taylor is 14th on UCLA’s career receiving list, six shy from moving into a tie with Cormac Carney and Dorrell at 11th.

But Taylor, whose 26 catches this season rank second on the team, is more concerned with finishing strong than he is about his standing in the Bruins record book.

“It’s time to move on for me,” he said. “I just want to enjoy this last one and make sure that we do everything we can to get a victory. It’s like a bittersweet ending for me. I can’t believe it’s over, but I’m definitely ready for another challenge.”

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Because UCLA has lost seven games in a row to USC, no current Bruins player knows what it’s like to defeat the Trojans.

But not too long ago UCLA similarly dominated the rivalry. From 1991 to 1998, the Bruins won eight consecutive games over the Trojans.

“That’s what we’re trying to get back,” junior cornerback Rodney Van said, “when UCLA owned things.”

Since 1986, some type of unbeaten streak has been at stake every time UCLA has played USC.

The Trojans went four games without a loss from 1987 to 1990 before the Bruins began their longest winning streak of the rivalry.

“We know with our program that we have not been living up to our standard of football when it comes to playing our cross-town team,” Van said.

Added junior cornerback Trey Brown: “We have a chance to spoil what they have going on and that certainly would get this UCLA program rolling.”

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Dorrell is 0-3 against USC as a head coach but was 4-1 against the Trojans from 1982 to ‘86, the five seasons he was on UCLA’s roster as a player. Dorrell redshirted the ’84 season after sustaining a shoulder injury in the third game.... UCLA receiver Marcus Everett, a junior, and USC cornerback Cary Harris, a sophomore, are old rivals from their high school days in the San Fernando Valley. Everett played for West Hills Chaminade and Harris at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame. “They beat us, but I always did well against them,” Everett said.... Offensive guard Chris Joseph has been chosen first-team Academic All-America by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Joseph, a geography major, has a cumulative 3.96 grade-point-average.

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lonnie.white@latimes.com