Column: USC’s rout of UCLA a display of two programs going different places
Breaking down No. 13 USC’s 36-14 victory over UCLA at the Rose Bowl.
For a precious few moments, the fight was actually even, cardinal jersey on blue jersey, two hometown teams scrapping for every bit of neighborhood, a real Southland beauty.
UCLA actually led! Then, after USC tied it up, UCLA actually led again!
In a Rose Bowl dotted with empty bleachers on a late and chilly Saturday night, the UCLA fans roared, then the USC fans roared, back and forth, again and again, the Los Angeles college football landscape was ablaze as a Santa Monica sunset.
But then, succinctly, efficiently, just as everyone expected, this town’s two football teams headed off in their vastly different directions.
USC and the resurgent Clay Helton are soaring toward a bowl game that could unbelievably involve roses.
UCLA and the downtrodden Jim Mora are skidding toward an early vacation filled with regret.
The 86th renewal of the USC-UCLA rivalry was interesting, then intriguing, then just plain predictable in the Trojans’ 36-14 victory.
A seven-point Bruin lead early in the second quarter put the place on edge, then everyone sighed and reclined into the separate realities that have encompassed this town’s passing-in-the-night football teams.
Everyone knew USC, which has now won seven consecutive games for the first time in the Pete Carroll era, was hot. Well, the Trojans just got hotter.
Besides Alabama, is there any team in the country scarier right now? With those three early losses, the Trojans won’t make the final four, but guaranteed there are not four teams playing better.
“We had a lot of outside media who had comments about our team, but everyone inside our facility stayed strong,’’ said Trojans linebacker Michael Hutchings. “We just took it week by week and slowly dug ourselves out of a hole.’’
Everyone also knew UCLA was scuffling, having lost five of six games since the loss of quarterback Josh Rosen to an injury. Well, their ditch just got deeper.
Has there been a more disappointing Bruin season in recent memory? This team was picked by the media to win the Pac-12 South Division, yet with one final stumble next week against Cal, they could equal their most losses — eight — in 76 years.
“A real tough and humbling night,’’ said Bruins Coach Jim Mora.
The Trojans’ domination was slow in coming, but bruising in its completion. Despite trailing the Bruins in yardage after one quarter, the Trojans eventually outgained UCLA, 527-266. USC eventually ran almost twice as many plays, held the ball for 25 more minutes, and allowed UCLA just eight rushing yards in the final three quarters.
“I thought it was a big man’s game,’’ said Helton.
For the Trojans, as usual, the biggest of men was their kid quarterback Sam Darnold. He had two passes intercepted, but his presence was as dominating as ever, bullet passes worth 267 yards and two touchdowns, a surprisingly quick run of 15 yards, commanding leadership that has not been seen around the USC campus since Matt Leinart. In fact, he’s the first Trojans quarterback since Leinart in 2004 to throw for multiple touchdowns in seven consecutive games.
“We haven’t played a guy that’s as mobile as he is, as heady as he is, can keep his eyes down the field like he can and then make throws down the field,’’ said Mora. “When you see him in person, he’s a really special one.’’
Then there was the Trojans’ rushing attack, which only gained one yard in the first quarter but finished with 260 yards, including a 60-yard simple off-tackle touchdown run by Ronald Jones II.
“This is special and I am going to remember this forever,’’ said USC senior running back Justin Davis.
For the Bruins, this began memorably, then ended up as just another Saturday to forget. A 14-7 lead less than two minutes into the second quarter was lost midway through that quarter, and the game never again felt close.
Said Helton: “They hit us in the mouth early.’’
Said Mora: “The old could have, would have, should have, I don’t want to go to that.’’
Mike Fafaul, Rosen’s replacement, was game, but the former walk-on was overmatched by a quick and athletic Trojans defense that has even harassed the likes of Washington’s Jake Browning. Afterward, in reminding everyone of the passion that will always exist in even the most predictable of these crosstown games, Fafaul said he returned to midfield in full pads to lay down and soak up the moment.
“It’s emotional,’’ said Fafaul. “I’m just trying to take it in.’’
Watching Fafaul struggle in completing less than half of his passes, one wonders why Mora has never filled his bench with top quarterback recruits like the Trojans. After all, remember, Darnold began the year as a backup.
Now Darnold could lead the Trojans into that wonderful bed of thorned flowers. If Utah can beat Colorado next week, the Trojans would advance to the Pac-12 championship game against one of two beatable teams, Washington or Washington State. A victory there would put them in the Rose Bowl. Even their mere appearance there could put them in the Rose Bowl. If one-loss Washington wins the Pac-12 title game and is chosen for college football’s final four, then USC would be sent back to Pasadena.
“We are going to be praying,’’ said Davis, referring to a possible Utah victory.
Hard to believe there was a time this autumn when the Trojans didn’t have a prayer. They certainly come a long way from their 1-3 start that put Helton on the hot seat. Helton will never take credit for the resurgence, but he deserves plenty of it. Yes, everything changed when Darnold replaced Max Browne as the quarterback, but it was Helton who made that call, and Helton who kept the entire team calm and moving forward during the turbulent early storm. And, oh yeah, Helton is now undefeated in two games against the Bruins.
“I really am proud of the kids for how they stepped up and reacted and didn’t panic and went on about their business, to do their job and to win the game,’’ said Helton, who could have been talking about the season.
Meanwhile, UCLA has fallen a long way from the early days of the Mora culture change. After winning three consecutive games against USC, Mora has lost the last two, UCLA will probably miss a bowl game for the first time in six years, and its current tough-guy era has clearly stalled.
Mora has based the program’s future on Rosen, but even before he was hurt, the sophomore was erratic and inconsistent. Now that he is battling through a shoulder injury, what happens next year? Last year the blame was put on the injured defense, this year on the injured Rosen, all of it exposing UCLA’s lack of depth, and now what? This game confirmed how the Bruins have lost valuable ground to the post-probation Trojans, and the burden is on Mora to figure out how to repeat his 2013 claim that, “We own this town.’’
On a night that a big chunk of the town didn’t show up — there were more than 20,000 empty seats because of the shamefully late TV-mandated start time of 7:37 p.m. and the expected blowout — the results were predictable, the situation was obvious, and nobody needed to say anything.
Get more of Bill Plaschke’s work and follow him on Twitter @BillPlaschke
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