USC-UCLA football: In-game report

UCLA 38, USC 28 (final)

The Bruins blocked a 38-yard field-goal try by Andre Heidari with 1:40 left in the fourth quarter to help secure the victory and earn the Pac-12 Conference South Division title on Saturday afternoon at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley completed 22 of 30 passes for 234 yards and a touchdown while also running for two scores. The Bruins’ Johnathan Franklin rushed for 171 yards and two touchdowns. USC quarterback Matt Barkley passed for more than 300 yards and three touchdowns but had two passes intercepted that led to 14 points for UCLA.

UCLA 38, USC 28 (4:02 left in fourth quarter)

Johnathan Franklin was just penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct after his 29-yard touchdown run.

It was an unsportsmanlike move, but it was not false advertising.

USC’s hold on L.A.’s college football rivalry has a dagger in it.

Franklin’s run capped an 83-yard drive.

He has 162 yards rushing in 26 carries. He has run for 100-plus yards in a game 18 times in his UCLA career, second only to Gaston Green.

UCLA 31, USC 28 (7:22 left in fourth quarter)

Yes, USC would really like those four points back.

A missed field-goal attempt and a missed point-after try and the Trojans are now trailing by three points.

USC has come at least temporarily back from the dead –- again –- thanks to a couple of Matt Barkley to Marqise Lee passes.

USC was pinned in its own territory and had a third-and-10 situation when Barkley scrambled away from pressure and lofted a pass to Lee for a 39-yard gain.

The duo then teamed up on a 14-yard pass for a touchdown and Barkley connected with Robert Woods for a two-point conversion pass that pulled the Trojans to within a field goal.

UCLA 31, USC 20 (11:49 left in fourth quarter)

It hasn’t been often that Matt Barkley hit a guy in the numbers with a pass, but he just did.

A UCLA guy.

That guy was Eric Kendricks, who caught Barkley’s pass –- which USC receiver it might have been intended for was not clear –- at the UCLA 28-yard line and returned it 10 yards.

UCLA didn’t capitalize on the turnover by scoring, but the clock is ticking away and USC blew yet another scoring opportunity.

Barkley now has had 15 passes intercepted this season; he had seven intercepted last season.

UCLA 31, USC 20 (15:00 in fourth quarter)

With the fourth quarter starting, USC would love to have the four points that it has left off the board.

Andre Heidari missed a point-after try following a touchdown in the first half and again was wide left on a 44-yard field-goal attempt late in the third quarter.

Matt Barkley has completed 14 of 27 passes for 190 yards and Curtis McNeal has run for 94 yards for the Trojans.

Brett Hundley has completed 19 of 26 passes for 196 yards for the Bruins while Johnathan Franklin has 98 yards rushing.

UCLA 31, USC 20 (9:57 left in third quarter)

A partially blocked punt has helped the Bruins extend their lead.

Eric Kendricks broke through the line and got a hand on a punt by Kyle Negrete deep in USC territory.

The punt ended up bouncing 20 yards down field, but it gave UCLA the ball at the USC 33-yard line and the Bruins were in the end zone less than a minute later.

Hundley ran for the touchdown on a keeper after a nifty fake handoff to Johnathan Franklin.

Hundley also threw a beautiful touch pass to Shaquelle Evans for a 25-yard gain that helped set up the score.

UCLA 24, USC 20 (13:53 left in third quarter)

Just kidding about that 50-0 crack.

What I meant was that sooner or later that team that won 50-0 last year would have to straighten itself out.

USC opened the second half in a similar way UCLA opened the first: by taking advantage of a turnover.

On UCLA’s third play from scrimmage in the third quarter, the snap from center toward Brett Hundley in shotgun formation never got airborne.

Running back Johnathan Franklin picked up it, but lost the handle and the ball got batted around until it rolled into the end zone, where USC defensive lineman George Uko fell on it for a touchdown. Andre Heidari was wide left on the point-after try.

By the way, it’s now raining at the Rose Bowl -– the first time it’s rained during a UCLA-USC game since 1961.

UCLA won that game, 10-7.

UCLA 24, USC 14 (halftime)

UCLA spent much of the first half looking unstoppable, yet somehow USC has made it a game.

Some halftime stats:

--UCLA has outgained USC, 234-216 and has the advantage in time of possession, 18 minutes 38 seconds to 11:22.

--Quarterback Brett Hundley has been a model of efficiency, completing 16 of 19 passes – to six different receivers – for 141 yards and a touchdown.

--Johnathan Franklin has rushed for 76 yards and a touchdown in 10 carries.

--Matt Barkley has completed nine of 15 passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns – and one costly interception – for USC.

--Curtis McNeal has 76 yards rushing in 10 carries.

Then there’s Marqise Lee, USC’s recently hyped Heisman Trophy candidate, who has been absolutely no factor. He has two receptions for 30 yards and lost three yards and fumbled in his only carry. And he hasn’t touched the ball on a kickoff return because Jeff Locke keeps booming the ball through the end zone.

UCLA 24, USC 14 (1:07 left in second quarter)

Would you believe 50-14?

USC has made something of a game of it again –- for now.

The Trojans drove 56 yards in eight plays as Matt Barkley suddenly looks in rhythm and USC is getting some timely runs from Curtis McNeal.

Tight end Randall Telfer hauled in a two-yard pass from Barkley for the touchdown.

Barkley completed four of five passes for 27 yards on the drive. McNeal had two runs for 26 yards.

UCLA 24, USC 7 (5:58 left in second quarter)

It will not be 50-0 again, the other way around.

Maybe 50-7?

USC has some life. The Trojans needed only four plays to go 75 yards.

Three of the plays were passes by Matt Barkley -– for gains of 31 yards to Robert Woods and eight and 33 yards to freshman Nelson Agholor.

The second pass to Agholor was for the touchdown as the receiver went right down the middle of the UCLA defense.

Barkley has completed five of 10 passes for 108 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

UCLA 24, USC 0 (7:38 left in first quarter)

This could be 50-0 all over again.

Just the other way around.

UCLA is moving at will against the USC defense. Third or fourth down? No problem.

Johnathan Franklin has scored on a 16-yard run for the Bruins, just a few plays after he turned in a play that pretty much summed up the efforts of both teams so far.

On a third-and-13 play from UCLA’s own 43, Franklin took a short pass from Hundley, was hit by USC’s Nickell Robey five yards short of the first down and bowled over him and through another couple of defenders to barely make the first down.

There were two other key plays on the drive: A third-down pass interference call on USC linebacker Lamar Dawson gave the Bruins a first down and a 16-yard pass from Hundley to Joseph Fauria on a third-and-nine play.

Hundley has completed 15 of 17 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns. Franklin has 66 yards rushing in 10 carries.

UCLA 17, USC 0 (1:34 left in first quarter)

So, USC fans, who do you think your next coach will be?

OK, it might be a little early to say that. Or not.

USC has two turnovers and UCLA has two touchdowns after those turnovers.

Marqise Lee fumbled at the USC 33-ayrd line and four plays later UCLA was in the end zone.

The touchdown came on a 17-yard pass from Brett Hundley to tight end Joseph Fauria.

And the Trojans can’t even get Lee loose on a kickoff, because Jeff Locke keeps booming kicks out of the end zone.

UCLA 10, USC 0 (4:35 left in first quarter)

This UCLA field goal took a lot more work than the first Bruins’ touchdown.

UCLA drove 84 yards in 18 plays, chewing up nearly eight minutes of clock, but had to settle for a 23-yard field goal by Ka’imi Fairbairn.

The Bruins had the ball at the USC one-yard line, but a false-start penalty by Jeff Baca set UCLA back.

Brett Hundley completed eight of 10 passes on the drive, including one for a 21-yard gain to Shaquelle Evans on a fourth-and-13 play.

UCLA 7, USC 0 (13:39 left in first quarter)

One USC play, one USC turnover.

Matt Barkley’s pass to Maqise Lee was behind the receiver and picked off by UCLA cornerback Aaron Hester.

Five plays later, UCLA had covered 17 yards for a touchdown.

Brett Hundley scored on a one-yard run, giving him seven rushing touchdowns this season -– the most by a UCLA quarterback since Tom Ramsey had seven in 1982.

Barkley has had 14 passes intercepted this season, twice as many as last season.

Pregame

The sword has passed without incident.

USC’s band came out onto the Rose Bowl field, led by its drum major, who paused at UCLA’s logo at midfield then retreated toward the sideline where he took a few hard tugs on the rope that rang the “Victory Bell” that goes to the winner of this annual rivalry game.

That was it.

And the band plays on.

----

UCLA has announced that the Rose Bowl press box will be renamed Terry Donahue Pavilion, effective next fall.

Donahue, who coached the Bruins football team from 1976-1995, will be honored at halftime of today’s game.

But I don’t know, do you think it’s a good idea to name a media center after a guy who reacts this way:

“For the first time in my life, I was speechless,” Donahue said of the honor.

Then again, wouldn’t we all be better if certain members of the media were, indeed, speechless?

----

Ah Swordgate, the gift that just keeps giving.

Just when you thought the controversy might be over, USC medical assistants get into the act.

The assistants, who help the team’s training staff, showed up to the Rose Bowl a few hours before today’s game and made their way to midfield.

There, they took turns posing for photos as they stabbed the UCLA logo with some sort of foam or plastic object.

It’s been a USC tradition over the years for the band’s drum major to stab midfield with his sword in a pre-game ritual.

But UCLA officials complained about it this week and told USC that if the drum major insisted on doing so before today’s game that the Trojans band would not be allowed to play at halftime.

We’ll see how that plays out a little later. The USC band has congregated in the north end zone.

As reporter Chris Foster pointed out, it will also be interesting to see what happens next week when the Stanford band shows up.

I’m thinking 100-plus wounds in the Rose Bowl turf.