BATTLE FOR THE ROSE BOWL: USC vs. UCLA : Plot’s Same, Only Roles Reversed : USC and Peete Carry Same Kind of Momentum UCLA Had in ’87

A few weeks ago it seemed that UCLA, as the nation’s No. 1 team, would come into the USC game as the favorite, however slight.

Then, the previously unbeaten Bruins were upset by Washington State, struggled to some degree to defeat Oregon and had to come from behind Saturday to beat Stanford.

Meanwhile, USC, the country’s second-ranked team, remained unbeaten and was gathering momentum with impressive wins over Oregon State, California and the 50-0 rout of Arizona State Saturday.

It’s a reversal of roles from last year as USC, 9-0 overall and 7-0 in the Pacific 10 Conference, and UCLA (9-1, 6-1) prepare for their most important game of the season Saturday at the Rose Bowl.

The winner, as so often has been the case, will represent the Pac-10 in the Rose Bowl game Jan. 2 against Michigan.

Last year, the Trojans were just trying to stay alive in the Rose Bowl race after an early conference loss to Oregon. They barely qualified for a championship match with the Bruins, slipping by Arizona, 12-10, the previous week.

UCLA was on a roll in 1987, as USC is now. The Bruins had an 8-game winning streak and were unbeaten in league competition when they played the Trojans.

It seemed that UCLA’s position as an 8 1/2-point favorite was justified. However, USC upset UCLA, 17-13, to get the Rose Bowl bid.

Now UCLA has the opportunity to tarnish USC’s season and, as a projected underdog, it might have a psychological edge.

UCLA Coach Terry Donahue is seemingly more comfortable in an underdog role, rather than having his team heavily favored in a game of significant stature.

USC Coach Larry Smith is aware of the reversal of roles this season.

“I told our guys 3 weeks ago that we had to get better and better each week and don’t look back,” Smith said. “A lot of people have said, ‘Aren’t you worried that your team peaked too early and played so well yesterday.’ That’s a bunch of baloney. Hey, let’s crank it up and let’s go.”

As for Saturday’s game, Smith said: “It will be a great football game between two teams that want this one badly. The real winner is the spectator. You have a tremendous matchup between two great quarterbacks.

“And you have two super determined football teams. It’s a classic.”

It has become almost a local tradition that the Rose Bowl has been the prize in the USC-UCLA game.

When the bid has been on the line for both teams, USC has a 13-5-1 record against UCLA, winning the last 8 games in such a situation.

Moreover, since Donahue became UCLA’s coach in 1976, USC has deprived his team of a Rose Bowl appearance on 5 occasions. The Trojans also beat the Bruins in 1985, but UCLA still got the bid when Arizona (then coached by Smith) upset Arizona State in a game later that night.

However, Donahue has won 4 of the last 6 games against USC, getting the hang of it after losing 4 straight when he became UCLA’s coach in 1976.

The game has the added intrigue of showcasing 2 Heisman Trophy candidates, quarterbacks Rodney Peete of USC and Troy Aikman of UCLA.

In earlier polls conducted by publications, Aikman was rated the front-runner for the award.

However, as USC gained momentum in recent weeks, so did Peete. In the last 6 games, Peete has completed 66.3% of his passes for 1,584 yards and 15 touchdowns. He has thrown 3 touchdown passes in each of the last 3 games.

Aikman threw 19 touchdown passes in the first 7 games, but has only 2 in the last 3 games. He averaged 250 yards passing through 8 games, but has a total of only 249 yards for the last 2 games.

Those statistics are merely a reference point. The head-to-head competition between the quarterbacks Saturday in a nationally televised game is more meaningful.

Peete put the Heisman competition in perspective when he said: “We don’t directly play against each other. I have no control over him and he has no control over me.”

Peete added that even if he has negative statistics in the UCLA game, he would be happy as long as his team wins.

The Heisman competition between the quarterbacks is reminiscent of the 1967 game when UCLA quarterback Gary Beban and USC tailback O.J. Simpson were competing for the award.

Beban, a senior, was the Heisman winner, even though USC won the game, 21-20, on Simpson’s 64-yard touchdown run. Simpson got the trophy the next year.

Peete has, perhaps, the late season advantage of showcasing his talent Nov. 26 against top-ranked Notre Dame at the Coliseum. UCLA concludes its regular season Saturday.

In any event, both teams will be going to bowl games even if they lose. USC has the contingency of the Sugar Bowl, UCLA the Cotton Bowl. Roses are more preferable.

Notes

USC Coach Larry Smith said that it’s unlikely that strong safety Cleveland Colter will play against UCLA. He has a damaged cartilage in his left knee. . . . USC has maintained possession almost an hour and a half longer than its opponents this season. “Our offense has been so dominant that our defense hasn’t been on the field very long,” Smith said. “It makes a difference in an opponent’s game plan. When they have the ball, they feel they have to get big chunks of yardage at once.” That is usually attempted by passing, because USC leads the nation in rushing defense, allowing an average of only 67.6 yards a game. . . . More on Rodney Peete and Troy Aikman: Peete ranks seventh nationally in passing efficiency with 149.3 points, and Aikman is fourth at 152.6. . . . However, in the last 6 games, Peete’s rating has been 167.2, compared with Aikman’s 141.8. . . . USC has yet to beat UCLA at the Rose Bowl, losing 20-19 in 1982, 29-10 in ’84 and 45-25 in ’86. . . . Peete set his 16th career USC record in the 50-0 victory over Arizona State with a total of 377 yards running and passing. The former record was 362 set by Paul McDonald in 1979.