UCLA Seniors Stuck in Neverland

What do former All-Americans Dave Ball, James McAlister, Keyshawn Johnson and Tony Boselli have in common?

Each played in the UCLA-USC cross-town rivalry and never won a game.

That’s a badge of dishonor 14 UCLA seniors hope to avoid today when the Bruins face the No. 1-ranked Trojans at the Rose Bowl. USC has won five consecutive meetings after losing eight in a row to UCLA.

“I didn’t start paying too much attention to college football until I got into high school and that’s when UCLA was pretty much on top,” said running back Manuel White, who was recruited by both schools when he starred at Valencia High.

“But since I’ve been here, SC has been on top. That’s all I’ve seen.”

“It’s been rough sitting back and watching them” develop into a national power, wide receiver Craig Bragg said. “We had all of those dreams when we came to UCLA, but that did not happen for us.”

For cornerback Matt Clark, defensive tackle Eyoseph Efseaff, safety Ben Emanuel, punter Chris Kluwe, linebacker Benjamin Lorier, offensive tackle Paul Mociler, fullback Pat Norton, wide receiver Tab Perry, fullback Steve Seigel, defensive tackle Charles Thompson, offensive tackle Steven Vieira, linebacker Tim Warfield, Bragg and White, today is their last chance for victory over USC.

“We want to go out and get it done and be remembered as the team that ended the streak,” Kluwe said.

When UCLA seniors were high school underclassmen, the Bruins owned the town. From 1991 to 1998, UCLA sent USC home in defeat every year. Former Trojan stars such as Johnson and Boselli were on the wrong end of the longest winning streak in the history of the 75-year rivalry.

But in 1999, USC ended the streak with a 17-7 victory at the Coliseum, and it has been all Trojans since.

“I didn’t play in my first game because of a hamstring injury but what I remember most about that game is that after we lost, they danced on our field,” Perry said about USC’s 38-35 victory at the Rose Bowl in 2000.

“I’ve always wanted to get them back for that. As long as I’ve been here, I’ve never seen our fans out on the field. Even when we beat a top-five team, that never happened. That’s what I would really like to see when we beat the No. 1 team on our field. A UCLA dance on the middle of the field.”

Adding to the Bruins’ misery during USC’s winning streak have been the lopsided scores. When UCLA ran off eight wins in a row, nearly every game was competitive and close.

That hasn’t been the case the last three years with the Bruins being outscored, 126-43.

In 2001, UCLA played without running back DeShaun Foster, who was declared ineligible for violating the NCAA “extra benefit” rule, and lost, 27-0, at the Coliseum. Bruin quarterback Cory Paus was sacked five times and completed seven passes for 45 yards.

In 2002, Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer passed for 254 yards and four touchdowns in a 52-21 USC victory at the Rose Bowl. The Trojan defense limited UCLA to 40 yards rushing and the 52 points were the most scored by either team in the series in more than 70 years.

Last year, Matt Leinart completed two touchdown passes to Mike Williams to lead USC to a 47-22 victory at the Coliseum. After the game, UCLA players were taunted by chants of “Five more years!” by Trojan fans as they left the field.

“It’s just been eating me up inside,” said Efseaff, who started the last three seasons against USC as an offensive lineman. “... You work all off-season to get ready for that game and then to lose it, it breaks your heart. You have to wait a year to get another shot and many of us, this is our last shot.”

It’s not lost on UCLA seniors that there is a history of upset victories in the rivalry. In 1959, USC was 8-0 and ranked fourth in the country but lost, 10-3, to a Bruin team that finished 5-4-1. In 1984, the Trojans entered the game with an 8-1 record and ranked seventh nationally but lost, 29-10, to the unranked Bruins.

“We have to play spoiler but that can be a fun role to have if you pull off the big upset,” Bragg said. “We know that the games people remember most are the big upsets. It’s almost like it was set up perfect for us to get it done this year.”

UCLA is a 23-point underdog. But, Bragg said, “All the pressure is on them. We’re excited about the opportunity of knocking them off.”