The Victory Bell, which goes to the winner of the annual Crosstown Rivalry football clash, painted blue due to UCLA’s win over USC this year…
IT WAS JUST ANNOUNCED:
And – I must admit as I won’t lie – as a Bruin alum this is very good news from a personal standpoint…
UCLA’s website, UCLABruins.com, has reported that the Bruin athletic program has won this year’s annual Crosstown Cup, the year-long competition with rival USC spanning the nineteen sports where SoCal’s two largest institutions of higher learning compete against each other,
By a score of 120-70, which tied the Bruins’ record for points in this rivalry competition.
And which is UCLA’s second Crosstown Cup win in the past three years and ninth over their Trojan rivals in the past twenty-three years that this all-sports clash has been held.
“A dominant Crosstown Cup win just adds to (UCLA Athletics) tremendous year,” Bruin athletic director Martin Jarmond commented. “We’re excited to be holding bragging rights while introducing the Big Ten to this all-time great rivalry next season.”
And on a personal note regarding the Bruins’ and Trojans’ move to the Big Ten Conference, which I’ll write about on this blog this summer,
It looks like Michigan and Ohio State will have some real competition for the title of the Big Ten’s biggest rivalry as while UCLA and USC are only twelve miles apart in the same city,
The Wolverines’ and Buckeyes’ homes are located 188 miles apart.
Across two different states.
I certainly feel fortunate and blessed to have seen and, being that I was in the UCLA Marching Band during my days in Westwood,
Have been a part of this unique, Verona-style, Montague vs Capulet-like rivalry as a student and have witnessed many classic clashes across several sports over the years;
I’ll likewise write about that in detail on this blog soon.
As for how the points are distributed…
Ten points are awarded for each sport; if one school wins their majority of contests over the other in a series, i.e., the three games that the Bruins and Trojans played against each other in baseball, that school wins all ten points.
If an even number of games were played and the two schools won an equal number of such contests, they split the ten available points and are awarded five points each, as UCLA’s and USC’s men’s basketball teams did this year.
UCLA won 23 of the 37 total games and in eleven of the 19 sports that they played over USC;
The Bruin sports that triumphed over the Trojans (and vice-versa) listed below…
Joe Bruin, UCLA’s mascot…
USC’s Kayla Padilla (#45) and JuJu Watkins (#12) contesting UCLA’s Charisma Osborne (#20) during the sold-out women’s basketball version of the Crosstown Rivalry Clash in Pauley Pavilion this past season…
USC’s iconic symbols, Traveler ridden by Tommy Trojan along with the USC Marching Band…
Sports where UCLA beat USC and earned ten points:
Football
Baseball
Women’s Soccer
Women’s Water Polo
Men’s Water Polo
Men’s Volleyball
Men’s Golf
Women’s Golf
Women’s Cross Country
Women’s Tennis
Men’s Tennis
Sports where USC beat UCLA and earned ten points:
Women’s Basketball
Beach Volleyball
Men’s Track and Field
Women’s Track and Field
Women’s Rowing
Women’s Swim and Dive
Sports where the two schools split the ten available points:
Men’s Basketball
Women’s Volleyball
UCLA Football getting ready to do battle at the Rose Bowl…
Most Valuable Player: Caleb Willliams (for the second straight year)
The Trojans’ MVP for 2023 (DUH!) Photo courtesy of foxnews.com
Analysis and Thoughts:
After finishing the season on such a pathetically dismal note in going 1-5 during the back half of the season, the one win being a barely, skin-by-the-teeth 50-49 outscoring of Cal before losing to Washington, Oregon, and UCLA in a salt-in-the-wound defeat at the Coliseum that lost them the Victory Bell (I’m sure the Trojan Family agonized over seeing the Bruin football players ringing that bell and taking it back to their Westwood campus after that game)
The fact that those Trojans enacted some vengeance on their crosstown rivals by getting Bruin defensive Coordinator D’Anton Lynn, who turned UCLA’s defense into the best in the conference in this one season in Westwood, to come to USC with a contract worth over $2 million, twice what the Bruins were paying him,
Served as a sort of redemption for the Trojan Family, I’m sure.
If Lynn is successful at recruiting, ‘SC’s days of being absolute sieves on defense will likely be over.
And just in time for their entry into the Big Ten Conference, where they will need a smash-mouth shut down defense in order to have any chance to beat the likes of elite blue bloods Michigan – who will be playing Alabama in the College Football Playoff semi finals at the Rose Bowl on January 1st – Ohio State and Penn State.
And to think,
I had those Trojans winning the Pac-12 and in the College Football Playoff at the start of the season, which shows how much I know!
But I also reckoned that they would have trouble in the second half of the season, especially after just barely getting by an Arizona team that in my view ended up being the best team in the conference outside of Washington and Oregon as those Wildcats drove ‘SC crazy and came this close to pulling off the epic upset.
And beginning with their shellacking at the hands of rival Notre Dame, I was proven right.
As they say, it is what it is.
Coach Lincoln Riley and that USC program of his certainly took a good step in the right direction with the hiring of Lynn;
Offering double what UCLA was paying him usually works wonders when getting someone to switch to a rival school.
Now the question is who will fill Williams’ shoes as the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner won’t even play in the Holiday Bowl vs Louisville, which doesn’t surprise me in the least as being a projected first round and possible number one overall pick when the NFL Draft commences on April 25-27,
It would be a bad idea to risk injury by playing in a bowl game and risking roughly fifty million dollars.
I’ll be interested in seeing what they do vs Louisville in San Diego;
Will they play half-hearted in a “Call it a day” fashion,
Or will they “Fight On”?
We’ll see when those Trojans take the field at Petco Park – by the way, why on earth is that Holiday Bowl being held at a baseball stadium when a perfectly good, and brand new, facility is right down the road…
Two days after Christmas.
Getting ready to battle UCLA in the Crosstown Rivalry Clash. Photo courtesy of twitter.com
USC’s and UCLA’s captains flipping the coin before the start of their Crosstown Rivalry Clash. Photo courtesy of twitter.com
WRAPPING UP THIS YEAR’S COVERAGE OF THE CROSSTOWN RIVALRY CLASH WITH MY THOUGHTS AND ANALYSIS OF UCLA’S 38-20 STATEMENT WIN OVER USC AT THE COLISEUM
Once again, It’s my duty to make this beginning statement regarding how things unfolded at the Coliseum on Saturday…
I WAS WRONG.
As has always been the case, as a UCLA alum and longtime Bruin Nation member I’m quite happy to be wrong in my prediction of who would win this year’s Crosstown Rivalry game and what the score would be;
I’ve always felt the need to be honest in that sentiment.
And as always, as someone who’s committed to be impartial, objective and realistic in how I see things with So Cal’s two college football teams would unfold when they played each other,
After UCLA’s two previous games where they were outscored 44-17 by the state of Arizona, I felt there was a good reason to predict the game the way I did.
As it turned out, the Bruins and Trojans flipped the scores I gave them.
One thing was certain in this 93rd Battle For L.A. showdown,
UCLA’s players came to play.
And except for Caleb Williams and Brendan Rice (son of NFL legend Jerry Rice) – with Williams throwing for 384 yards and a 74-yard touchdown to Rice in the second quarter that ended up being their big highlight of the day,
USC’s players did not come to play as their issues on defense in particular continued.
Those Bruins entered the Coliseum with several chips on their shoulder, and it showed in the way they played on defense;
The run defense allowed a minuscule three net yards. THREE!
That defense fulfilled one of my keys to the game in sacking Williams four times, and
Three turnovers – an interception and two fumbles (with UCLA forcing three in all), one of them resulting in a scoop and score by Eric Johnson that in my view was the turning point of the game – were forced by that number one defense in the conference
Which is why that unit as a whole has earned my personal and annual Co-MVP honors for this 93rd Crosstown Rivalry Clash,
Along with Bruin running back T. J. Harden with his 142 rush yards on 22 carries and a touchdown to open the scoring.
In short, UCLA showed two things against ‘SC that I certainly did not see the previous two weeks against the Arizona schools, especially against now 3-8 Arizona State,
HEART and GUTS.
And the fact that it was the Bruins’ second straight win over the Trojans in their Coliseum house – along with hearing that now-blue painted Victory Bell as the players rolled it up the tunnel – put a smile on my face;
Even though USC has also won two straight Crosstown Rivalry games in UCLA’s Rose Bowl house, but that’s besides the point.
It is interesting that the visiting team has won the last four games in this rivalry clash.
Trojan quarterback Caleb Williams (#13) scrambling from the Bruin rush. Photo courtesy of on3.com
IMO – THE TURNING POINT OF THE GAME: Alex Johnson (#36) scoring after recovering a USC fumble to increase UCLA’s lead to 28-10, with Caleb Williams pursuing him in vain. Photo courtesy of twitter.com
Kenny Churchwell III (#23) stripping the ball from Zachariah Branch (#1) in the first quarter. Photo courtesy of twitter.com
UCLA defensive starts Laiatu Latu (#15), Darius Muasau (#53), and John Humphrey (#6) celebrating their great day. Photo courtesy of twitter.com
It is also interesting that one head coach was being said to be set to lose his job if his team had lost this past Saturday, and now it’s the other head coach who has been put on the hot seat by at least some of his fan base and very wealthy boosters and alumni (hint, hint).
Only a fool would be reluctant to give Chip Kelly significant props for orchestrating such a statement win over the crosstown rival,
But while I certainly can’t speak for anyone else, in my mind that triumph earns him, in a sense, a one game at a time reprieve as now that the rivals from just south of Downtown L.A. have been vanquished for this season, the Victory Bell is back in Westwood and painted blue, and bragging rights have been secured for Bruin Nation,
The hard part is now upon that UCLA team…
Not letting down vs a decent Cal Bears team that handled Stanford relatively easily in their recent Big Game, and will enter the season finale vs the Bruins with bowl eligibility at stake as their five wins is one short.
Being that it will be the very last regular season game that those flagship U.C. schools will play as members of the Pac-12 Conference and notably against each other, at least for the foreseeable future,
Anyone who doesn’t think that those Golden Bears’ motivation to end their Pac-12 days and their series against their younger “Southern Branch” brothers will a win will be sky-high needs to completely change such thinking.
As such, with the Bruins’ defense being what it is I’m fairly confident that they’ll get their eighth win, which will match my preseason prediction of their record.
But then again, I was also confident of UCLA getting a win over Arizona State.
My message to that football program of my alma mater’s…
Do. Not. Let. Down.
And DO NOT take Cal lightly.
As for those Men of Troy from the University of Southern California,
That those Trojans finished 7-5 with losses in five out of their last six games was and is SHOCKING is an understatement, especially after I had them winning the Pac-12 and in the College Football Playoff (which shows how much I know!).
I knew they’d have trouble with the back end of their schedule after their 6-0 start over relative cupcakes,
But I didn’t think their troubles, particularly on defense, would be that pronounced as I knew that the firing of defensive coordinator Alex Grinch before their Oregon game wouldn’t solve their issues on that side of the ball;
Lincoln Riley might as well have kept Grinch and waited until after the season to let him go.
To be honest, much like two years before in that 62-33 beat down I felt that ‘SC’s players had given up by the end of that rivalry clash, them along the rest of the Trojan Family feeling dejected over losing to both of their traditional rivals.
I hope they show some Trojan pride in their upcoming bowl game,
Which may well be seven miles southwest of the USC campus at SoFi Stadium for what is now known as the “L.A. Bowl Hosted by (NFL star) Rob Gronkowski”.
With Williams as good as gone to the NFL with an eight figure contact as the very possible number one overall pick this coming April, Riley will have some rebuilding to do.
But I’ll elaborate on that when on the upcoming season wrap-up of that ‘SC team next month.
It was certainly an interesting Crosstown Rivalry Clash between the two largest colleges in So Cal, the last one as members of the Pac-12 as they will be members of the Big Ten Conference when they meet again on November 23, 2024 at the Rose Bowl.
And I reckon it will be just as interesting if not more so by that time.
THAT’S A WRAP ON THIS YEAR’S CROSSTOWN RIVALRY COVERAGE;
ONCE AGAIN, YOUR SUPPORT IS APPRECIATED!
AND I HOPE THESE POSTS WERE ENJOYED!
UNTIL THE WEEK OF NOVEMBER 18-23, 2024…
A SIGNIFICANT SPOIL TO THE VICTORS: Muasau (#53), Duke Clemens (#62), and Siale Taupaki (#59) taking a by-now blue Victory Bell out of the Coliseum and back to Westwood. Photo courtesy of twitter.com
Former UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (DTR) scoring during the 2021 Crosstown Rivalry Game, the previous time it was held at the Coliseum. Photo courtesy of latimes.com
UCLA BRUINS (6-4) vs USC TROJANS (7-4)
DAY & DATE: Saturday, November 18, 2023
PLACE: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA
TIME: 12:30 p.m.
TV: ABC Channel 7
RANK: None by either team
AT STAKE BESIDES BRAGGING RIGHTS AND THE VICTORY BELL:
Nothing except a better chance to play in a more prestigious bowl game, to be honest
ALL-TIME SERIES: Trojans lead 50-33-7 (two USC wins vacated due to NCAA sanctions)
FIRST GAME: 1929, Trojans won 76-0
MOST RECENT GAME: 2022 at the Rose Bowl, Trojans won 48-45
LAST UCLA WIN: 2021 at the Coliseum, Bruins won 62-33
LONGEST CROSSTOWN RIVALRY WIN STREAKS:
UCLA – Eight straight from 1991-1998
USC – Seven straight from 1999-2005
LINE: Trojans favored by six and a half points
Former Bruin running back Zach Carbonnet (#24) powering through Trojans during the 2021 game. Photo courtesy of latimes.com
ALL RIGHT TROJAN FAMILY AND BRUIN NATION,
HERE IS HOW I OFFICIALLY SEE THE UPCOMING 93rd MEETING OF USC AND UCLA IN FOOTBALL UNFOLDING,
WHAT I SEE THE OUTCOME BEING,
AND THE NUMBER ONE TRADITION OF THIS BLOG:
MY OFFICIAL PREDICTION OF THE FINAL SCORE…
As a UCLA alum and a longtime member of Bruin Nation who has spent his adult life going to sporting events on and off campus,
To state that I dearly want to see my alma mater’s football team beat their crosstown rival in their house this Saturday, regain that Victory Bell and see it painted blue once again would be stating the painfully obvious.
However,
As a sports blogger who has both pledged and vowed to be impartial, objective and realistic in my assessments of the teams I cover in this blog, including the institution where I earned my bachelor’s degree and the pro sports team whose fan hood was passed down from my grandparents that happens to play north of downtown off of Sunset Blvd,
With regards to how this upcoming Crosstown Rivalry / Battle For L.A. Clash will unfold,
After watching how the Bruins performed the past two weeks, particularly in their most recent game against a team who, with seven losses already, is playing out the string and is out of bowl consideration, losing to them at home no less,
I honestly cannot see them beating a crosstown rival who, despite their season long ineptitude on the defensive side of the ball that has cost them four out of their last five games after a 6-0 start,
Will still have the reigning Heisman Trophy winner taking the snaps behind center;
A reigning Heisman Trophy winner who is second in the nation in passing yards and touchdown passes,
And who leads the nation in total touchdowns, with eleven of his forty scores coming via his legs.
While I see the Trojans’ offense having a bit more trouble with UCLA’s defense against the run, Caleb Williams will try and remedy that by going to the air early and often as SC’s wide receivers are still stellar.
He will be pressured at times by Laiatu Latu and the rest of the Bruins’ front seven, but he will also get his yards and scores.
As for UCLA’s offense,
While I see T.J. Harden and especially Carson Steele doing well against that much maligned Trojan run defense, let me put it like this with regards to the most important position,
Caleb Williams is at least five times better – if not more – than Dante Moore, Ethan Garbers, and Collin Schlee COMBINED.
Which will ultimately be the difference in this 93rd Crosstown Clash as Moore, while a five star recruit who’s the most talented of the Bruin QBs and remains the future of the program, is still a true freshman who has made costly true freshman mistakes.
Garbers, though he did a good job against Stanford and Colorado, is still in my view not the kind of quarterback who can be counted on to win big games like the Crosstown Rivalry;
Colorado and Stanford are one thing.
USC is a completely different animal, especially in the Coliseum.
And in my opinion, Schlee is a bruising running back who happens to play quarterback;
Therefore he’s definitely not the type of guy who can match Williams.
And neither can Moore nor Garbers.
Which is the reason, in accordance to this blog’s number one tradition,
My prediction of the final score of this season’s Crosstown Rivalry Game is thus…
USC TROJANS – 34
UCLA BRUINS – 20
With Chip Kelly being given his walking papers and severance check soon afterward, probably by the end of the next day.
And to be completely honest, I feel I’m being a little generous to UCLA as far as how many points I see them scoring;
If you saw their offense in their previous two contests, you would understand;
Seventeen points combined in the past eight quarters is pretty poor, don’t you think?
Of course as a Bruin alum and a Bruin Nation member, I hope I’m wrong in this prediction.
And I certainly hope that football team of my alma mater’s proves me wrong.
But as an impartial, objective and realistic sports blogger, it’s simply too difficult for me to see things going any other way.
As always,
We will all – the Trojan Family as well as the Bruin Nation – see what unfolds in Exposition Park in roughly forty hours from this writing.
AS YOU ALL SHOULD KNOW,
OUR COVERAGE OF THIS YEAR’S CROSSTOWN RIVALRY GAME IS NOT DONE YET!
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THIS BLOG ON MONDAY FOR MY POST GAME THOUGHTS AND ANALYSIS!
A Trojan and a Bruin going for a pass during last year’s Crosstown Rivalry Game. Photo courtesy of seattletimes.com
I’ve always liked these photos of the Bruins and Trojans at the line of scrimmage; the contrasting colors of the helmets and jerseys make for a very nice touch. Photo courtesy of athlonsports.com
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES (UCLA) BRUINS
Caleb Williams, QB: 67.92% completions, 3,249 yards passing (2nd in the nation), 29 TD (tied for 2nd in the nation), 4 INT // 11 rush TD // * 40 total touchdowns – leads the nation *
Kickers (if the game comes down to field goal kicks):
Denis Lynch, USC: 8-10, 80% made, 53 long
R.J. Lopez, UCLA: 6-11, 54.55% made, 47 long
Last year’s Heisman Trophy winner and this year’s leader in total touchdowns – Caleb Williams (#13) for those who have been living under a rock on Mars the past couple of years – gaining yardage in last season’s Crosstown Rivalry game. Photo courtesy of dknetwork.draftkings.com
OKAY – as I understand it,
My one and a half cents regarding this upcoming Crosstown Rivalry game at the Coliseum this Saturday, the situations facing the football teams of these two largest institutions of higher learning in Los Angeles, and what I see are the keys to each of them winning and either regaining or keeping the Victory Bell,
Needs discussing.
So let’s get started…
While I can’t speak for anyone else, whether they’re a Bruin or a Trojan,
I honestly can’t remember a time when I was less excited over a Crosstown Rivalry game than this year,
Particularly after watching how my alma mater’s football team performed against the Arizona schools these past two weeks,
And especially after how they played against arguably the worst team in the Pac-12 Conference, a team with only two wins to their credit and with seven losses were already out of bowl consideration.
I had officially joined the “Fire Chip Kelly” factions after UCLA’s inexplicable loss to Arizona State, posting in this blog’s Twitter (now X) page that if I were the Bruins’ athletic director,
If the Bruins lose to USC = DEFINITELY fire Chip
If the Bruins beat USC = Wait ’til after the Cal game, then fire him
Either way, I expect that UCLA coach to be gone by the end of this month, just like USC’s now former defensive coordinator when he was shown the door after Washington scored 52 points against those Trojans,
And also after his defensive unit had given up so many yards and points throughout the season;
I actually knew they were vulnerable and sub-par when they gave up 28 points to San Jose State in the first game of the season and allowed Arizona State to score the same number of points and hang in there with them.
Indeed,
After those Bruins lost to those Sun Devils, my mind screamed at me that UCLA’s chances of beating ‘SC in the Coliseum, with the Trojans looking to air out their frustrations on their crosstown rival after losing four out of their last five games,
Are honestly quite slim.
However,
With the Bruins’ defense, namely their front seven, doing so well this season,
That’s one key in which they might have a chance as they must do the same thing to USC’s reigning Heisman Trophy winner quarterback Caleb Williams that they did to Colorado quarterback (and coach Deion Sanders’ son) Shedeur Sanders;
Pressure the h**l out of him.
Hit him.A lot.
Sack him. A lot.
Coach Prime’s son went down seven times in the face of UCLA’s pass rush.
While not necessarily needing to go down seven times, Williams does need to go down and go down often, as well as run for his life as the Bruin linebackers like Laiatu Latu must have great days.
They need to be in that Trojan backfield often, making Williams run for his life.
Only then, along with UCLA’s offensive line performing much better than they have been as they’ve been the main factor, in the form of “if you don’t have a good line you don’t have a good team”, in the anemic attack and lack of points that they’ve produced as of late – 17 points combined in the past two games,
The running game, led by Carson Steele and T.J. Harden, getting enough yards and first downs to control the clock and keep Williams and company off the field,
And if either veteran QB Ethan Garbers or freshman QB who’s still the future of the program Dante Moore plays instead of Colin Schlee, who (with all due respect) while a good runner is not the thrower needed,
Will the Bruins have any chance of beating ‘SC and getting the Victory Bell’s color changed from red to blue.
As for the Trojans, their key to keeping the Victory Bell on their campus and painted red is a fairly straight forward one…
As Williams goes, so goes the Trojans.
Especially on offense.
If his blockers perform and allow him time to take advantage of a UCLA secondary that, while better than last season, is still a sort-of weak link to that defense,
USC will be more than fine as their defense has more than proved all year that they won’t win the game for them, Williams bailing the Trojans out in the Arizona, Colorado, and Cal games.
Of course with the game being at the Coliseum, the expected support from a desperate Trojan Family looking for something to feel good about, which beating the Bruins would more than provide, will be a big factor.
The big questions that comes to mind regarding this 93rd Crosstown Rivalry Clash is this…
Can UCLA’s offense be effective enough to eat clock and keep their USC counterparts off the field?
Can the Bruin defense, particularly their front seven, be effective enough to contain Williams and that potent Trojan offense?
I’ll give my opinionated answers to those two questions in my official predictions piece tomorrow,
WHICH WILL ALSO FEATURE WHAT HAS BEEN AND CONTINUES TO BE THE NUMBER ONE TRADITION ON SOCAL SPORTS CHRONICLES:
MY OFFICIAL PREDICTION OF THE FINAL SCORE.
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THIS BLOG TOMORROW TO FIND OUT HOW I SEE THIS CROSSTOWN RIVALRY GAME UNFOLDING AND WHO I SEE WINNING!
Dorian Thompson-Robinson (DTR, wearing #1), last season’s Bruin quarterback, putting in work during last year’s USC game. Photo courtesy of uclabruins.com
UCLA running back DeShaun Foster going up and over USC defenders for a touchdown. Photo courtesy of latimes.com
MY ANNUAL CROSSTOWN RIVALRY COVERAGE CONTINUES,
WITH SOME PERSONAL MEMORIES OF THE 1998 BRUIN-TROJAN CLASH.
WHICH HAPPENED TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO (YIKES!)
Some would say that 2012-2014 was a pretty good period for UCLA Football,
What with Jim Mora ushering in that period with three straight wins over USC, two ten-win seasons and two bowl wins.
However,
While I can’t really speak for anyone else,
As far as I’m concerned, the true golden years for my collegiate alma mater in football was during a twenty-year period during the 1980s and the 1990s.
A twenty-year period which saw the Bruins…
Go to eight straight bowl games in the 80s, including a Fiesta Bowl which saw them beat big bad Miami, a Cotton Bowl which I had the pleasure of being at as a member of the UCLA Bruin Marching Band, and three Rose Bowls – with the Bruins winning seven of them consecutively – which is still a record!
and,
Beat their cardinal and gold-clad rivals from just south of Downtown L.A. no less than eight consecutive times in the 90s – which remains a record to this day and which pushed UCLA’s record over USC during that twenty-year period to 13 wins, six losses, and one tie.
Whenever I tell the current Bruins about those exploits, I get wide-eyed reactions and expressions of “WOW!”, me being sure that they were wishing that time machines existed so they can go back and watch those glorified triumphs;
Which unfortunately illustrates how far down the football program at UCLA has gone.
I personally witnessed four of those Bruin victories over those Trojans during that eight-game streak, in 1993, 1994, 1996 – the only overtime game in Crosstown Rivalry history which saw UCLA furiously come back from 17 points down in the fourth quarter,
And 1998,
Which I’m going to reminiscence about due to the fact that this season marks twenty-five years since that eighth straight Bruin win over ‘SC.
Cade McNown, UCLA’s superstar quarterback who went 4-0 against USC. Photo couresy of baltimoresun.com
Saturday, November 21, 1998 was a typically warm, sunny day in So Cal…
I was a full time graduate student, working for my master’s degree and secondary teaching credential at Cal State Northridge after several years of working as an elementary school P.E. teacher,
And along with the rest of Bruin Nation enjoying the good times and memories that UCLA’s football team was giving us, the 3rd-ranked Bruins having won a program record 19 straight games going into the 68th Crosstown Rivalry clash with a just-okay USC Trojan team that, with freshman quarterback Carson Palmer, sported a 7-3 record and (I’m sure) was desperately looking to ruin the Bruins’ quest for a Pac-10 title and a possible spot in the BCS National Championship Game.
I had taken a friend of mine to the Rose Bowl for UCLA’s game with 11th ranked Oregon a month before, the Bruins pulling out an overtime win.
She had quite the good time watching the Ducks get beaten, so when I asked if she wanted to witness the number one sporting event and rivalry in So Cal – and on the West Coast, to be honest – she said yes as looking back, I think she wanted to see and experience what the rivalry between Los Angeles’ two biggest institutions of higher learning was like.
She said that would meet me at the edge of Lot H, the grassy area just south of the Rose Bowl where the UCLA Alumni Band, which I was and am a part of, played their pre-game concert for the tailgaters.
I wouldn’t be surprised if she, in retrospect, had wished she had gone to the Rose Bowl with me as she arrived right after the Alumni Band finished their concert and just before we were all about to head for the gates and our seats at Section 2.
I think, while probably not overwhelmed, she was quite impressed at the pregame pageantry with the two marching bands hyping their students, alumni and fans up with their fight songs, seeing all of us waving dollar bills at the USC band while they played “Tribute To Troy”, “Fight On”, and “Conquest”, and hearing all of us scream the “Eight-Clap” during the UCLA band’s “Sons of Westwood”, the chant “BEAT ‘SC!!” practically being heard all the way to the Westside.
She also saw a little of the Trojan Family’s obnoxiousness – which they were notoriously known for at that time but which has lessened in recent years – when a Bruin friend saw a USC band member flip him off.
And if I recall correctly, I saw a Trojan fan, with whom I’m sure was his little boy next to him, give the middle finger to either the UCLA band or the Bruin football team as they came out of the tunnel.
As for the game itself…
It went more or less as expected, the favored Bruins answering SC’s initial field goal with two touchdowns, taking a 27-10 lead and pulling away to a 34-17 win, giving Bruin Nation the right to keep the Victory Bell blue for the eighth straight year with me, my friend, and my fellow Bruin mates among the 88,080 in attendance that afternoon.
I remember my friend complaining about the Trojan band’s incessant playing of “Tribute”, saying that it gave her a headache,
Which I shouted in their direction in the south end zone seats; “You’re giving my friend a headache!” I yelled.
As the fourth quarter began to wind down, alumni yell leader Geof Strand started a chant that very quickly ran through the Rose Bowl growing ever so louder…
“EIGHT MORE YEARS!”
I walked her to the gate after the game ended, then joined some of my fellow Bruin Nation friends in a little celebrating before heading home, none of us knowing that a disaster that would ruin the Bruins’ season would strike that UCLA team in Miami two weeks later.
And at that time,
None of us knew that those Trojans would not only end that eight game streak the next year, but also become a dominant dynasty for the next decade under a new coach, some guy who was fired by the New York Jets and the New England Patriots after a year with the Jets and three years with the Patriots named Pete Carroll, that would see them,
Win two straight national championships and come to within a yard of winning a third,
Win seven Pac-10 Conference championships,
Win four Rose Bowls,
See two of their players win Heisman Trophies,
Have a winning streak of over thirty games
and eventually…
Have it all come crashing down due to NCAA rules being broken with one of their Heisman Trophy winners having to return his award, the program being forced to vacate 14 wins, and getting a two-year bowl ban
CLICHE ALERT:
The fact that it has been twenty-five years since that last triumph in the Bruins’ eight-game win streak over the Trojans freaks me out a bit.
I don’t think I’ll ever find it believable that twenty-five years can seemingly go by so fast.
I only wish the current UCLA students, particularly the Spirit Squad and marching band, and the students who were in Westwood for the bulk of this century, could have been there in the 1980s and 90s to see a Bruin football team that was up there with the Michigans, Ohio States, Alabamas, Georgias, Penn States, and Florida States among the nation’s elite programs.
Or were at the very least in the conversation of who had the best chance to win a “Natty”
I know I sound like an “oldie” pining for the good old days when I say this, but…
Those really were the good old days in Westwood.
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THIS BLOG TOMORROW!
The Reason:
MY OFFICIAL PREVIEW OF THE UPCOMING 93rd MEETING BETWEEN UCLA AND USC,
WHICH WILL INCLUDE MY KEYS TO THE GAME FOR BOTH THE BRUINS AND THE TROJANS.
So…
WATCH FOR IT & DO NOT MISS IT!
DeShaun Foster going up and over (again!) against the Trojans. Photo courtesy of ocregister.com
UCLA quarterback Troy Aikman (#8) getting hit by a USC defender during the 1988 Crosstown Rivalry Clash. Photo courtesy of dailynews.com
CROSSTOWN RIVALRY WEEK IN SO CAL HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN!
AS HAS OUR ANNUAL CROSSTOWN RIVALRY COVERAGE, WHICH IS MARKING ITS NINTH YEAR ON THIS BLOG!
I BEGIN THIS YEAR’S UCLA vs USC COVERAGE WITH A COMMEMORATION OF THE 35TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE VERY FIRST TIME I SAW THE BRUINS FACE THE TROJANS IN PERSON…
I know this is a cliche, and I honestly don’t like cliches,
But the fact that it’s been thirty-five years since I saw my first Crosstown Rivalry game in person is truly mind blowing.
Actually, my first true Crosstown Rivalry experience as a card-carrying member of Bruin Nation came to pass three days before the early afternoon kickoff at the Rose Bowl on November 19, 1988;
It was near the end of Fall Quarter, me beginning to finish my first quarter as a UCLA student after realizing my dream of being a Bruin, having transferred from Santa Monica College after the thick manila envelope with the letter stating “Congratulations!” arrived in the mail the previous February.
I was immersed in my first year as a tenor saxophone player in the UCLA Bruin Marching Band, enjoying the friends that I had made and even pledging Kappa Kappa Psi, the band service fraternity, just to see what it was like in a “Don’t knock it ’til you try it” way.
I was also involved with the band’s flag football team, and we were busy getting ready for the “Band Bowl”, a flag football game played between the UCLA and USC bands the Sunday before the “real game” is played; the game was scheduled for Wednesday evening that year because of some Trojan band commitment for that previous Sunday.
Unfortunately due to an accident with a broken beer bottle, the stitches in my foot from that incident rendered me as being unable to play that November 16th, though I was on that yellow school bus with the rest of the team heading down the I-10 and making the right turn on the Vermont Ave. exit that evening for needed support (“Let’s go back to the sixth grade, shall we?” cracked our team captain).
The game itself went well, our Bruin band team comfortably beating our ‘SC band counterparts 21-7,
But I did get a good baptism in how hateful the crosstown rivalry among the bands was when at halftime, when the Trojan band members came onto the field and played their tunes, after the last song they promptly turned around to face the Bruin band members and friends that came with us at what’s now called Loker Stadium, USC’s track and field facility, proudly stuck their middle fingers in the air and screamed, at the tippy top of their lungs, loud enough to be heard at City Hall downtown,
“F*** THE BRUINS!!”
Which constituted their vocabulary for that night, emphasizing their hatred in getting into our Bruin band’s faces while water balloons were being thrown at us from the roof of the building behind us, our band director having to chase those perpetrators away.
I remember being glad that we won that night and were able to claim the big trophy as our spoils, or things would have surely been worse for us Bruin Nation members at the hands of our Trojan adversaries on that enemy turf.
A Trojan running back getting yardage during the 1988 Crosstown Rivalry Clash. Photo courtesy of insidesocal.com
Fast forward three days…
Being that the 58th meeting of UCLA and USC in football, with both teams ranked in the top ten (the Trojans 2nd, the Bruins 6th), a then-Pac-10 championship and a spot in the Rose Bowl on the line, was at 12:30 p.m.,
I arrived at the UCLA Band’s practice field by Drake Stadium at around 8:00 a.m (if I recall correctly) wearing a Hawaiian Lei that my “Big Sister” which every Kappa Kappa Psi pledge was assigned to, told me to wear as she would reveal herself by wearing a lei of her own.
I won’t say her name for privacy reasons, but I wasn’t too surprised when I found out who it was; she was a nice and friendly young lady back then whose outgoing nature sort of tipped me off, and remains a nice lady today – I know this because we are Facebook friends, even though I haven’t laid my actual eyes on her in well over a decade.
She even remained my friend when I realized that Kappa Kappa Psi wasn’t for me and quit a couple of weeks later, which I give her much credit for.
As for the game itself, there are several things that I remember…
The atmosphere being very intense, with the Trojan Family showing their pronounced obnoxiousness as a tomato thrown by an ‘SC person hit me while I was marching with the UCLA band to the Rose Bowl’s visiting tunnel, where I saw a few of the members yelling at one of USC’s players, who answered with their two-fingered “Victory” sign, before we marched out onto the field,
The intensity continuing during the pregame shows, as I remember one of the USC band members giving us a middle finger while playing “Fight On”, then hearing roughly 70,000 or so of the over 100,000 fans in that sold-out Rose Bowl scream the UCLA “Eight-Clap” while we played “Sons of Westwood” on the field, me thinking “D**n!” as “Fight!! Fight!! Fight!!” was probably heard all the way back to Westwood Blvd,
The game, most unfortunately, not going the Bruins’ way as the Trojans answered UCLA’s three field goals with three touchdowns of their own, USC giving up a mere 73 yards on the ground and just flat-out outplaying the Bruins in winning 31-22; the Trojan band gleefully striking up “Conquest” and “Tusk” with a more than healthy doses of “U-C-L-A SUCKS!!” from their fellow Trojan Family members in celebration afterward, and…
While it would have been about a million time more fun if we had won and were able to paint the Victory Bell blue, it was a fun day and a pleasant memory for me anyway, particularly when I and the rest of the band saw a huge banner that one of the fraternities put up on Gayley Ave that said ““USC STILL SUCKS!” as we arrived back on campus.
While those Trojans ended up losing soon-to-be-national-champion Notre Dame at the Coliseum a week later, and to Michigan on that same Rose Bowl turf six weeks later, we Bruins happily ended the season well in beating Arkansas – the whole state as well as that Razorback team as that stadium next to the Texas State Fairgrounds in was awash in bright red – in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
Which of course is another story that I’ll reminisce about on this blog another time.
As I had stated at the beginning of this post,
Though I’m not a fan of cliches,
Thirty-five years really is a long time.
And it really does seem like it has only been thirty-five days.
I’ve just realized that a baby born that year is now a full-fledged adult at thirty-five, with a decent chance of being married with kids of their own.
Which freaks me out!
CHECK OUT THIS BLOG TOMORROW AS THE CROSSTOWN RIVALRY COVERAGE CONTINUES WITH ANOTHER ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION AND REMINISCENCE OF A UCLA vs USC CLASH;
TO FIND OUT WHICH GAME, WELL…YOU’LL JUST HAVE TO GO TO THIS SITE!
USC quarterback Rodney Peete (smiling) and a Trojan teammate joyful over their successful play during the Crosstown Rivalry game. Photo courtesy of insideusc.blog
Last Game: Lost to Notre Dame, 48-20, on October 14th
Next Game: vs Utah at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 21st
Caleb Williams saving the Trojans during their three overtime win over Arizona on October 7th. Photo courtesy of twitter.com
COMMENTS:
After beating up on the teams they were supposed to beat up on,
And barely squeaking by two other teams – namely Colorado and Arizona – that gave them much trouble,
Especially Arizona at the Coliseum with that three overtime epic of a battle,
With the exception of Cal on October 28th,
The rest of the teams on USC’s schedule will be of the “big boy” persuasion in the grand proverbial tradition of “picking on someone your own size”,
Starting with the team that beat them twice last year, including for the conference title;
If Cameron Rising, who has been out all season with a torn ACL that he suffered from in the Rose Bowl this past January 1st, returns under center this Saturday,
Those Utes from Salt Lake City will have quite the decent chance of continuing ‘SC’s frustrations against that tough team.
As such, I see those Trojans winning due to:
The game being at home
That entire Trojan Family desperately wanting revenge for what happened against Utah last year, and…
Those Trojans desperately needing to get that whipping suffered at the hands of their longtime rival in South Bend out of their mouths
After that and the game in Berkeley vs the Golden Bears the following week, however,
I’m officially predicting bad times for old ‘SC the next two games as they will be facing:
Washington at the Coliseum, and…
Oregon in Eugene
Two top ten teams that have clearly shown that they’re the two best teams in the Pac-12.
Meaning that while I never make any predictions regarding the Crosstown Rivalry clash until two days before kickoff,
I’m about 99.999% sure that USC will have, at minimum, three losses on the season by the time UCLA comes to the Coliseum to try and get the Victory Bell back on November 18th.
Contrary to what more or less everyone is likely saying, though he’ll do his share of bailing them out like he did vs Arizona,
I don’t think it will be Caleb Williams that will necessarily be the number one factor in how the Trojans’ season will unfold in this second half,
But rather their defense, which has been much maligned and has performed just as bad as they did in 2022;
I had an inkling that such would possibly be the case when they gave up 28 points to sad sacks San Jose State and Arizona State,
Not to mention all those points that Colorado and Arizona as well as Notre Dame scored on them;
I’m sure that those Huskies from Seattle and those Ducks from Eugene are both chomping at the bit and licking their lips at what their offenses could do when they meet USC.
Can that defense improve to the point where last minute Caleb Williams won’t be needed?
Will that reigning Heisman Trophy winner find himself having to bail out those Trojans on multiple occasions?
Stay tuned.
No, that’s NOT Caleb Williams, but Mason Cobb (#13) celebrating with Shane Lee (#53) during USC’s epic barn burner with Arizona. Photo courtesy of twitter.com
Trojans returning to their locker room for their halftime break. Photo courtesy of saturdayblitz.com
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA – TROJAN FOOTBALL
First Season: 1888
All-Time Record: 870-361-54
All-Time Bowl Record: 34-20
Conference Championships: 39
National Championships: 11
Heisman Trophies: 8
First Game / First Home Game: San Jose State at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum – Saturday, August 26th at 5:00 p.m.
The USC football helmet – a helmet that evokes no middle ground among college football fans, particularly in SoCal; it’s either loved or hated…
OKAY, TROJAN FAMILY:
HERE’S HOW I SEE YOUR TEAM’S SEASON UNFOLDING AND WHAT ITS ULTIMATE FATE WILL BE…
The first half of USC’s schedule is something that a kindergardener can accurately predict, being that the opponents through October 7th won’t put up too much of a fight.
Colorado in Boulder a month from now will be interesting, but only because of their new coach known as “Coach Prime”, also known as NFL legend Deion Sanders;
Other than that, with those Buffaloes having only one win last year and thanks to the purge that Deion enacted having almost literally a whole new team this year,
If they come to within four touchdowns of ‘SC, that would be an accomplishment.
The same can be said of the other five teams that the Trojans will be playing at the front end, with Arizona being the only squad that might be competitive early on due to them having improved.
But since that game is at home, I see USC beating them pretty comfortably anyway.
Whatever intrigue that the Trojans will face will come in the second six games of the season; that’s also something that everyone can agree with as those teams will provide the biggest challenge to USC’s aspirations of glory.
In his Los Angeles Times column, Bill Plaschke boldly predicted and pronounced that those Trojans will go undefeated.
12 and 0.
As much as that, on the surface, is an easy thing to predict with the players that they will have, and not just Caleb Williams either,
I’m going to respectively disagree and state that their will be at least one team that they will lose to;
One game where the Trojan Marching Band won’t be playing “Conquest” and “Tusk” afterwards.
The game and the team? Oregon in Eugene on November 11th.
Autzen Stadium is very well known as one of the toughest places, if not the toughest place, for an opponent to play due to their rabid fans, who I see as a big factor in USC falling short in that contest.
Much like in Salt Lake City last October 15th, when Utah scored one of their biggest wins in program history in beating ‘SC for the first of two times last season.
Not that I’m seeing history repeating itself in 2023 as when those Utes come to Exposition Park on October 12th, it won’t be the Coliseum they’ll playing in as much as it will be a place that’s the opposite of Heaven;
The Trojan Family will be that motivated and will see their team get their revenge for those two defeats.
As for the other opponents on the back end of USC’s slate – not counting UCLA, as I’m continuing my long standing tradition on this blog of not making any predictions regarding that Crosstown Rivalry Clash until two days before kickoff – in this case on November 16th,
Notre Dame has the best chance of upsetting the Trojans due to that longtime storied rivalry game being in South Bend, but I just don’t think those Irish will have enough manpower on offense to keep up with Williams and company.
California? Coach Lincoln Riley’s game plan for those Golden Bears needs to be to make sure that Williams is pulled and the second and third stringers are playing by the fourth quarter if not the middle of the third quarter, else they will be legitimately accused of running up the score as Cal is expected to be that bad a team.
Which leaves Washington, who like Oregon is a very good team with a very good quarterback in Michael Penix, Jr.
If that game on November 4th was in Seattle, I would likely pick the Huskies to upset the Trojans.
But since that game will be in the Coliseum, though I see Washington giving ‘SC a fight such upset will not come to pass.
So with all of that being stated, here are my official predictions for that cardinal and gold-clad Men of Troy for their last season as a member of the Pac-12 Conference…
TEN WINS (outside of UCLA)
PAC-12 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS
A final ranking in the top four – likely 4th – which means…
A spot in the College Football Playoff, but…
No national championship as they will lose in the semifinals, with the consolation prize being…
A second straight Heisman Trophy for Caleb Williams, the first time that has happened since Archie Griffin of Ohio State in 1974-1975
The main reason I’m making these lofty predictions lies in what I see will be improvement in the Trojans’ defense, particularly their run defense as the performance of new guys on the defensive line will be significant enough to make a difference.
The stars are so aligned, the only thing that could and will stop USC is – and I dearly hope it doesn’t happen as I never wish this on any athlete and I never will,
Injuries, especially to Williams though of course that applies to all the Trojans.
As always,
We shall see if I’m proven right this December.
USC’s Song Girls doing their thing during a game. Photo courtesy of thespun.com
Eric Gentry, LB: 71 tackles, 4.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 1 INT
Calen Bullock, DB: 48 tackles, 5 INT
Kyon Barrs, DL (Arizona): 39 tackles, 4.5 TFL
Jack Sullivan, DL (Purdue): 38 tackles, 7.0 TFL, 5.5 sacks
Key Games:
at Notre Dame, October 14th
vs Utah, October 21st
vs Washington, November 4th
at Oregon, November 11th
vs UCLA, November 18th
USC coach Lincoln Riley. Photo courtesy of si.com
Thoughts and Comments:
Although both I and everyone else in sports believes this adage, which has always been considered as the correct thing to say;
It takes a team to win a championship
Which by the way is true and will always be such,
Let us all face facts and get real with regards to this upcoming 2023 season that will officially commence this coming Saturday as of this writing…
AS GOES CALEB WILLIAMS, SO GOES THE USC TROJAN FOOTBALL TEAM
To put it another way,
If (GOD FORBID) that reigning Heisman Trophy winner goes down with a significant or season ending injury,
Does anyone in the Trojan Family really think that Miller Moss, Williams’ backup, can deliver and lead the Trojans to where everyone expects them to be – outside of Moss’ family of course?
Didn’t think so.
No disrespect intended as I’m sure he’s a perfectly fine quarterback, but there’s a painfully obvious reason why Moss is the backup and not the starter.
What else can I say when you have a young man who came from Oklahoma with coach Lincoln Riley and had the greatest season for a QB in SC’s long, illustrious and storied history with Trojan legends like Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart having suited up for the cardinal and gold?
A young man who was responsible for fifty-two touchdowns last year, forty-two with his arm and ten with his legs?
And who many feel has a great chance to be the first college football player to repeat as the Heisman Trophy winner since Ohio State’s Archie Griffin achieved that feat in 1975?
Add to that the fact that with several new defensive players coming to Exposition Park via the transfer portal, making it quite likely that things will be considerably better on that side of the ball and those last two losses – the one to Tulane in the Cotton Bowl in particular where that Green Wave scored two touchdowns and a safety in the final five minutes, with the winning score coming with nine seconds left where USC was unable to stop so much as a floating balloon, to shock both the Trojan Family and the college football universe in Dallas – being a thing of the past,
Along with stellar receivers like Washington and Mario Williams and quality running backs like Austin Jones to keep defenses honest,
And it’s safe to say that for Riley in his second year as the Trojan head coach,
The stars are aligned for that team to achieve great things as visions of both a College Football Playoff appearance and a national championship are dancing in the heads of every ‘SC student, alum, booster and just plain fan;
I’m certain that such is the case, and with #13 – who as sure as I’m typing this will be the #1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft this coming April barring (AGAIN, GOD FORBID) a signifcant injury – under center,
I honestly can’t say that I blame that Trojan faithful for their thoughts of championship glory this December and January in their final year as a Pac-12 Conference school before heading off to do battle with the Michigans, the Ohio States, the Michigan States, the Wisconsins, and the Penn States in the Big Ten Conference a year from now.
Williams is that outstanding a player and an athlete.
As for whether or not I see those championship visions of USC’s coming true this fall…
You’ll have to check out this blog tomorrow to find out how I officially see the Trojans’ season unfolding in my official season predictions post as I disclose who I feel they will beat and lose to,
And if in my opinion Riley, Williams and company will indeed be one of the two teams playing for the national championship, which would be the Trojans’ 12th in their history at NRG Stadium in Houston, TX on January 8th.
In other words,
Stay tuned.
The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner who is the favorite to make history and win it for a second time in 2023. Photo courtesy of athlonsports.com