USC
5-6 , 2-6
UCLA
6-5 , 3-5
Team Stats
USC 0, UCLA 7
UCLA - ANDERSON, Marqu 0 yd fumble recovery (GRIFFITH, Chris kick)
USC 7, UCLA 7
USC - HARRIS, Antoine 8 yd pass from PALMER, Carson (BELL, David kick) 11 plays, 80 yards, TOP 3:50
USC 7, UCLA 14
UCLA - POLI-DIXON, Bri 45 yd pass from MITCHELL, Fredd (GRIFFITH, Chris kick) 4 plays, 67 yards, TOP 1:35
USC 14, UCLA 14
USC - McCULLOUGH, S. 6 yd run (BELL, David kick), 10 plays, 78 yards, TOP 4:40
USC 14, UCLA 21
UCLA - IEREMIA-STANSBU 4 yd pass from PAUS, Cory (GRIFFITH, Chris kick) 6 plays, 84 yards, TOP 3:03
USC 21, UCLA 21
USC - KELLY, Kareem 39 yd pass from PALMER, Carson (BELL, David kick) 7 plays, 74 yards, TOP 1:37
USC 21, UCLA 28
UCLA - MITCHELL, Fredd 4 yd pass from PAUS, Cory (GRIFFITH, Chris kick) 13 plays, 64 yards, TOP 6:27
USC 28, UCLA 28
USC - COLBERT, Keary 12 yd pass from PALMER, Carson (BELL, David kick) 10 plays, 71 yards, TOP 5:37
USC 35, UCLA 28
USC - STEVENSON, S. 57 yd pass from PALMER, Carson (BELL, David kick) 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:21
USC 35, UCLA 35
UCLA - PAUS, Cory 1 yd run (GRIFFITH, Chris kick), 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:53
USC 38, UCLA 35
USC - BELL, David 36 yd field goal 7 plays, 47 yards, TOP 0:56
Victory Bell Remains With USC!
November 18, 2000 | Football
Nov. 18, 2000
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PASADENA, Calif. - David Bell made his first field goal of the season a mighty big one. And with that, a season of disappointment for Southern California took a major turn.
In the wake of a newspaper report that the firing of coach Paul Hackett might be imminent, USC overcame its own mistakes and several big plays by UCLA to beat the Bruins 38-35 on Bell's 36-yard field goal with nine seconds remaining.
Bell, a senior, had missed his previous three attempts, including a 24-yarder earlier in the fourth quarter.
"I said to Bell, `Can I count on you to win the game, or should I send the freshman in?' " an ecstatic Hackett said, referring to John Wall. "He said, `Coach, I can win the game.' "
And Bell, a senior, did just that with the second field goal of his career.
"I didn't pay any attention when they called a timeout trying to freeze me," he said. "I was just trying to keep an even tempo. After the kick went through the uprights, I fell into a daze. When I hit it, it started to float, I didn't know if it was good.
"I hit a 50-yarder in practice, but that was easier than this one. By the way, how far was it?"
Carson Palmer, who passed for 350 yards and a career-high four touchdowns, guided the Trojans from their 35 to the UCLA 18 with the help of a pass interference penalty before Bell nailed the game-winning kick.
"Our offensive line gave Carson time, and that was the difference," Hackett said. "This is the best Carson has played, this is what Carson should have looked like all year. I think Carson came of age today."
Palmer, lifted at halftime of a 33-27 loss to Washington State last weekend, couldn't have picked a better time.
"This year was not like we anticipated, but this win was awesome," he said. "All week long, we were not trying to believe the rumors about Coach Hackett, just concentrate on the game. Our receivers were wide open all game long, which made it easy."
The Trojans (5-6, 2-6 Pac-10), who have beaten UCLA twice in a row after losing eight straight games to the Bruins, finish the season against No. 11 Notre Dame, their other big rival, next weekend.
Before the game, USC athletic director Mike Garrett refused comment on a story in the Orange County Register that said Hackett, who has two years left on his contract, could be fired before the Notre Dame game.
Rumors have been circulating for weeks that Hackett won't return next season.
The Bruins (6-5, 3-5) are idle until they play in a bowl game next month, most likely the Aloha or Oahu in Hawaii.
"That was a terrible defensive display," an angry UCLA coach Bob Toledo said. "We let USC have the ball too much, and they had to many conversions. I thought we would be in overtime, we were already planning it, then we had the pass interference and then they kicked the field goal.
"We've got to live with this for 365 days. I read that some people thought this game meant nothing, but it means a lot to me, no matter what people think."
Palmer, who completed 26 of 37 passes without being intercepted, threw a 57-yarder to Steve Stevenson with 3:58 remaining to give the Trojans a 35-28 lead - their first of the game.
But the Bruins, helped by a personal foul penalty, marched 75 yards to tie it, scoring on a 1-yard run by Cory Paus on fourth-and-goal with 1:05 to play.
"There's nothing positive to take from this," said Paus, who completed 13 of 22 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns. "It came down to the end, once again. It's really bad to lose."
Freddie Mitchell caught four passes for 140 yards and one TD, and also threw for a score for the Bruins. UCLA's DeShaun Foster was held to 43 yards on 20 carries, while USC's Sultan McCullough gained 105 yards on 26 carries.
USC had 29 first downs to 12 for UCLA and 557 yards to 328 for the Bruins.
The Bruins took a 28-21 lead early in the third quarter on a 4-yard pass from Paus to Mitchell three plays after Drew Bennett gained 13 yards on a fake field goal, but Palmer threw a 12-yard pass to Keary Colbert with 2:56 left in the period to tie it.
USC dominated the first half, but the game was tied because of three big plays by the Bruins.
The first came on the first scrimmage play, when, with USC at its 3, Chad Pierson fumbled and the ball popped into the end zone, where Marques Anderson recovered for a touchdown. It marked the first time UCLA has scored first this season.
After the Trojans tied the game on an 8-yard pass from Palmer to Antoine Harris, Mitchell teamed up with fellow wide receiver Brian Poli-Dixon on a 45-yard scoring play. Mitchell has completed 5-of-6 passes in his career - four for touchdowns.
USC tied it early in the second quarter on a 6-yard run by McCullough.
UCLA went ahead on a 4-yard pass from Paus to Ed Ieremia-Stansbury three plays after Paus and Mitchell teamed up on a 74-yard pass play on third-and-6 - the Bruins' only first down of the second period.
The Trojans tied it 21-all on a 39-yard pass from Palmer to Kareem Kelly with 24 seconds left in the half.
By JOHN NADEL
AP Sports Writer
