Click here for the recap and final stats.
Our BallAfter finishing last year's victory by overpowering the Bruins, the Trojans made ball control their entire game plan tonight. USC held the ball for 43:47, running 95 plays, while UCLA possessed it for only 16:13 and 51 plays. The Trojans dominated time of possession by being remarkably efficient on third and fourth down, converting 14 of 23 combined. Meanwhile, the USC defense got off the field with ease, holding UCLA to 2 of 11 on third down. In the end, the Trojans racked up 527 yards of offense, including 260 on the ground led by Ronald Jones II (121 yards and 2 TD on 18 carries).
Turning the Water Off
UCLA opened the game by marching 65 yards for a touchdown. The Bruins ran the ball surprisingly well in the first quarter, gaining 47 yards on the ground. From there on out, the USC defense held UCLA to 8 yards rushing. "It was really corrections," said head coach Clay Helton about stopping the run. "Clancy had a great plan coming in and he stuck to the plan." The Bruins only other points came after a turnover set them up at USC's 9-yard line. "We did a good job shutting [the run] down and making them one dimensional," said LB Cam Smith. "As a whole, we played really well together." For the second consecutive game, DL Rasheem Green blocked a field goal to keep points off the board.
Taking a Punch
In the recent past, USC has struggled when falling in an early hole, but the Trojans displayed a "great sign of our maturity as a team" by rallying back despite the 14-7 deficit caused by giving up a big play and an interception. "I never saw panic," said Helton about his Trojans. USC closed the game by scoring 29 unanswered points. "We've learned so much from our season," Smith said. "We may not have bought into the hype and played on the same level as them [early], but as the game went on, we stayed consistent." All week long, the Trojans focused on taking care of business with bigger goals in mind than winning a rivalry game.
Sniper Sam
In his first Crosstown Showdown, USC QB Sam Darnold came out hyper aggressive, which led to two early mistakes. But once again, he showed his remarkable poise to rally back for a big performance. "I tried to do too much at some points in the game, I could have been better that way," said the redshirt freshman. "We'll learn from it." Darnold completed 25 of 36 for 267 yards and 2 TD, becoming the first USC QB since Matt Leinart in 2004 to throw multiple touchdown passes in seven consecutive games. "It was a huge experience," Darnold said about the night. "It could not have been a better win."
Mega'Quan
Rivalry games often unearth surprising heroes and USC WR De'Quan Hampton filled that role tonight. The senior came into the game with four catches on the season and zero career touchdowns. He left the Rose Bowl with 3 catches for 51 yards and 2 TD, including a 31-yard scoring snag over a UCLA double team. "It felt like a dream," said Hampton about his career night. He has plugged away for two years behind JuJu Smith-Schuster and Darreus Rogers, preparing for the opportunity that he was not sure would ever come. "It was kinda tough just to stay positive about it," said Hampton. "I have really good people in my corner to tell me that my time was going to come. I feel blessed that it came today, and I'm thankful that I did what I needed to do for my team and for myself."
Go Utes
USC is still alive in its pursuit of back-to-back Pac-12 South titles thanks to Oregon which knocked off Utah earlier today in dramatic fashion. Now, the Trojans need the Utes to turn around and beat Colorado in Boulder. "We'll be big Utah fans next week," admitted Helton. "We've set our mark at 7-2, and we've got to see if Colorado can match it." Meanwhile, USC must shift its focus to another rivalry game as Notre Dame comes to the Coliseum for a 12:30 p.m. PT kickoff.
Extra Point...
Banged Up Stars
The JuJu and Adoree' show was slowed tonight by two painful looking injuries. Smith-Schuster is dealing with a hip pointer, while Jackson rolled an ankle. Both will be evaluated during the week.
Here are the highlights from a dominating victory at the Rose Bowl:
