University Southern California Trojans
Players Mentioned
No. 12 USC Football Hosts Crosstown Foe UCLA To End Regular Season
November 12, 2017 | Football, Features
*No. 12 USC, coming off a win at Colorado that clinched a berth in the 2017 Pac-12 Championship Game as the South Division representative, concludes regular season play by welcoming UCLA to the Coliseum in the 87th version of the nation's most famous crosstown rivalry.
*At stake on Saturday are city bragging rights, the Victory Bell and Crosstown Cup points. USC is going after another 10-win season and sole ownership of the South Division title, while the Bruins--who have yet to taste victory on the road in 2017--need a win in 1 of their last 2 games to become bowl eligible. Two of the nation's elite quarterbacks--USC's Sam Darnold and UCLA's Josh Rosen--will share the field.
*UCLA has won just 4 of the last 18 meetings in the series with USC. The Trojans have won 66% of the time against unranked UCLA teams.
*USC's seniors will be playing their final game in the Coliseum, where Troy has won its last 15 games.
*It's just the 12th night game in the series. ABC will air it live.
*Both teams will wear their home jerseys. The game features players, coaches and athletic department staff with connections to the rival school (including UCLA's head coach, whose parents and an offspring have attended USC).
*USC finally gets a bye next week after going the entire 12-game regular season without a break. This is the earliest that the Trojans have finished a regular season slate since 2001.
*It's the 50th anniversary (to the day) of USC's famous 1967 victory over the Bruins that propelled Troy to the national championship.
*USC, under head coach Clay Helton, is fielding its most productive offense in a dozen years (495 yards and 35 points an outing) thanks to a balanced run/pass attack led by Darnold, who is 18-3 as a starter (undefeated at home) and has 15 TDs with just 3 picks in his past 6 games. TB Ronald Jones II, working on his second straight 1,000-yard rushing season, is now sixth on USC's career rush list (with just Heisman winners and runnersup ahead of him) and has 7 100-yard games this season while leading the Pac-12 in TDs. WR Deontay Burnett, who has 69 receptions and 9 TDs to date (he is on the verge of a 1,000-yard season), leads Troy's young but maturing receiving corps. USC's opportunistic defense (36 sacks, second most nationally, and 22 takeaways), includes ILBs Cameron Smith (Troy's tackle leader for the second straight year) and John Houston Jr. (21 tackles the past 2 weeks), sack-happy DLs Rasheem Green and Christian Rector (15.5 sacks between them in 2017), OLB Uchenna Nwosu (11 deflections in 2017) and CBs Jack Jones (4 picks this year) and Ajene Harris (3 thefts in 2017, including a TD at Colorado).
*Head coach Jim Mora's Bruins have had an injury-plagued season, but they beat Arizona State at home on Saturday. UCLA's offense is led by strong-armed Rosen, who is fifth nationally in passing and ninth in total offense. Two of UCLA's best pass catchers--WR Darren Andrews, its No. 4 career receiver (162 catches), and TE Caleb Wilson--are down with injuries, so WRs Jordan Lasley and Theo Howard are favorite targets now. Top rushers are RBs Bolo Olorunfunmi and Soso Jamabo. C Scott Quessenberry was a 2016 All-Pac-12 first teamer. UCLA's defensive leaders include LB Kenny Young and DB Adarius Pickett.
