USC
UCLA
Players Mentioned
USC Football Hosts Crosstown Rival UCLA At Coliseum On Saturday
November 14, 2023 | Football
CROSSTOWN SHOWDOWN
*The nation will be watching, but this is a local feud. USC and UCLA meet this Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the 93rd version of the nation's most famous crosstown rivalry. It will be shown live nationally on ABC.
*UCLA has won just 6 of the last 24 meetings in the series with USC, but the Trojans fell to the Bruins the last time the game was in the Coliseum in 2021.
*Also at stake on Saturday are city bragging rights, the Victory Bell and Crosstown Cup points. Both teams will wear their home jerseys.
*Neither USC or UCLA are ranked in the AP Poll or in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
*The last time neither teams were ranked for this matchup was 2021.
CALEB BY THE NUMBERS
*Defending Heisman Trophy winner QB Caleb Williams is currently No. 1 in the nation in points responsible for (244), No. 2 in the nation in points responsible for per game (22.2), passing TDs (29) and passing yards (3,249), No. 6 in the nation for passing efficiency (172.1), No. 9 in the nation in total offense (310.0) and No. 10 in the nation in yards per pass attempt (9.39).
*He is also tied for No. 1 in the Pac-12 Conference in rushing TDs among all players (11) and passing TDs (29).
*He is the first FBS player in the last 25 years to throw for 6 passing TDs in a game for multiple schools.
*Williams has 29 TDs and 4 INTs. He is 235-of-346 (.679) for 3,249 yards. He has also rushed for 141 yards on 92 carries with 11 TDs – all within 40 quarters of football throughout 11 games, including 3 OTs against Arizona.
*Compared to the first 11 games of his Heisman winning season in 2022 (250-of-385 [.649] for 3,480 yards with 33 TDs and 3 INTs and 316 rushing yards with 7 TDs – playing 42 quarters of football), Williams has rushed for 4 more TDs and has a higher completion percentage through 11 games than he did in 2022.
*He is on the watch lists for the Davey O'Brien Award, Maxwell Award, Manning Award, Walter Camp Player of the Year and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. In 2022, he was 88th recipient of the Heisman Trophy and was also named the 2022 Walter Camp Player of the Year, AP Player of the Year, Maxwell Award winner, Sporting News College Football Player of the Year, CBS Sports Player of the Year, Action Sports Player of the Year, CFPA National Performer of the Year, DC Touchdown Club Player of the Year and Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year. He was a Unanimous All-American being selected to the First Team for AP, Football Coaches, Football Writers, Walter Camp and Sporting News.
COUNT WITH CALEB
Last 11 games| Total Yards | Passing TDs | Rushing TDs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| vs. SJSU* | 276 | 4 | 0 |
| vs. Nevada* | 361 | 5 | 0 |
| vs. Stanford# | 302 | 3 | 1 |
| at Arizona State | 332 | 3 | 2 |
| at Colorado | 415 | 6 | 0 |
| vs. Arizona | 260 | 1 | 3 |
| at Notre Dame | 197 | 1 | 0 |
| vs. Utah | 283 | 0 | 1 |
| at California | 356 | 2 | 2 |
| vs. Washington | 328 | 3 | 1 |
| at Oregon | 280 | 1 | 1 |
*played 3 quarters
#played 2 quarters
RILEY'S ELECTRIC OFFENSE
*The Trojan offense is No. 3 in the nation for scoring offense (43.8), No. 5 in the nation for first downs offense (258) and passing offense (324.8), No. 8 in the nation for team passing efficiency (169.57) and No. 9 in the nation for total offense (477.2).
BREATHTAKING BRANCH
*WR Zachariah Branch continues to impress the college football world with his shifty moves and electric returns. Against Stanford, he returned a punt for a 75-yard TD in the second quarter . He had a 96- yard kickoff return for a TD vs. San Jose State on Aug. 26.
*He also has 2 TD receptions this season and is the first Trojan since Adoree' Jackson in 2016 to have a punt return and kickoff return for a TD, as well as at least one receiving TD in the same season. Jackson had 2 punt returns and 2 kickoff returns for TDs and 1 TD reception during the 2016 season.
*Since 1971 (when records are available) Branch is one of just 3 USC players to accomplish the feat, joining Jackson and Curtis Conway (1992 – 1 kickoff return TD, 1 punt return TD, 5 rec TD). He also had 4 receptions for 30 yards and 1 carry for 2 rushing yards against Stanford.
*He also has a rushing TD this season (against Utah).
*Branch is currently No. 2 in the nation in combined kick returns (699), punt returns (20.6) and punt return TDs (1) and No. 3 in the nation in kickoff return TDs (1).
CAN'T BRING DOWN LLOYD
*RB MarShawn Lloyd is No. 2 in the nation and No. 1 in the Pac-12 Conference in rush yards per carry (7.44).
WIDE RECEIVER U
*WRs Tahj Washington and Brenden Rice have been putting up nationally ranked numbers.
*Washington is No. 12 in the nation (and No. 1 in the Pac-12 Conference) in yards per reception (19.47), No. 13 in the nation in receiving yards (915) and No. 23 in the nation in receiving yards per game (83.2).
*Rice is ranked No. 3 in the nation (and tied for No. 1 in the Pac-12 Conference) in receiving TDs (11) and No. 22 in the nation in total TDs (11).
UCLA SCOUTING REPORT
*The UCLA Bruins are 6-4 overall and 3-4 in Pac-12 Conference play.
*They are coming off a 7-17 loss to Arizona State in the Rose Bowl.
*The Bruins have played 5 QBs this season, but most recently, Collin Schlee got his first start against Arizona State. He went 11-of-18 for 117 yards and 1 TD.
*RB Carson Steele (143 carries for 745 yards and 6 TDs) and RB T.J. Harden (104 carries for 533 yards and 5 TDs) are UCLA's top 2 backs.
*The Bruins have 7 receivers who have scored TDs this season.
*WR Logan Loya has tallied 40 receptions for 502 yards and 4 TDs while WR J. Michael Sturdivangt has collected 28 receptions for 428 yards and 3 TDs.
*LB Darius Muasau leads the team with 59 tackles.
*DL Laiatu Latu is the Bruins' leading sack man with 11 for minus 64 yards.
*Seven players have recorded interceptions this season: DB Alex Johnson with 4, DB John Humphrey with 2 and DL Laiatu Latu, LB Darius Muasau, LB Oluwafemi Oladejo, DB Kenny Churchwell III and DB Jaylin Davies each with 1.
*Two kickers have scored field goals this season. R.J. Lopez is 6-of-11 with a long of 47, while Blake Glessner is 1-of-3 with a long of 29.
RANKINGS
*Neither USC or UCLA are ranked in the AP Poll or in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
*The last time neither teams were ranked for this matchup was 2021.
USC VERSUS UNRANKED UCLA
*USC is 29-14-5 against unranked UCLA teams (not including 1 win vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record 30-14-5). When neither team was ranked by AP (like this season), USC is 13-8-4 against UCLA, with the wins in 1937-40-43 twice-48-49-56-63-64-99-2000-10-19, the losses in 1950-57-61-70-83- 96-2018-21 and the ties in 1936-41-44-58.
SERIES
*USC leads the series with crosstown rival UCLA, 50-33-7 (dating back to 1929, a 76-0 Trojan win), not including Troy's 2004 and 2005 victories that were vacated due to NCAA penalty (original record: 52-33-7). UCLA only has been victorious 6 times in the last 24 meetings dating back to 1999.
VERSUS PAC-12 CONFERENCE
*USC has won 69.7% (494-207-29) of its games against current Pac-12 opponents (does not include 9 wins later vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 503-207-29, 70.0%)
IN THE COLISEUM
*USC has a 465-148-27 (.748) all-time record in the Coliseum since the stadium opened in 1923 (not including 6 wins vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 471-148-27, .750). USC's 646 games played in the Coliseum (including the 6 vacated wins) is the third most that any school has played in its home stadium (behind Georgia Tech's 722 in Bobby Dodd Stadium and Tennessee's 648 in Neyland Stadium).
IN NOVEMBER
*USC has a 270-138-20 (.654) all-time record while playing in the month of November (not including 3 wins vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 273-138-20, .657).
HOME JERSEYS
*For the first time since 1982, both USC and UCLA wore their home jerseys in the 2008 game (a UCLA home game in the Rose Bowl) and the teams have continued to do so since (except for 2011 when the visiting Bruins chose to wear white jerseys). Per an NCAA football-playing rule (no longer in effect beginning in 2009), because the 2008 Trojans were not in their white road jerseys, they were charged with a timeout at the opening kickoff. UCLA responded by calling a timeout immediately after to even things up. The tradition of USC in its cardinal jerseys and UCLA in its blue jerseys, regardless of whose home game it was, went from 1949 to 1951 and then 1957 through 1982 before an NCAA football rule change that required the visiting team to wear white.
VICTORY BELL
*The winner of the annual USC-UCLA football game gets year-long possession of the Victory Bell, a 295-pound bell off a freight locomotive. Originally given to UCLA in 1939 as a gift from the UCLA Alumni Association, several USC students took the bell in 1941 and hid it in a variety of locations for more than a year. A controversy ensued and school administrators had to intercede. In 1942, the bell resurfaced and, by agreement, became the trophy given to the game's winner. However, tradition calls for the Victory Bell to spend most of the year in storage…or, rather appropriately, in hiding. Since the bell became a trophy, its carriage has been painted cardinal 45 times while in USC's possession and blue 33 times while in UCLA's custody (there were 4 ties) (not including 2 USC wins vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 47).
CROSSTOWN CUP
*The winner of the USC-UCLA football game scores 10 points toward the Crosstown Cup, a trophy awarded annually to the school with the most successful athletic year against the other. The competition was formerly known as the Crosstown Gauntlet. Points are awarded to the winner of each Trojan-Bruin headto-head contest and the Crosstown Cup will be awarded to the school with the most points at year's end (100 points is the magic number). USC has won the Crosstown Cup 13 times in the competition's 19 years, including a span of 5 consecutive years: 2001-02, 2003-04, 2005-06, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12, 2013-14, 2015-16, 2018-19 and 2020-21, 2022-23. (The 2019-20 competition was suspended in the spring when collegiate athletic events were cancelled due to COVID-19.)
USC-UCLA CONNECTIONS
*USC CB Ceyair Wright's cousin, Darnay Holmes, was a cornerback at UCLA (2017-19)
*USC SNP Nathan Weneta's brother, Jay, was a long snapper at UCLA (2011-12).
*USC RB Matt Colombo, TE Jude Wolfe, DL Kobe Pepe, P Will Rose, UCLA WR Logan Loyola, LB Jalen Woods, WR Jadyn Marshall, LB JonJon Vaughns, DB Jaxon Harley and LB Ty Lee all prepped at St. John Bosco in Bellflower, Calif.
*USC QB Miller Moss and S Jaylin Smith were high school teammates with UCLA DB D.J. Justice at Bishop Alemany in Mission Hils, Calif.
*USC WR Ty Shamblin and PK-P Garth White were high school teammates with UCLA LB Carson Schwesigner and at Oaks Christian.
*USC CB L Simpson, UCLA DB Kamari Ramsey and OL Josh Carlin all prepped at Sierra Canyon in Los Angeles.
*USC DL Anthony Lucas and UCLA WR Kam Brown both previously spent time at Texas A&M.
*USC CB Ceyair Wright, SNP Jac Casasante, OL Jack Susnjar, DL Sinjun Astani, UCLA DB Evan Thomas, DB Alex Johnson and OL Sam Yoon all prepped at Loyola High School in Los Angeles.
*USC CB Jacobe Covington, UCLA DL Quintin Somerville and OL Jaylan Jeffers all prepped at Saguaro High School in Arizona.
*USC CB Jacobe Covington, UCLA QB Ethan Garbers, RB Colson Yankoff and DL Laiatu Latu all previously played at Washington.
*USC WR Brenden Rice and UCLA OL Jake Wiley were previously teammates at Colorado.
*USC WR Josiah Zamora, CB Domani Jackson, ILB Raesjon Davis, WR Kyron Hudson, WR Raleek Brown, WR Corey Nerhus, DL Solomon Tuliaupupu, UCLA DB Jaylin Davies, WR Jerry McClure, DB William Nimmo Jr., and LB Larry Edwards III prepped at Mater Dei high school in Santa Ana, Calif.
*USC ILB Shane Lee and UCLA LB Ale Kaho were college teammates at Alabama.
*UCLA WR Kyle Ford played at USC from 2019-22. He recorded 20 receptions for 272 yards (13.6 avg) with 3 TDs in his career while appearing in 12 games.
*USC Men's Volleyball Head Coach Jeff Nygaard was a 3-time (1993-95) All-American and 2-time National Player of the Year at UCLA.
*USC Women's Volleyball Head Coach Brad Keller previously was an assistant women's and men's coach at UCLA.
*USC Women's Volleyball Associate Head Coach Spencer McLachlin was an assistant coach for UCLA men's volleyball from 2018-21. He is also married to USC women's volleyball great, Diane Copenhagen.
*USC Women's Soccer Head Coach Jane Alukonis spent the four years (2018-21) as an assistant coach at UCLA.
*USC Athletic Medicine Director of Operations Russ Romano spent 1997 at UCLA.
*USC Associate Athletic Director of Equipment Operations Cecilia Snipes previously worked at UCLA as the Assistant Athletic Director of Equipment Operations.
*USC Director of Football Equipment Operations Frederick Lovett previously worked at UCLA with the same title from 2020-2022.
*USC Associate Athletic Director/Trojan Athletic Fund Scott Wandzilak held a similar position at UCLA.
*USC Assistant Athletic Director for Major Gifts Rashaad Moore previously spent two years as the UCLA Assistant Director of Development (2014-2016).
*UCLA LB JonJon Vaughns is the brother of former USC wide receiver Tyler Vaughns (2017-20).
*UCLA OL Duke Clemens' grandfather, John Kamana (center in 1953-54), and uncle, John Kamana (fullback and wide receiver in 1980-83), played at USC.
*UCLA DL Jay Toia spent the spring of 2021 at USC. His cousin is USC DL Stanley Ta'ufo'ou.
*UCLA Inside Linebackers Coach Ken Norton Jr. coached linebackers at USC from 2004-09. He worked with the Trojan inebackers as a defensive assistant in 2004, linebackers coach in 2005-09 and then added the title of Assistant Head Coach for the 2009 season. He coached Trojan legends such as First Team AllAmericans Matt Grootegoed, Lofa Tatupu, Keith Rivers, Brian Cushing and Rey Maualuga.
*UCLA Offensive Line Coach Tim Drevno held a similar role at USC in 2014 and from 2018-2020.
*UCLA Director of Football Performance Keith Belton was an assistant strength and conditioning coach at USC in 2017 and 2018.
*UCLA Head Baseball Coach John Savage was USC's pitching coach from 1996-2000.
*UCLA Assistant Director of NIL Madeline Walsh graduated from USC in 2020.
*UCLA Athletics' Sales and Services Account Executive Kiley McKay graduated from USC in 2022.
*UCLA Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director/Senior Woman Administrator Dr. Christina Munger-Rivera previously worked in USC's student athlete academic services department.
*UCLA Associate Athletic Director/Health, Performance and Wellness Mark Pocinich previously was an assistant athletic trainer at USC.
*UCLA Men's Basketball Assistant Coach Brendyn Taylor spent three years on the USC basketball team (2013-15) and earned his bachelor's degree in psychology in 2015.
*USC NIL General Manager Lyndsey Lopes previously served as UCLA's NIL coordinator.
*UCLA Assistant Athletic Performance Coach Sean Swetnam previously coached in the weight room at USC in 2021.
*UCLA Defensive Analyst Greg Burns spent two stints at USC, most recently as the defensive backs coach in 2019. His first stint was from 2002-05.
*UCLA Defensive Analyst Clancy Pendergast was USC's defensive coordinator and secondary coach in 2013 and returned as the defensive coordinator from 2016-2019.
OREGON GAME RECAP
*Defending Heisman Trophy winner QB Caleb Williams went 19-for34 for 291 yards and 1 TD and rushed for 1 more TD in USC's 27-36 loss to Oregon in Autzen Stadium.
*RB MarShawn Lloyd scored a 5-yard rushing TD in the first quarter. It was his 9th TD of the season.
*WR Brenden Rice caught a 9-yard pass from Williams for a TD in the fourth quarter. It was his 11th TD of the season.
*RB Austin Jones rushed 13-yards to score for the Trojans in the fourth quarter. It was his 6th TD of the season.
*ILB Mason Cobb led the team with 9 tackles.
*PK Denis Lynch went 3-for-3 in PATs.
