THE BATTLE FOR LOS ANGELES
UCLA Bruins (6-4, 4-3) at USC Trojans (4-5, 3-4) at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum at 1 p.m. PT on FOX
Bruin to Watch: Senior QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson
UCLA’s veteran quarterback is 0-2 as a starter against USC, but he has played some of the best football of his career against the Trojans. In 2019, he accounted for 431 yards (367 passing + 64 rushing) and 4 TDs (3 passing + 1 rushing). In 2020, he accounted for 414 yards (364 passing + 50 rushing) and 4 TDs (all passing). Those are monster games, especially for Thompson-Robinson, who has been marred by inconsistency as a thrower in his college career. Technically, he could come back next year, but if he views this as his final season, DTR will crave a signature moment against UCLA’s biggest rival.
Keys to the Game
Hold Up: There’s no denying that UCLA’s rush offense vs. USC’s rush defense is a bad matchup for the Trojans on paper. Zach Charbonnet and Britain Brown are the best running back duo in the league, both ranking among the top eight rushers. Add in Thompson-Robinson’s wheels and the Trojans have a similar problem to the one faced in Tempe two weeks ago. In that game, USC did a decent job for a half but the dam broke by the end and the Sun Devils racked up 282 yards on the ground. The Trojans have to find a way to make DTR a thrower and force UCLA to the air.
Fresh Chapter: Did you hear the one about the freshman quarterback who made his first college start in the Crosstown Showdown and led the Trojans to victory over their bitter rivals? Rivalries are all about unlikely stories and Jaxson Dart has the chance to play a leading role in this year’s tale. Dart has proven to be fearless, coming off the bench in Pullman to carve up the Cougs despite a banged up knee. He won’t be awed by the moment on Saturday, but he might be a little over energized, so he’ll need to settle himself down quickly to ignite the USC offense.
Tunnel Vision: Since Donte Williams took over, he has preached a 1-0 mentality every day in every activity for the Trojans. But, victories have been hard to come by for this team and bigger picture issues have surfaced at times. Rivalry week solves that problem though. In any season, the Crosstown Showdown is a standalone game that draws 100% focus from both combatants. The Trojans may not be able to salvage their season with a win, but a signature Saturday at the Coliseum would reinforce Williams’ messaging and give the program the momentum it needs to build itself back up.
Credit: USC Athletic Department
Lincoln Riley the next USC football coach? It’s being reported. So……. Mike Bohn has hit a Grand Slam!
Donte Williams right now reminds me of Spinal Tap when they were making fun of the rocker (played by Howard Hessman) who used to be their opening act. David St. Hubbins says “people were still booing him when we got on stage!”
Did anyone really expect the team would turn itself around just because a “do nothing HC”was fired? Wasn’t GH & TO pretty much on their own (maybe with a few exceptions) preparing the team for their next games during the season? With the present coaching staff that has remained, made up by a HC who couldn’t attract any good assistant coaches unless they were just fired and an AD who pretty much followed that path, I wasn’t expecting hardly any change occurring rest of the season. All this did was allow the shape of this program to wear out and… Read more »
@Jamaica Have you told us your preference for the new USC HC? If not, who are your top three?
I did Allen and you were not impressed; Bill O’Brien. I then thought Kiffin would work, but that will hardly happen. So, Aranda is my next choice after those two.
Oh, that’s right. Sorry I mixed you up.
But it’s true. I’ve heard things about O’Brien that caused me to back off from supporting him. He’s one tough sonufagun, and since USC needs a big triple shot of toughness to upgrade its culture, I can see why you’d prefer him.
Just a final thought on this debacle. I liken USC and its coaching search to buying a new home. You don’t “not” buy a home because you don’t like the current owner’s furniture. If it has a great foundation on a great piece of property in a great location, you buy it because you understand its inherent value and know that with some landscaping renewal, a complete interior refreshing, and total replacement of the furniture, you will have the most valuable house in the neighborhood. USC is a top all-time blue blood in CFB. Everything necessary to rebuild a powerhouse… Read more »
I wish I agreed with you VT, but yesterday’s result (and the season leading to it) makes it absolutely clear to me that the USC Football program we loved is dead and gone. Borrowing your housing analogy, this program is a once great mansion that has burned to the ground — for lack of a firehose and someone willing to use it. I did not declare USC Football dead as an invitation to despair. I was just being descriptive of what we’ve seen, where we are. I just meant there is no “turnkey” option to restoring the glory. We’re not… Read more »
Rock, my friend. You paint a bleak picture. Please allow me my delusion, at least for a couple more years. Cheers.
You got it, VT! You’re one of the good guys!
Silver lining- Pete Caroll won with little to no commitment from administration. We had the worst facilities or near worst in pac10. We had 6 pretty terrible years in a row. I think we are worse now, but not much. Take heart, it can happen
Pete Carroll is going through a very rough time in Seattle (3-7, last in the NFC West) and has even taken to walking out of press conferences. A growing number of Seahawk fans want him to step down by season’s end.
The loss of owner Paul Allen has really hurt the Seahawks and the franchise is “disintegrating”, per Seahawk message boards.
Maybe Pete’s finally ready to come back to USC? Just joking!
.
PAC12 north race comes down to next weeks Ducks vs Beavers game.
Ore State is one conference game behind the Ducks. If Ore State wins it’s the North Champion…same record but a head to head win for Ore State.
Alfa, This is one of the few times you made a mistake. An intelligent one, but a mistake. If the Beavers beat the Ducks, you are correct the Beavers and Ducks will have the same record, and the Beavers have the tie breaker. But, if the WSU Cougs beat the UW Huskies, then the Beavers, the Ducks, and the Cougs will have the same league record, with 3 league losses. In the event of a three way tie, the Cougs win the North under the second tie breaker – record against other North teams. Really crazy isn’t it. The Cougs… Read more »
This kind of bizarre stuff only happens in a completely crappy league. There’s nobody who can just reach out and grab the brass ring!
No, I came to my conclusion before this weekends games…I think! Anyway thanks TRR for grabbing my attention it’s surely turned into a three way scramble….as far as I’m concerned I don’t care who wins the North. This is all purely for entertainment.
Oregon just did Cincinnati a favor, but not SC chances of getting Fickell
Hi guys. how’d the game go? Did I miss anything good?!!!
Ha, I heard Geddy Lee made an appearance in Orange County today. 🙂
Ha! Yeah John! Fun show. So glad to not have watched that game. I did check the score and saw we were up 10-0. Next check was down 21-10. Totally tuned out right there. I couldn’t believe the final score! And yet, I could. We’re in a really bad place right now, just like Texas.
Funny! This team continues to etch its place as the worst team in SC history.
Yeah, I was at a dental course last weekend and didn’t have time to watch any football. Did Jaxon look like the second coming of Sam Darnold?
Not yet. I think he’ll be really good, but for now he misses some wide-open targets, like he did when he bypassed a Trojan WR over-the-middle deep and threw the 2nd half pick to the corner in the EZ which completely deflated USC’s last effort to challenge UCLA. USC’s WRs also dropped way too many catchable balls. Dart was also under constant attack from the little gutties, who managed to keep him pretty well corralled up and often on the ground, trying to get away in the pocket, or on the run. DTR was lights out. He basically played around… Read more »
Today’s beat down of us by UCLA showed how low USC has sunk. A new coach is going to have do a full rebuild of the entire organization and culture. This is going to take at least 2 to 3 years before we’re back to national championship level.
Everything depends on who Bohn hires at this point. We need a tough defensive minded coach that builds solid offense and defense lines and knows how to stop dumb mistakes from happening.
Stanford beat us at home by 14, Cal just beat Stanford by 30 so I guess Cal is going to beat us by at least 40!
I’m not laughing, it just might happen and then we can get this awful taste out of our mouths.
Worse performing USC team in my lifetime. I don’t think you could find any other team that has lost home games by a greater cumulative total. Who would hire Orlando now? He should have been let go with Clay. I never thought I would miss Clancy. Players have flat out tuned all the coaches out. Like I’ve previously mentioned, Wash St lost their Head coach and four assistants mid season, and are playing better and harder. These left over staff members are actually making Clay’s leadership look better. It’s on Mike Bohn for hiring and extending these failures. Any new… Read more »
Clay held the title of worst HC in SC history until Donte took over. Now Donte holds that title. He has been so bad that I doubt he survives. Donte may well be the worst HC in all of D1. Orlando is the worst DC in SC history. GH is a bad OC but Tee Martin was worse. What Bohn has done is force the staff to perform and was able to evaluate them.
Yes RJJ this is all about ClayHelton. In a way, it’s too bad he wasn’t at the game to get everyone’s displeasure of what he did(or didn’t do) to put this program in disarray. I totally blame the administration for paying him millions to cause all this.
Oregon laying an egg against a very beatable Utah team that would get destroyed by an Oklahoma-Ohio St-Georgia-Clemson and a Cincinnati. Typical PAC-12 conference rolling out the red carpet for the other conferences to walk right on by and into the playoff. Keep bitching about expanding the playoff Mr. Commissioner, the only way your conference will get into the playoff is by backing in with 8-12 teams invited.
Oregon could get a similar beat down to USC’s. Looks like their hope are going out the window. Utah is flat kicking their a$$,
I am surprised at how the game is going. I was kind of hoping that the Ducks would win out so that the Pac 12 would have a representative in the Playoffs.
Yes John, I was too.
Why are you surprised John? Hasn’t the last 6-7 years told you this conference is a wannabe when it comes time to show up? Look at the PAC-12 bowl record these past years. It’s sick!
Typical PAC-12 fashion year in & year out. You know it’s going to happen. When it really counts, this conferencee’s best teams go dormant!
Sorry to all of you who witnessed this train wreck today. I knew it would be ugly and decided to run errands during game time. Seeing the score and reading these comments tells me I made the right call. This season can’t be over soon enough.
This has been I think the best year for SC football since Pete left. SC football, under The Cat, had cease to be elite or even competitive with elite or even qualify teams. The rot was obvious but denied by the Administration, which for the last two years or so has done its very best to alienate the fan base. I agree with Allen, the cost of destroying SC football would be huge. I am convinced the Administration now grasps that point. I really think they will try to rebuild. And, Donte will not be part of that rebuild. He… Read more »
I concur, however, in Dontes case. Never underestimate the power of ass kissing.
If so then he took lessons from Helton.
We are going to get the best guy out there…..or the best guy that wants to be at SC.
Painful to see but needed to happen.
Mike Bohn now “has” to deliver or he will be run out of town theoretically as the fanbase will disappear if he doesn’t. Carol Folt, congratulations on your leadership of overseeing the USC sports program. Hope you and Rick Caruso have grocery bags big enough to cover your egotistical heads when seen in town.
Jamaica, You nailed it! They are going to have to spend a ton of money to rebuild. I think Bohn and the BOT realize that tens of millions, if not more, ride on rebuilding the Football Program.
Oh to be sitting next to Mr. Caruso right about now .
Go deep in your wallet, Mr. C.
Sounds good to me.
To me this nominates Mr. Hugs for “Worst SC coach ever ” title .
Happy turkey week guys. I am gone.
Some USC beat writers reporting on twitter this is the most points a USC Team has EVER given up to UCLA in the history of USC Football !!!!!
They may yet top 60.
Hit the enter key and that kid rips off a TD run. Humbug.
Dave Aranda. Enough said.
I hope Bohn signs really good defensive minded HC. We need an overhaul and this freaking season can not end soon enough. What the hell happened to Korey Foreman? No 1 rated recruit and not good enough to play on this defense? I will be glad to no longer see the Air Raid next year.
We all know what this program needs but we may have to wait 6 weeks (or more) to find out The Name of that person so we can start to feel that “The Fix (or repair)” is starting.
Whoever is eventually persuaded to take the job, he had better bring a wrecking ball and a fleet of dump trucks to even begin to clean up the mess.
Great throw by Dart. He’s a warrior. It’s doubtful that Slovis will start again for USC if Dart remains healthy. Can’t wait until a new DC ditches the Orlando “sieve” formation.
I called it. There’s 48 points. Just imagine. Next year will be worst because it’s going to be a rebuilding year. We better announce a stud head coach or this next recruiting class was suck as well.
I am more optimistic. Nothing will be worse than this team.
Is this the worst loss to UCLA ever?
No, I was expecting we would lose, however losing when you are expected to win is the worst.
In 1950 SC lost 39-0 to ucla.
Well at least where I live I do not know of even one UCLA fan ….Have never even met one ever in all the 3-4 times I moved in my County .
This is like rooting for a MLB Team that is 24 games behind in the standings on August 15th.
He should have thrown that sooner .
He needed to take off running. Horrible decision.
Dart needs to run the football. He looks like Sam Darold in the NFL.
😳
Yup …..We turned that sack into something !!!!!
Can we turn that sack into something ?????
The DLine cannot get and pressure on the QB and our safeties are letting these WRs get past them. Ucla is going to put up 48 points + on this defense.
I called it. 48 points.
That is optimistic. My guess is the mid -50’s.
UCLA gonna put up 50+ today ?
Somewhere Clay Helton is smiling
I don’t think so. He’s getting his ass kicked by BYU.
Yep….standing on the Georgia Southern Eagles Sidelines getting thumped by BYU
Go Arkansas. only down 34-28 vs Alabama
These coaches are making Paul Hackett look like a genius.
USC doing a great job of burning up the clock.
One more game, no bowl, and the sorry OC and DC are done. YES!!! There is a God.
I guess there is a bright side. 😂
Any chance the DC for University of Georgia is gonna be available ?
The brains behind the Georgia defense is the head coach.
SC fans heading for the parking lot yet ?
The Coli is half empty. I think half is due to the commie illegal mandate rules and half because the product on the field.
Two weeks to prepare, two weeks to install something new on offense and defense that makes you less predictable. Does anybody out there see anything different? Any new wrinkle? Something with nothing to lose mentality? Not me
On defense it’s just variations on the same old theme: bewilderment.
To slow down the Bruins, during half time the Trojan special forces unit should put Ambien in their Gatorade.
The punter has had two opportunities to run the ball when ucla all dropped off.
See who scores first in 3rd quarter .
Bruins get the kick off.
The answer is?
When a team lets an opponent dictate everything, stops trying hard on defense when things start going south, and loses enough intensity and pride to allow yourself to get blown out at home for the fourth time in one season, it’s unprecedented in my mind. I can’t watch any more of this. I’m more embarrassed for them than they must be for themselves. This not a fair fight
How about offering Baylor Folt and all of our coaches for Aranda? Toss in a few Caruso bucks.
If the offer included Folt the deal would be off. They don’t cotton to her politics down there.
USC runs the ball and runs out the clock. Great concept when you are down by 18.
Jaxson Dart is the future but he has looked know better than Slovis