USC vs. UCLA brings out Goforth sibling rivalry

Trojans LB Ralen Goforth has the support and trash talk of his older brother Randall, a former Bruins DB

Adam Grosbard (OC Register)  —  LOS ANGELES — It goes by many names. In Westwood and Pasadena, it’s USC week. In South L.A., it’s UCLA week. Most call it the Crosstown Rivalry.

In one household in Long Beach, a small subsection call it Goforth week.

Linebacker Ralen Goforth will be suiting up for the Trojans in the annual rivalry game, a dream of his growing up in a USC household. But it wasn’t long ago that Goforth was begrudgingly wearing UCLA colors to cheer on his older brother, Randall, during his time as a defensive back for the Bruins.

Now that it’s Randall’s time to attend his little brother’s games, though, the same courtesy doesn’t apply.

“Since I’ve been here, he’s gone for UCLA but he wants me to do great,” Ralen Goforth said. “It’s one of those things.”

Ralen Goforth grew up in a family of four brothers. He was the youngest, and Randall was the next oldest in the group with an age gap of six years. As with any family with a large group of boys, it was a competitive household, whether it was two-on-two or, after their older brothers moved out, one-on-one.

To this day, Randall is proud that his youngest brother has not beaten him in pickup basketball or wrestling.

“Still had to big bro him in that,” Randall said. “You know how it is, the older brother, you can’t let little bro win. It don’t matter what we playing.”

But the two had a unique bond through football. When Randall was at UCLA from 2012-16, Ralen Goforth would join him for summer workouts. Randall wanted his little brother to see what it took to be a college athlete, from the weight room to practice to games. It was important for Ralen to see how competitive it can be when elite athletes are training together.

These sessions also introduced Ralen to UCLA players and future NFL stars Myles Jack and Eric Kendricks.

“Guys that I hit up to get little advice to this day,” said Ralen Goforth, now a senior for the Trojans. “I grew up around watching those guys’ work ethic and around the UCLA family.”

When Ralen Goforth was a senior at St. John Bosco and it was time for him to make his college decision, though, he had the choice between following his brother’s path or making his own with the school he grew up rooting for.

Randall, who played at Long Beach Poly, put in his two cents about UCLA, but his brother ultimately chose the Trojans.

“My thing was like, ‘Hey, go make your identity, if that’s what you want to do, go be your own person,’” Randall recalled. “‘But just know if you’re in L.A. you’re always going to be Randall’s little brother.’”

There’s a lot of trash talk and joking around between the two, but Randall is proud that Ralen still calls on him for advice.

“I like to give him his space, I don’t want to put pressure on him because the family already does that,” Randall said. “I like to give him that ear because I’ve been there, done that. So there’s somebody that can relate to what he’s going through, especially in the same city.”

This week, though, when it’s USC vs. UCLA, there’s less contact between the two.

“Last week, me and him was talking and he was talking trash, I was talking trash,” Ralen said. “And then coming into this week, we haven’t said a single word to each other. So really a house divided.”

Randall, now an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department, will be at the Rose Bowl on Saturday for the game. But he and his wife, also a UCLA alum, will be in a different section than the rest of the family, wearing blue and sitting with fellow Bruins.

They’ll be cheering for UCLA, except for when a certain USC linebacker makes a play.

“It’s always family first. I’m always rooting for my little brother no matter who they play, even on Saturday,” Randall said. “They’re going to see me standing up cheering when 10 makes a tackle.”

ocregister.com

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