A week after suffering a crushing setback in an upset loss to Arizona, No. 16 UCLA has the ultimate opportunity to begin making up for it when No. 7 USC visits the Rose Bowl on Saturday for one of the most anticipated crosstown showdowns in recent memory.
“The blessing is that it’s this game that comes after that one,” Bruins receiver Jake Bobo said. “I think we’d probably be … having a hard time turning the page if it wasn’t this game.”
For the first time in the 92-year history of the rivalry, both teams will be led by Black quarterbacks in UCLA’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson and USC’s Caleb Williams.
“It’s always cool and definitely a blessing as an African-American male to play this position, but to definitely have two in a big game playing both high-level football is definitely special,” Thompson-Robinson said.
The last time UCLA (8-2, 5-2 Pac-12) and USC (9-1, 7-1 Pac-12) were ranked before playing each other was in 2014, when No. 11 UCLA faced No. 24 USC.
The Rose Bowl is expected to be sold out for the first time this season, with a few tarps being removed and more than 70,000 fans expected to pack the stadium. Kickoff is in primetime at 5 p.m.. And while UCLA’s loss last week prevented this game from being a matchup of two 9-1 teams, the stakes are still sky high.
“I don’t think you can make the game bigger than it is, and I don’t think it can get any bigger than it is,” UCLA coach Chip Kelly said.
A win for USC would clinch a spot in the Pac-12 Championship game. UCLA would also need to win to keep its Pac-12 title hopes alive, and then see if it gets help from other results.
Thompson-Robinson, who might be playing in his last home game, needs no additional motivation. He said this week that the Bruins are aiming for an even larger margin of victory than last year’s 62-33 blowout at the Coliseum. He remembers the 2020 game — a 43-38 defeat — when USC players were “cussing at us, flipping us off, as disrespectful as you can get.”
“Obviously, we hate those guys across town,” Thompson-Robinson said.
When UCLA has the ball
In last year’s game, Thompson-Robinson accounted for six touchdowns and passed for 349 yards, leading the Bruins to over 600 yards of offense and their highest-point total ever in the rivalry.
Given Thompson-Robinson’s prolific 2022 campaign and his 71% completion percentage – which ranks third in the nation – an encore might not be far-fetched.
If USC has a weakness, it is its defense. The Trojans are in the middle of the pack in the Pac-12 in passing and rushing defense. Prior to beating Colorado 55-17 last week, USC allowed 43, 37 and 35 points in its previous three games. UCLA’s offense averages 39.5 points per game.
USC’s defensive coordinator Alex Grinch is somewhat familiar with Kelly’s offense. Both were assistants on New Hampshire’s coaching staff in 2005 and 2006.
USC defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu leads the Pac-12 with 11.5 sacks. Linebacker Shane Lee leads the Trojans with 56 tackles, followed by defensive back Max Williams (55) and linebacker Eric Gentry (52).
Kelly called Grinch’s defense “really active.”
“They slant and move a ton,” Kelly said, “Rarely do they stay in one defense. They’re always on the run. They mix-and-match coverages with what they’re doing, and coordinating with the front.”
Running back Zach Charbonnet broke the 1,000-yard rushing mark last week with a 181-yard, three-touchdown performance, and will look to extend his streak of 100-yard rushing games in Pac-12 games to nine.
Charbonnet also leads the nation with an average of 7.53 yards per carry.
When USC has the ball
USC’s defense may be faced with its biggest test of the season against UCLA’s offense. The reverse is also true.
Since holding Stanford to 13 points two games ago, the Bruins’ defense has looked shaky, allowing 18 consecutive points in the second half at Arizona State and then failing to contain quarterback Jayden de Laura and Arizona in last week’s loss.
Adding to UCLA’s challenge will be the uncertainty of the status of defensive coordinator Bill McGovern, who has missed the past three games due to an unspecified illness. McGovern was not at practice earlier this week.
De Laura’s performance, in which he was 22-of-28 passing for 315 yards and two touchdowns, featured a lot of scrambling that wasn’t reflected in the stat sheet. He extended plays with his feet, turning would-be sacks into gains.
“When plays break down, we’ve just got to do a better job of finding receivers and plastering to receivers in those scrambling situations,” Kelly said.
If UCLA’s defense doesn’t figure out what happened against de Laura, it could be in for a long night against Williams, a dual-threat Heisman candidate who extends plays for the Trojans.
“Caleb’s as good a quarterback as there is in the country,” Kelly said.
Williams is 10th in the country in passing with 3,010 yards and tied for third with 31 touchdown passes. His ability to scramble has confounded defenses this year. Williams has benefited from an elite receiver in Jordan Addison, who leads USC with 40 receptions for 587 yards.
“He can beat you both with his arm and with his legs,” Kelly said. “He can extend drives … but he can also pick up the tough yardage. I think he’s a unique quarterback from that standpoint.”
Related Articles
Pac-12 Hotline mailbag: Impact of UC regents’ delay, options for the Pac-12, and more
No. 7 USC at No. 16 UCLA: Who has the edge?
Swanson: UC Regents make UCLA wait, punt on decision about Big Ten move
USC vs. UCLA brings out Goforth sibling rivalry
No. 8 UCLA basketball vs. No. 19 Illinois: What you need to know
UCLA’s bid for back-to-back crosstown wins may hinge on containing Williams and keeping pace with USC on offense. The challenge is in front of them, and motivation is definitely not lacking.
“It’s hard not to get up for this game,” Bobo said. “Even coming off a loss, guys are excited. Guys are ready to go. It’s USC-UCLA, so it should be fun.”
No. 7 USC (9-1, 7-1 Pac-12) at No. 16 UCLA (8-2, 5-2 Pac-12)
When: 5 p.m. Saturday
Where: Rose Bowl
TV/Radio: FOX/AM 570
Line: USC by 2½