You can forget about it.
UCLA head coach Bob Toledo understandably isn’t going to
talk about last year’s game against USC.
“It’s over,” he said of the ignominious 27-0
loss. “It’s done with.”
Still, Toledo and his players claim that the bitterness has
subsided and that the will to beat their crosstown rival
remains.
This year, the No. 25 Bruins (7-3, 4-2 Pac-10) are actually
believable. They have won their last three games going in to play
No. 7 USC (8-2, 6-1) unlike last season when they went in after
experiencing three straight losses.
“We know we can win now,” UCLA senior tight end Mike
Seidman said.
And the Bruins have shown the heart to do so. It was only a few
weeks ago when it looked as if UCLA were going to be playing this
game solely for pride and some much-needed Lexus Gauntlet
points.
After senior starting quarterback Cory Paus went down with a
season-threatening ankle injury, only freshmen were left to
play.
Now, UCLA is still holding onto hopes of playing in the Rose
Bowl on New Year’s Day. Highly-touted recruits Drew Olson and
Matt Moore have started well in Paus’ place. Olson will start
on Saturday, and Moore figures to get some playing time.
Seidman, sophomore Craig Bragg and junior Tab Perry are their
main targets.
At tailback, freshman Tyler Ebell has shot up the depth chart
and rushed for over 100 yards in each of his last six games. The
effectiveness of the 5-foot-9-inch, 170-pounder will be key against
a Trojan that is equally as fast.
“Tyler is the best thing to happen to this offense in a
long time,” Seidman said.
Sophomore tailback Manuel White, who is recovering from a
hamstring injury, will also get some carries.
The offense hopes to score some points this time around.
“You can make all the excuses you want, but they won the
game last year,” Seidman said. “Nothing we did was
working, and everything they did was working.
“If you’re not ready to play, there’s
something wrong with you,” Seidman said. “This is for
the city of L.A.”
That’s all Toledo could promise as well.
“We’ll play hard and give our best effort,” he
said.
One would think that more would be expected from UCLA in a
rivalry game, the Bruins have won by giving their best effort all
year. The team that was picked in the preseason to finish only
sixth in the Pac-10 are continuing to stick by their goals of team
unity and winning the upcoming game.
But make no mistake. There is more to this game, because USC has
won the last three matchups. The Bruin seniors only have one last
chance to defeat their rivals.
Senior Ricky Manning Jr. leads a unit that is third in total
defense in the Pac-10 and will need to play well to stop Heisman
Trophy candidate quarterback Carson Palmer for the Bruins to
win.
“I’ve been licking my chops all week,” Manning
said. “Not winning the past three years has been
bitter.”
Winning this year, on the other hand, would make it a year to
remember.