I guess there are a lot of better things to do with your time
than watch the UCLA-USC football game on Saturday.
Maybe you can go see “Matrix: Revolutions” for a
second time. Or read all of my archived columns for the umpteenth
time. Oh, I dunno, perhaps even study?
Look, if you don’t plan to watch this game, you are what I
call a bandwagoner.
You root for the Bruins when they do well, proudly claiming that
you once sat next to a football player in history class.
However, when the team starts to lose, you disavow all UCLA
connections and wonder why the team even bothers to play out the
season.
C’mon now, that’s the Trojan way of thinking.
It’s rivalry week. Get excited!
I know, I know, you’re down on your team right now. Karl
Dorrell is boring.
So is his offense. Heck, Matt Moore isn’t even the
starting quarterback.
But if there is ever a time to drop your weapons and focus your
hate on something else, it’s this week. After all, nothing is
worse than seeing USC do well.
So if you can’t join ’em, beat ’em.
You thought it felt bad to get blasted last year? Imagine how
the Trojans would feel if they lost this game, crushing their hopes
of getting to the national championship game.
The Trojans already come into this game mad about being
disrespected by the Bowl Championship Series. I’d love to see
them leave the Coliseum crying.
In my own experience, I’ve seen three of the last four
losses to USC, and it’s gotten progressively worse. First it
was losing by a field goal, then it was getting shut out, and most
recently, it was giving up 52 points.
And this year, UCLA is a 21 1/2 point underdog, the biggest
I’ve ever seen for a rivalry game.
But it’s not as if beating the Trojans is impossible, and
how sweet it would be if it happened this year.
On that note, may I present you with the two main ingredients to
my special upsetting-the-Trojans recipe:
“¢bull; Run the ball.
Yes, that’s right, run right into the gut of the Trojan
defensive line. It’s a tall order, but it’s the only
way to beat USC. I know it can be done because that’s how Cal
beat the Trojans.
In that 34-31 Golden Bears win back on Sept. 27, Cal’s
Adimchinobe Echemandu rushed for 147 yards.
If UCLA takes the easy way out and shies away from running the
ball, the Wild Bunch will be teeing off on Drew Olson all day
long.
The right combination of Tyler Ebell and Maurice Drew can make
USC respect the run. If you’re really optimistic, this should
be good for setting up at least two touchdown bombs to Craig Bragg
or Ryan Smith.
“¢bull; Stop Mike Williams.
He is used the most, so jam him at the ribs every time he gets
off the line of scrimmage. The worst thing the Bruins should permit
him to do is to catch hitches that would allow him to either gain
the yards of a decent running play or give up a long catch that
would allow him to break free into the secondary.
The Bruins should take their chances with the big man beating
them deep. It would be better to see him catch a couple than lead
the Trojans on time-consuming, demoralizing drives.
Oh, and by the Reggie Williams theory, let’s hope Matt
Ware has the worst game of his life.
So get your butts off the couch, head off to the Coliseum on
Saturday, and hope that all this happens.
If everything goes well, you’ll end up doing your best
Maurice Drew impression after the final whistle before being maced
and clubbed in the head right around the two yard-line.
If all goes wrong, well, you can at least have some fun reading
my Monday column.
Leung was a football beat writer in 2002. Please send all
comments and questions to dleung@media.ucla.edu. Yes, he’s
still writing a Monday column, even if the Bruins win. And you
should still have fun reading that.