It can be done. Beating USC is not impossible. Several teams
have come close. But none of them has had precisely what it takes
to topple the Trojans. It begs the question, “What can the
Bruins do differently that 33 teams before them
couldn’t?” According to UCLA coach Karl Dorrell, the
answer is simple. “We don’t need miracles,”
Dorrell said. “We just need ourselves to perform as well as
we can play.” But according to USC’s Reggie Bush,
there’s not much UCLA can do, if anything. “I
don’t know if any team can beat us right now,” Bush
said. “I feel like all season, we’ve seen it all. The
blitzes, all the defenses, all the circumstances, and we’ve
overcome it all.” For the Bruins (9-1, 6-1 Pac-10) to defeat
the Trojans (11-0, 7-0) this Saturday at the Coliseum,
they’ll have to overcome more than just the one loss that
separates the two teams in the standings. They’ll need to end
a six-game losing streak to USC that dates back to 1999 and ensure
that another class of graduating seniors doesn’t leave
Westwood heartbroken, having not beaten their chief rivals.
They’ll need to end USC’s 33-game winning streak, the
fifth longest in college football history since 1900. They’ll
need to beat the Trojans at the Coliseum, something no team has
done since Stanford back on Sept. 29, 2001. And they’ll need
to restore their presence in a recently lopsided rivalry in the
biggest game between the two schools since 1988, when just like
this year an undefeated USC played a one-loss UCLA.
“It’s a great step to make for this program,”
Dorrell said. “This is a tremendous opportunity we
have.” It’s an opportunity many Bruin players say has
been on their minds since last year’s tough-to-swallow 29-24
loss to the Trojans at the Rose Bowl. Thinking of beating USC is
what has caused UCLA tight end Marcedes Lewis to have sleepless
nights. It is what keeps Bruin linebacker Spencer Havner glued to
his television until the wee hours of the morning, watching replays
of the Trojans’ games. Wherever UCLA defensive coordinator
Larry Kerr goes in Los Angeles, he can’t escape the thought
of the Trojans and playing them Saturday. “You hear about
them all the time, you see them all the time, and you read about
them all the time,” Kerr said. “Yeah, we’re aware
of how good they are.” So does the rest of college football.
“That’s a damn good football team,” said Arizona
State defensive line coach Ted Monachino of USC. “Best
I’ve ever seen. USC is not going to beat itself. To beat
them, you have to play your best game.” The last team that
did was Cal on Sept. 27, 2003 in Berkeley ““ and that was in
triple overtime. Since that game, a lot has changed. Trojan
quarterback Matt Leinart has his own blog on USC’s official
athletics Web site. The Bruins have had two players emerge as
top-10 contenders for the Heisman in Olson and running back Maurice
Drew. Former Trojan quarterback Carson Palmer and former Bruin
receiver Tab Perry are now teammates on a playoff-bound Cincinnati
Bengals team. But one thing has withstood the course of time since
that September afternoon. The Trojans’ winning streak since
has remained intact and impenetrable for more than two years.
“It’s like we have a shield around us,” USC
receiver Steve Smith said. “We’ve been in every
circumstance, and we haven’t been beat.” The Trojans,
however, certainly have had their fair share of close calls this
season. Against Arizona State on Oct. 1, USC found itself down 21-3
at the half. The Trojans survived. Against Notre Dame on Oct. 15,
USC found itself down 31-27 in its own territory with a 4th and 9
in the final minute and a yard away from losing in the final 10
seconds. The Trojans survived. In 2004, Cal had four chances to win
the game in USC’s red zone. The Trojans survived. In studying
each of USC’s victories, UCLA has gained an appreciation of
what it takes to defeat the Trojans ““ and the Bruins have
learned it takes a lot, more than any team has had to this point.
“You have to play such a complete game against these guys,
it’s unbelievable,” UCLA quarterback Drew Olson said.
“Just because teams have been successful against them
doesn’t mean anything. They still win.” “They
know how to win; that’s why they’re winning,”
Dorrell said. “They’ve been put up against the wall for
11 times this season, and they’ve taken everyone’s best
shot. Now they have one more to take with us.” In order for
the Bruins to pack that knockout punch, the following is what it
takes to beat USC: STEP 1: Win the coin toss; score the
first touchdown The most important spoken word Saturday at
the Coliseum may be either “heads” or
“tails.” Guessing it correctly may just dictate who
scores the game’s first touchdown, which gives a team a twice
as better chance to play the Trojans to a close game if it finds
the end zone first. Given their slow starts in recent seasons
against USC, the Bruins may want to doctor this year’s coin.
In 2001, it took eight plays for the Trojans to score the first
touchdown. In 2002, it took one play. In 2003, it took nine plays.
And last year, it only took two plays, where Reggie Bush’s
65-yard scamper and flip into the end zone sent USC fans into
delirium and UCLA fans to check their calendars to see if it was
Groundhog Day. During USC’s 33-game winning streak, the
Trojans have scored the first touchdown 24 times. In those games,
only four were decided by 10 points or less. In the other nine
games where USC’s opponents scored the first touchdown, three
were decided by 10 points or less. “It’d be nice if we
could take the lead early,” Havner said. “That would be
key.” This season, the Bruins haven’t exactly come out
of the locker room fired up. They’ve only scored the first
touchdown in three of their 10 games, requiring four dramatic
fourth-quarter comebacks to maintain their 9-1 record. But the most
encouraging sign to UCLA offensive coordinator Tom Cable that his
team is ready to pounce early Saturday came in the Bruins’
last game against Arizona State. “Hopefully by game 11,
we’ve matured to the point where (starting slowly) is a
non-issue,” Cable said. “It really comes down to if you
made up your mind before you go out in that stadium, cross the
line, whether or not you’re there to win that football game.
“It’s hard sometimes to admit, but losing helped us. It
really did. That’s maturity.”
STEP 2: Throw the ball UCLA has the personnel
to do just that. In USC’s three close games this season
against Arizona State, Notre Dame and Fresno State, the Trojans
have allowed an average of 309.3 yards through the air and 110.3
yards on the ground. With a nicked-up offensive line that’s
missing starters Mike McCloskey, Brian Abraham and Chris Joseph,
UCLA has seen its once explosive rushing attack look anything but
dynamic. The Bruins have only rushed for more than 150 yards once
in the last four games, and last year against the Trojans, they
gained a measly 17 rushing yards. But a better-than-average passing
game against USC can provide what a mediocre rushing offense
can’t ““ points. This season, UCLA has taken to the air
behind college football’s most efficient passer in Olson and
the country’s biggest receiving target in tight end Marcedes
Lewis. And if there’s been a knock on USC’s defense
this season, it’s that the Trojans’ secondary is
undersized and susceptible to give up the big play. In 13 games in
2004, USC allowed only 13 passing touchdowns. Through 11 games in
2005, the Trojans have already allowed 17 passing touchdowns.
“Their defense was not as good as it was last year,”
Lewis said. STEP 3: Take the lead into halftime
Every UCLA player interviewed for this article said the Bruins can
come back from a second-half deficit to USC. What the team’s
past opponents would say, however, is that any shot at winning
would be exponentially easier if the Bruins were leading at
halftime. While UCLA may be a fourth-quarter team, USC is a
second-half nightmare for its opponents. During their 33-game
winning streak, the Trojans have trotted off the field at halftime
behind only eight times. Of those eight games, five were decided by
10 points or less. But that winning streak has survived because of
USC’s astounding second-half advantage, in which the Trojans
have outscored their opponents 661-250 since the start of their
winning streak. Of USC’s three close calls this season, the
Trojans trailed at halftime by a combined 33 points. They outscored
those same three opponents by 54 points in the second half. Perhaps
teams get conservative on offense or USC comes out of the locker
room a different team than the one that entered it. But according
to UCLA senior safety Jarrad Page, it’s because each team
that’s had the Trojans on the ropes lacked the killer
instinct to drive a stake through USC’s heart. But because
the Bruins, who have outscored their opponents 141-47 in the fourth
quarter and overtime, have been on those same ropes this season and
survived teams’ best punches, Page doesn’t feel that
will be a problem if UCLA plays with the lead Saturday.
“Those teams (that were beating USC) all tried not to lose
the game,” Page said. “You try not to lose the game,
you’ll get beat. “We know what happens when you play
like that. We’ve seen the good side of it. If we get the
lead, we need to push the pedal down even harder. We have to floor
it, because we know they’re a second-half team. Just like
us.” STEP 4: Get Matt Leinart’s jersey
dirty Reggie Bush may be “lightning.” LenDale
White may be “thunder.” But according to Arizona
State’s Monachino, Leinart is the driving force behind
USC’s offense and stopping him is a team’s best bet to
survive its wrath. In the Sun Devils’ 38-28 loss to the
Trojans, Monachino devised every way possible for his defensive
line to harass, hurry and hit Leinart. It worked for 30 minutes. In
the first half of that game, Leinart only completed 11 of his 25
passes and was sacked twice, as USC went to the locker room
trailing 21-3. “Since we played them, people have used our
formula to get physical with Leinart,” Monachino said.
“Every time you do that, you open yourself up to something
else that can go wrong. But you have to try to knock the head off
of the chicken.” UCLA came tantalizingly close last year to
doing just that. In their 29-24 defeat to USC, the Bruins limited
Leinart to 242 yards throughout the air while holding him without a
touchdown pass for the first time in his career. This season the
Trojans’ offense and Leinart are even better. USC ranks atop
the Pac-10 in scoring offense (48.5 points per game) and rushing
offense (249.2 rushing yards per game) and second in passing
offense (322.1 passing yards per game). When analyzing game tape of
USC for this Saturday, UCLA defensive coordinator Larry Kerr
didn’t like what he saw ““ that the Trojans’
running game is just as good as the passing game. “I
haven’t seen anyone stop either; that’s the
truth,” Kerr said. “These guys are so good, it’s
picking your poison. “But I definitely want to hit the
quarterback. I want to hit the guy. He’s the one that runs
the show for them. As good as Reggie Bush and the rest of the
players are, Leinart is the guy running that huddle. I want to hit
him. I want his jersey dirty.” That means more than just a
few grass stains and smashed rose petals. STEP 5: Make a
play on special teams Whatever spirit Reggie Bush took out
of UCLA’s crowd last season with his opening drive 65-yard
touchdown, former Bruin Craig Bragg returned the Bruin faithful in
only one play. That’s what makes special teams special. With
UCLA trailing 10-0 in the second quarter, Bragg fielded a punt at
his own 4-yard line and raced 96 yards down the field for a
touchdown, bringing UCLA to within 3 points of USC. “That was
huge,” said UCLA special teams coach Brian Schneider. All
three teams that loss narrowly to the Trojans this season had a
similar play on special teams. Arizona State’s Terry
Richardson returned a punt 84 yards for a touchdown to give his
team the lead. Notre Dame’s Tom Zbikowski returned a punt 60
yards for a touchdown to give his team the lead. Fresno State
forced Reggie Bush to fumble a kickoff return at his own 18-yard
line in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs scored a touchdown on
their next possession to take the lead. “A play on special
teams can create the mind-set of putting a nail in someone’s
coffin and it can get you back into a game,” Cable said.
“That’s going to be a huge part of this football game,
no question.” And as good as USC’s Reggie Bush has been
on special teams this year, UCLA has someone better. Maurice Drew
leads the country and owns an NCAA record with an average of 29.1
yards on punt returns. He set a school record early in the season
by running 3 punt returns back for touchdowns in UCLA’s first
five games, the last one coming against Cal. STEP 6: Win
the turnover margin There’s no better team in the
Pac-10 at holding onto the ball than UCLA. In 10 games, the Bruins
have only 9 turnovers. And there’s no better team in the
Pac-10 at taking the ball away than USC. In 11 games, the Trojans
have forced 34 turnovers. But winning the turnover margin against
the Trojans has proven to be almost as difficult as beating them.
In its last 33 games, USC has only lost the turnover battle four
times. During that span the Trojans have committed 45 turnovers
while forcing 99 from their opponents. “For any team to beat
us, it can’t turn the ball over,” USC fullback Brandon
Hancock said. “That plays a huge factor in games.”
Dorrell agrees with him. “Turnovers will be an issue in this
game,” Dorrell said. “We have to play a minimum-mistake
game.” But the Bruins acknowledge that on top of securing the
ball, they’re going to need to force USC to commit turnovers
as well. In last year’s rivalry game, UCLA intercepted
Leinart once and recovered a USC fumble, but the Bruins still lost
the turnover margin by one. This season, Kerr can’t envision
the game starting off any better for UCLA than if the team forced a
turnover in the first quarter Saturday. “Absolutely turnovers
will be the No. 1 factor,” Kerr said. “No doubt about
it." STEP 7: Don’t let USC make a big defensive play
late Of all the intangibles that Dorrell credits USC for
sustaining a 33-game winning streak, this is the one he notices the
Trojans use most to win close games. Just two weeks ago against
Fresno State, USC’s Darnell Bing intercepted Bulldog
quarterback Paul Pinegar in the end zone to preserve the
Trojans’ 50-42 victory. Against Arizona State on Oct. 1, the
Trojans’ defense picked off Sun Devil quarterback Sam Keller
twice in the final four minutes to scratch out a 38-28 win. In last
year’s victory over UCLA, USC’s Jason Leach picked off
a Drew Olson pass with under a minute left to squash the
Bruins’ upset bid. But the most memorable of the
Trojans’ defensive stands was against Cal quarterback Aaron
Rodgers in 2004. With Cal at the USC 9-yard line and a touchdown
away from winning the game, the Trojans sacked Rodgers and then
forced him to throw away 3 incomplete passes along with any chance
at stopping USC’s winning streak. So far this season, the
Bruins have successfully navigated around opposing defenses in
crunch time. In fact, their precision in the final quarter is what
allowed them to generate four fourth-quarter comebacks. “(The
Trojans) believe they can win in any circumstance,” Dorrell
said. “They’ve done some great things on defense when
an opposing offense is trying to make a few plays. They just come
up with some great defensive stops. They possess great intangibles.
That’s why they’re No. 1 in the country.”
STEP 8: Get lucky During pregame workouts
Saturday, UCLA placekicker Justin Medlock will warm up on the
11-yard line. Before every game, Medlock warms up on the yard line
that corresponds to what game it is in the schedule. If he thinks
it brings him luck, he might want to persuade the rest of his
teammates to join him. There’s no secret that during
USC’s 33-game winning streak, luck has played a part in
sustaining it. In the fourth quarter against Arizona State, Sun
Devil quarterback Sam Keller’s pass hit his receiver in the
hands and bounced right into the arms of safety Kevin Ellison. USC
would score a touchdown three plays later to put the game out of
reach. But the Trojans’ luck was never greater than against
Notre Dame, stealing the clover of the Fighting Irish’s
mascot. Trailing 31-27 with under a minute remaining, Leinart
fumbled the ball out of bounds near the end zone, giving USC one
last shot to win the game. If he had held onto the ball, Notre Dame
would have won. To beat USC, a few breaks wouldn’t hurt, and
UCLA has had its share already in 2005. In games against Washington
State and Stanford, opposing coaches Bill Doba and Walt Harris,
respectively, allowed time to run out in regulation with the score
tied against the Bruins, opting for overtime. UCLA won both of
those games in the first overtime period. In last year’s
rivalry game, however, it was the Trojans who received the
fortunate call. In the second quarter, a referee ruled that Bush
was down by contact before fumbling the ball, which UCLA’s
Havner had recovered and started running freely for a defensive
touchdown. Television replays indicated that it was indeed a
fumble. This year, the Bruins are hoping that the ball bounces
their way. “You have to count on some breaks,”
Monachino said. “You don’t have to play perfect
football to beat them, but you got to be pretty darn
close.”