In a game that was expected to be high-scoring and explosive,
the most critical play of the game came far before the final
outcome was decided: With 3:06 left in the first quarter, to be
exact. The Bruins had the ball on fourth and 5 from USC’s
35-yard line, and the defense had just limited the Trojans to a
field goal on the opening possession. Instead of kicking a 51-yard
field goal or going for it on fourth down, the Bruins elected to
punt, and freshman Aaron Perez punted the ball into the end zone.
“At that point of the game, we just felt that we needed to
pin them back inside the 20,” coach Karl Dorrell said.
“I didn’t want to have a huge negative at the beginning
of the game.” “It was right at the borderline, right
near Justin’s (Medlock) range.” The Trojans took the
ball from their 20-yard line following the punt, and drove the ball
80 yards in 8 plays before the Bruin defense knew what hit them.
The Trojans would end up scoring two more touchdowns on their next
two possessions. “It was a real momentum killer,”
quarterback Drew Olson said of the punt. “Especially because
our offense was moving the ball well.” “I mean, you
have to take risks, but you also have to be smart.” The
Bruins’ punt on the first possession was a microcosm of their
performance in the first half. The first four times the Bruins
moved within the Trojans’ 35 yard line, they were only able
to put points on the board once. On the Bruins’ second
possession, UCLA marched to the USC 30 yard line, but Olson was
sacked on two consecutive plays, and the Bruins were moved out of
field goal position. “We were driving down the field,”
Olson said. “But for some reason, we just got stopped at the
critical times.” “A few plays here or there, who knows
what would have happened.” In total, Olson was sacked five
times in the game, and easily had his worst performance of the
season. Olson entered the game as the nation’s most efficient
passer, but finished the game 14 for 32 with 146 yards passing and
one touchdown. Throughout the game, Olson was hurried and pressured
and fumbled the ball twice. “No one played well today,”
Olson said. “I didn’t play well. The offensive line
didn’t play well. No one did.” The Bruins finished the
game with 275 yards of total offense, which was less than the
Trojans had rushing in the first half.
NO LETDOWN: Despite their overwhelming lead in
the second half, the Trojans chose not to punt or kick a field goal
in the second half. The Trojans had four fourth-down opportunities
after half-time, and converted three of them, including a 12-yard
scramble by USC quarterback Matt Leinart on 4th and 11. Senior
punter Tom Malone has only punted 30 times all season, and kicker
Mario Danelo has attempted a Pac-10 low eleven field goals.
LINEBACKER SHAKE-UP: Freshman linebacker John
Hale started in the place of senior linebacker Justin London, who
had been limited in practice. London eventually entered the game,
recording three tackles. Sophomore linebacker Christian Taylor also
saw a bulk of the snaps at the position.
DORRELL SPEECH: Midway through the third
quarter, coach Karl Dorrell brought his team together on the
sidelines for a speech. According to players, Dorrell told the
players not to give up, and keep playing. “We didn’t
really need it, but he just told us to keep playing,” safety
Jarrad Page said. “I’ve never had a problem with people
quitting during my time at UCLA.”
EXTRA POINTS: Defensive tackle Chase Moline
left the game in the second half with an ankle injury. Free safety
Chris Horton made the start ahead of sophomore Dennis Keyes. UCLA
moved down in the polls to No. 17 after the loss.