The 2006 edition of the UCLA-USC rivalry game features a couple
of rebuilding programs with a shot at redemption.
Both teams have a new complexion after the loss of core players
left them with inexperienced offenses. And both coaches know that
the way their young teams finish the season ““ on Saturday and
in their bowl games ““ will say a lot about the future.
USC will lose only four senior starters. UCLA only loses
three.
But that’s where the similarities end.
UCLA (6-5, 4-4 Pac-10), has the chance to finish the regular
season on a three-game winning streak and go on to face Florida
State in the Emerald Bowl with a winning record, regardless of the
outcome of the postseason matchup.
Of course, the chance to beat the No. 2 Trojans for the first
time during coach Karl Dorrell’s tenure ““ and the first
time in seven years ““ would seem to be enough motivation,
even if the Bruins weren’t going bowling.
This is the fourth straight season in which USC (10-1, 7-1) will
use its season-ending rivalry game as a springboard into the
national championship.
If the Trojans do beat the Bruins in Pasadena, they will have
the chance to play No. 1 Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl and avenge
last year’s championship game loss against Texas in the Rose
Bowl.
Although both teams are at the end of rebuilding years, the
Trojans appear to be a finished product while the Bruins remain a
work in progress. Part of it could be attributed to luck: John
David Booty quickly developed into an elite quarterback for USC,
while a knee injury to Ben Olson left UCLA scrambling for an
identity on offense under Pat Cowan.
But UCLA players shy away from comparisons to their rivals,
preferring to say that a win over USC would give them their own
identity.
“I don’t think you can look at these teams and
compare where they were last year,” junior cornerback Trey
Brown said. “The only thing we can do is think about what a
win this week would do for our respect. It would be
huge.”
But this is what the rivalry game has become: the Trojans
playing at the Rose Bowl with so much more at stake; the Bruins
hoping to salvage a mediocre season by taking on the role of
spoilers.
UCLA players are well aware of their role, and they don’t
find it exactly flattering to be thought of as a bridge between
Notre Dame, whom USC beat 44-24, and Ohio State.
“Nobody is giving us a chance ““ you know, it’s
cute,” junior linebacker Christian Taylor said. “At the
start of this week (defensive tackle) Brigham (Harwell) told
everyone to get your mind right. That’s it. With all this
outside talk about how great ‘SC is, we just have to get our
mind right and work.”
The Trojans, on the other hand, are trying to defy the tradition
of rivalry upsets by not overlooking the Bruins on Saturday.
So are the Trojans going to cruise into Saturday with their eyes
on Ohio State?
“The history of sports says yes,” USC coach Pete
Carroll said at a Tuesday press conference. “But the history
of this team says no. To stay focused ““ that’s a task
in itself for this team on a weekly basis anyway.”
As for the cross-town rivalry, Carroll says it hasn’t been
diminished by the Trojans’ seven-year dominance.
“I love the fact that we get to play in the Rose Bowl.
It’s such a great rivalry for us. Southern California has
been jacked up by football,” Carroll said. “This
isn’t hard at all; it’s easy to get into this
game.”
The Trojans’ winning streak has spanned coaching changes
for each school, as well as several recruiting classes.
“This is my first time in the rivalry, but guys have made
sure that I know how important it is,” UCLA freshman
cornerback Alterraun Verner said.
Verner has been at the heart of UCLA’s rebuilding efforts
this year, and he figures to be a central figure in slowing down
USC’s receiving corps ““ the only veteran unit on the
Trojan offense.
Verner, nicknamed “little old man” by Dorrell for
his precocious play, quickly learned what this week meant to his
veteran teammates.
“I would just like to send our seniors off with a win
against ‘SC,” Verner said.