Four more years?
UCLA looks to make history Saturday against USC as it seeks a
series-record fifth consecutive victory.By Eric Branch
Daily Bruin Staff
Of course, there will always be arguments.Go to Ann Arbor and
they’ll
tell you it’s Michigan-Ohio State. Head to Lincoln, and you’ll
be lectured
on Nebraska-Oklahoma. Travel to Tuscaloosa and you’ll melt in
the tradition
of Alabama-Auburn.
But come to Los Angeles and listen to the people who have played
in any
of the 64 USC-UCLA games. Here, you’ll get yet another argument
about the
best rivalry in college football. The only difference? This time
you’ll be
convinced.
Just listen to UCLA head coach Terry Donahue, who should qualify
as an
expert on the subject. Donahue played against ‘SC twice as a
Bruin
defensive tackle and has been on the UCLA sidelines for the past
quarter of
a century of USC-UCLA games.
"Every kid that ever gets to play in this game is lucky as
heck,"
Donahue said. "They’re truly blessed."
Indeed, what other event could attract 100,000 people in Los
Angeles?
The Raiders couldn’t do it. The Pope couldn’t do it. But
USC-UCLA always
does.
"This city has some of the most fairweather fans in the country,
but
everyone will always show up for the `SC-UCLA game – it’s a
spectacle,"
Bruin linebacker Abdul McCullough said.
Trojan head coach John Robinson swears that the game can make
its
participants go blind with anxiety. At least, that’s what he
experienced as
an offensive coordinator during his first game in 1972.
"I’d never been in a big game and I remember going up to the
press box
and looking at (UCLA’s) defense and I couldn’t see the numbers
on their
jerseys," Robinson said. "I was so nervous I couldn’t see
anything. I said
`God, I must be going blind.’ I think it was the most nervous
moment of my
life."
Donahue will attest that the game can turn a hero into a goat,
in a
matter of three hours.
"I’ve been 10-1 before and treated like a dog after losing,"
Donahue
said.
Bruin All-American offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden knows that
the game
can turn a passive spectator into a passionate participant
overnight.
Wide receiver J.J.Stokes (18) culminated UCLA’s 38-37 victory
with his third touchdown of the game, a 90-yarder which put the
Bruins up 38-31."I came from Washington D.C., so I didn’t know
anything about the game,"
Ogden said. "When I was a freshman everyone was saying USC this
and USC
that and I didn’t understand what all the fuss was about. But
after that
first game, I got it."
Finally, McCullough understands that even those who have played
in
America’s most famous sporting event would trade it in for the
chance to
face USC.
"Coach Donahue said that a lot of the UCLA guys who played in
the
Cowboy-Bills Super Bowl (in Pasadena) came back and told him
that the
‘SC-UCLA game was even larger than that," McCullough said. "I
believe
it."
Any fan who witnessed O.J. Simpson and Gary Beban battle for a
Heisman
Trophy and a national championship in 1967, or saw Todd
Marinovich out-duel
Tommy Maddox 45-42 in 1990 would also believe it. The rivalry
has hosted
some of the greatest games in college football history.
Of course, it depends on what side of town you’re on.
"Everyone talks about the Maddox-Marinovich game being a great
game,"
Donahue said. "I thought it sucked."
Fortunately for Donahue, the last four years have not, well,
sucked. The
Bruins have not lost to USC since the 1990 shootout and their
four-game
winning streak is UCLA’s longest in the history of the
series.
The past four years has also added to the list of classic
USC-UCLA
battles.
In ’91 UCLA’s 24-21 victory was sealed when linebacker Arnold
Ale
slammed into ‘SC quarterback Reggie Perry on a fourth-and-five
with less
than two minutes remaining. Perry’s subsequent fumble was
scooped up by
Mike Chalenski and the UCLA senior class was assured of its
first victory
over the crosstown rivals.
"This is why you come to UCLA," senior Matt Darby said after the
game.
"To beat USC."
Quarterback John Barnes just came to UCLA hoping for a little
playing
time. But after a string of injuries, he ended up starting
against USC in
1992.
Barnes, who snuck into the UCLA student section for the previous
year’s
‘SC game, didn’t merely start, he starred in his final
collegiate
appearance. The transfer from UCSB threw touchdowns of 90, 57
and 29 yards
to a little known wideout named J.J Stokes. Barnes would finish
with 353
yards, the seventh-best passing day in Bruin history.
"That was one of the real great success stories," Donahue said.
"John
Barnes was magnificent that night. Absolutely magnificent. If
you’re a UCLA
fan and you want to make yourself feel good you watch a tape of
that game.
Even the commentators were emotionally involved."
With the Rose Bowl in the balance in 1993, emotional involvement
was at
an all-time high. Despite dominating the Trojans physically,
outrushing
them 230 yards to seven, the Bruins clung to a tenuous 27-21
lead.
But after marching to the UCLA three-yard line in the closing
minute,
‘SC quarterback Rob Johnson tossed a third-and-goal pass in to
the hands of
UCLA’s Marvin Goodwin. Goodwin’s pick sealed the Bruins first
Pac-10 title
since 1986.
"The coaches told us that when USC gets down in a
first-and-goal
situation they like to run on first and second down and pass on
third
down," Goodwin said after the game. "We knew it was coming."
Holding a 12-3 halftime lead, could the Trojans have guessed
what was
coming last year? It turned out to be a 28-7 second half blitz
that handed
the Bruins a 31-19 victory. Stokes finished his UCLA career with
a 121-yard
performance while Karim Abdul-Jabbar (then Sharmon Shah) ran
through the
Trojans for 135 yards and a touchdown.
"It’s a great way to finish," Stokes said. "It’s a great feeling
knowing
I never lost to USC."
This year, the UCLA seniors would like to make a similar
announcement
following the game. Of course, playing the Rose Bowl bound
Trojans on the
heels of a two-game losing streak with a questionable
Abdul-Jabbar seems a
particularly daunting task.
Fifth-year senior Ricky Davis (31) ran for a career-high 153
yards, helping UCLA to a 27-21 victory and a Rose Bowl bid.
But everyone knows when USC plays UCLA the records can be thrown
out the
window.
"We feel we were the better team last year and we know we’re the
better
team this year," USC linebacker Errick Herrin said. "But in a
rivalry like
this it just doesn’t matter."
While the statistics won’t matter, the intangibles seemingly
always
will. The history. The crowd. The emotion. And the feeling of
taking part
in the greatest rivalry in college football.
"It’s a great thrill in every young man’s life to play in this
game,"
Donahue said. "It’s always a big game, no matter what the
situation is. I
haven’t been in one yet that I didn’t think was big. It’s an
experience
that stays with you with the rest of your life."
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