This post was updated Nov. 17 at 11:29 p.m.
Josh Rosen thought he had a touchdown pass, but after he released it, he saw USC safety Marvell Tell step directly into its path.
“Oh … guess I got to play defense now,” the junior quarterback said.
In a game in which UCLA (5-6, 3-5 Pac-12) and USC (10-2, 8-1) each scored three touchdowns offensively, the Bruins’ 28-23 loss came down to special teams and missed opportunities by their offense.
“We didn’t protect the ball well enough and, uncharacteristically of us, we were not very good in the red zone,” said coach Jim Mora. “It’s incredibly disappointing; it’s a very disappointed football team in (the locker room).”
USC’s first touchdown came on a trick play punt return, in which the entire team crashed toward the right sideline but receiver Michael Pittman Jr. caught the kick near the left sideline. He raced untouched to open the game’s scoring.
“I hit it, I looked up and then out of the corner of my eye, I just saw a sea of red and blue go way left and I kind of knew what was going on right away,” said redshirt junior punter Stefan Flintoft. “It’s just natural instinct to follow the returner.”
After the teams traded touchdowns, the Bruins were once again driving inside the Trojans’ red zone.
Junior running back Bolu Olorunfunmi faked a reverse to redshirt junior receiver Christian Pabico and weaved his way into the end zone, but senior left guard Najee Toran was called for a clipping penalty that negated the score. UCLA settled for a 47-yard field goal attempt, but sophomore JJ Molson’s kick fell short of the crossbar.
Turnovers were also a problem.
Rosen completed 32-of-52 passes for 421 yards and three touchdowns, but he also spoiled two solid scoring opportunities in the red zone. He was strip-sacked at the USC 17-yard line with less than a minute left in the first half, and then he threw the interception to Tell in the end zone on UCLA’s first possession of the second half.
“I really thought we won this game,” Rosen said. “We had a missed field goal, two turnovers – that’s nine points right there, we lost by five.”
Rosen’s counterpart and fellow NFL draft prospect Sam Darnold also threw an interception in opposing territory and completed 17-of-28 passes for 264 yards and no touchdowns.
USC started the game offensively, focusing on its running attack. Nine of the Trojans’ first 12 plays were on the ground, and running back Ronald Jones finished the game with 122 rushing yards – 88 in the first half – on 28 carries and two touchdowns. Darnold added a one-yard touchdown run on a read-option play in the third quarter.
Redshirt junior receiver Jordan Lasley had his second consecutive 100-yard receiving game and caught all three of Rosen’s touchdown passes. Since coming back from a suspension last week, Lasley has totaled 366 yards on 17 catches and four touchdowns.
But in the end, UCLA couldn’t overcome its struggles in the red zone.
“The fact is that when we needed it the most, we were down there and we didn’t score points,” said offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch. “We’re a better team than 23 points.”