Third-down failures play major role in football’s loss to USC

The most memorable of UCLA’s third-down foibles Saturday night came early in the second quarter, when USC running back Ronald Jones II burst through the line on a third-and-one and scampered 60 yards to the end zone to tie the game at 14. That play seemed to shift the momentum of the game, as the […]

UCLA football suffers 36-14 defeat to rival school USC

This post was updated Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. Mike Fafaul laid on the cool grass looking at the quiet and empty stands. The only person in sight was offensive lineman Conor McDermott, lying inches away from him. The redshirt seniors were taking in their final moments at the Rose Bowl after yet another game in an […]

UCLA football looks to salvage subpar season heading into USC game

This time last year, everything was on the line for the UCLA and USC football teams. On top of bragging rights in the crosstown rivalry, the winner would clinch the Pac-12 South and move onto the championship game against Stanford. Now, the stakes are different. After whirlwind seasons, one team is still hanging onto its […]

UCLA’s Kennedy Polamalu builds rivalry-laden career from both sides

He didn’t want to talk about them, but his face made it clear: Offensive coordinator Kennedy Polamalu has plenty of rivalry stories. Saturday’s rendition of the USC-UCLA rivalry will mark the 16th of Polamalu’s career. He’s 10-5 all-time, though he was a Trojan for 11 of those matchups, four as a player and seven as […]

Football scouting report: USC

This weekend, UCLA (4-6, 2-5 Pac-12) will have its annual matchup with crosstown rival USC (7-3, 6-2). Here’s a breakdown of what you should expect from the No. 13-ranked Trojans come Saturday. USC’s offense Base formations: Shotgun with 11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR) Run/pass ratio: 52.4 percent run, 47.6 percent pass Strengths: […]