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Crosstown congratulations go to UCLA. They had a good D and an even better W. They earned it.
USC suffered from uninspired play-calling and some might argue that they were looking past their arch-rival, a two touchdown underdog who hadn't beaten the Trojans since Monica Lewinsky was an intern. In reality, UCLA proved why rivalry games have nothing to do with the size of the dog in the fight, but with the size of the fight in the dog. What was supposed to be a victory parade en-route to the national championship turned into another LA traffic jam.
Rivalry is beautiful. It inspires and it pushes people and teams to their limit. Before the game, two F/A-18 Hornets flew over the stadium, and late in the game the stadium announcer introduced the pilots as Bruin alumni. As the camera panned right on the jumbotron, fans saw that their commanding officers were Trojans. Late in the fourth quarter, both teams rushed off of the sidelines and held team rallies in the middle of the field. After an event rarely witnessed in any sport, both squads were given offsetting penalties, but both got what they wanted. They sent chills through the spines of their fans and adrenaline through their own arteries. Throughout the game we also saw the evolution of the rivalry's condom t-shirts:
"Practice safe sex, make love with a Trojan."
"A Trojan is only good once, but a Bruin lasts forever."
"Hey Bruins, practice safe sex. Go F*&$ yourself."
After the condom ... err, Trojans, broke, the game gave birth to two major developments in the college football world. Find out what they are after the jump.
By beating the Trojans, UCLA did a big favor to their hosts at the Rose Bowl. Traditionally a match-up between the Pac 10 and Big 10 champions, the Rose Bowl has been punished by a BCS system that can take one or both of those teams away and insert them into other bowl games. Had USC won, the Pac 10 champion would have faced off against Big 10 Champion Ohio State ... in Arizona. Because the teams would have finished as the top two ranked programs in the country, they would have been plucked away to play the national championship there, instead of its rightful home in Pasadena. Now, the Rose Bowl is assured that USC will return on January 1 against Big 10 runner-up Michigan (rematching a classic 2005 game) or SEC powerhouse Louisiana State (who's fans are still bitter that USC split the national championship with them by winning that Rose Bowl against Michigan).
In the long run, this game may have major implications on the coaching staffs of both programs. By falling out of the hunt for his third national championship in four years, Troy is almost assured that Pete Carroll will return to coach and ignore the calls for him to return to the professional ranks. Nothing would be worse for the program than loosing the man who turned the school around from last place in the conference into back-to-back national champions. UCLA, on the other hand, can't justify the firing of Carl Dorrell, whose recent contract extension caused more celebration Downtown than in Westwood.
But they did celebrate in Westwood last night. In Troy, fans were reminded that in victory or defeat, "this, too, shall pass." Even though UCLA punched them in the mouth, USC can still walk away from the Rose Bowl with heads held high. They will return to the same place on January 1st as conference champions to play in the Grand Daddy of them all. Pete Carroll always says that the team's goal is to win the Pac 10 and go to the Rose Bowl, and they accomplished that despite having a rebuilding year and loosing two Heisman Trophy winners from the same backfield. While last year's squad lost 9 players to the NFL draft, only 6 starters on this year's squad are seniors and while they are part of the heart and soul of this team, they are not all NFL caliber. Look for improvement on both sides of the ball next year, and more bone crunching hits from future star Rey Maualuga (who's brutal hit on UCLA quarterback Patrick Cowan was perhaps the Trojan's only highlight of the game). His bruising talent is reminiscent of Trojans-turned-pro Ronnie Lott and Troy Palomalu. You can bet he'll be ready when the Bruins come to the Coliseum next year, a place where USC hasn't lost to anybody since September 2001.
scoreboard photo by ruth bruin 2002
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"What was supposed to be a victory parade en-route to the national championship turned into another LA traffic jam."
That is a pretty great line.
"USC suffered from uninspired play-calling and some might argue that they were looking past their arch-rival, a two touchdown underdog who hadn't beaten the Trojans since Monica Lewinsky was an intern."
That would be funny, if it was true. UCLA's last win against 'SC came in 1998, a few years after Lewinsky was an intern and after Bill Clinton's impeachment trial.
I wonder how much furniture Lane Kiffin bought from HD Buttercup.
Karl Dorrell's first name is spelled with a K.