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UCLA Leaves Town; Town Leaves USC

Nathan Eberhardt
Nathan Eberhardt

Go Joe Bruin

On the seventh day, UCLA Football rested. But Sunday held no rest for USC, who saw their top quarterback recruit leave the program in search of a better situation.

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A Break from the Heat

After laboring away all week in San Bernardino, as temperatures rose and tempers flared, the Bruins took a much-needed respite at Bruin Woods in Lake Arrowhead, where the team cooled off and bonded* before heading back down the mountain for the second half of training camp.

* Presumably there were trust falls, lanyard keychains, and vision boards galore.

For more pictures of UCLA’s relaxing day at the lake, here’s a gallery.

Trojans Can’t Catch a Break

Meanwhile, 85 miles to the west, USC got a bit of a shock when Ricky Town, their highly touted quarterback commit – the one that some considered to be at least equal to Josh Rosen – suddenly announced that he would be leaving USC and seeking to take his talents elsewhere. Speculation is that his decision had to do with his likely position on the depth chart, but the Trojan brass was caught unawares.

While the Trojans figure to be set at quarterback for the next few years with, Cody Kessler, Max Browne and Sam Darnold, this is an embarrassing blow that takes much of the shine off of USC’s top ranked 2015 recruiting class. Additionally, as I mentioned here, this kind of thing can scare away future recruits. So much for the epic rivalry-within-the-rivalry that was supposed to define the next 4-5 years of LA football.

Next: Is Oregon's loss UCLA's gain?

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Nathan Eberhardt

Nathan Eberhardt

UCLA fan by the grace and wisdom of my dad, who taught me to love sports while sitting in Section 17 Row 71 of the Rose Bowl on fall Saturdays from the time I was four. San Francisco Giants fan by marriage since 2005 (which means I've put in my dues with some awful teams).Fulham FC fan by choice - an increasingly baffling choice, but one I stand by.