UCLA Football: The win over USC kills the pain of going 3-8
The UCLA football team limited mistakes and put the ball in the hands of their fearless former walk-on running back as the Bruins break a three-game losing streak to USC in a 34-27 win, killing the pain of a forgetful season.
In the movie, A League of Their Own, Tom Hanks’ character, Jimmy Dugan, is full of exuberance before the team he manages, the Rockford Peaches take on the Racine Belles in the championship game. He gleefully states, “we are going to win.” In what turned out to a be a nail-biter, Rockford eventually falls to Racine. It was a similar feeling for UCLA football fans before their battle with USC on Saturday, except the outcome was different.
RELATED: Joshua Kelley’s 289 Yards Leads UCLA Past USC
I sat with my podcast partner Bill Shirley during this beautiful November game at the Rose Bowl, full of that same glee Dugan had. Bill said to me, “Mike, I just have this feeling we are going to win.” Yes, Dugan, I mean Bill. They did. UCLA defeated USC, 34-27.
More from Go Joe Bruin
- UCLA Football: It’s time for the nation to meet Dante Moore
- UCLA Football: Where are they ranked heading into week 4
- UCLA Football: Position battle breakdown for Utah showdown
- UCLA vs. Utah: Location, time, prediction, and more
- UCLA Football: Highlights from Chip Kelly’s appearance on the Jim Rome Show
The USC Trojans (5-6, 4-5) came into this game as the favorite over the UCLA Bruins (3-8, 3-5). Many picked USC to be the victor, but not by much. Even USC fans were saying that this was going to be a sloppy, mistake-filled affair. It was, to an extent, but it was also a straight-up battle.
Both teams have had their issues this season and even though it spilled into this game, it was one of the best games both teams have played in the last few weeks. The Bruins have had to adjust to a new system with first-year coach Chip Kelly, prompting their miscues. The Trojans have had similar troubles under Clay Helton in his third full season.
It was not the ideal matchup UCLA and USC fans hoped for, but like every other Crosstown Showdown, once that ball was kicked, it was all business.
USC had scored first, but it was a back and forth affair the entire game with five lead changes. JT Daniels had a spectacular game for the Trojans, torching UCLA’s pass defense for 337 yards and two touchdowns. Unfortunately, he added two crucial interceptions to his stat sheet, the second of which came on the first play after UCLA took a 28-27 lead.
Though Daniels was good, UCLA’s Joshua Kelley was better. The former walk-on had the single best performance by a Bruin against USC as he ran for 289 yards, the third most in UCLA history. Kelley’s performance not only helped the Bruins get the win over the Trojans but cemented him as a Bruin Legend. This performance also propelled him to over 1,000 yards on the season, giving him 1,078 with one more game to go.
UCLA may be 3-8 right now, but it feels like they are 11-0. A win over the Trojans can do that to you.
Wilton Speight also had a solid outing for the Bruins, throwing for 166 yards on 13/22 passing. Theo Howard and Caleb Wilson were the recipients of most of those yards, collecting 76 and 63 yards, respectively.
On the defensive side, even though UCLA gave up 449 total yards, they made some key stops when it counted. On the final Trojan drive of the game, USC had a chance to tie the game, down 34-27. The Bruins forced an incomplete pass on 4th down with 37 seconds left in the game. UCLA got the ball back, took the knee, let the clock run out and got their third victory of the season and ended their 3-game skid to USC.
“I knew it, Mike. I just had this feeling,” Bill stated after the game. It did have that feeling. Depsite their mistakes, UCLA had a legitimate chance and it turned out that our hunches were correct. Sure this wasn’t a championship battle like the Rockford Peaches were engaged in, but it sure felt like it.
Most importantly, this win, makes the pain of a down/rebuilding season go away. UCLA may be 3-8 right now, but it feels like they are 11-0. A win over the Trojans can do that to you.
UCLA now looks toward Stanford in their season finale at the Rose Bowl next week. If they get the win in that game, they will get four on the season and end an 11-game losing streak to the Cardinal. But we can worry about that on Monday. Now it is time to revel in the victory over the Trojans.