USC falls to UCLA in frustrating loss, drops below .500

A broken looking JT Daniels grabbed his facemask in frustration and dropped into a squat following his second interception of the game that was thrown directly at a UCLA cornerback without a receiver in the vicinity. The pick in the fourth quarter served as the nail in the coffin that gave UCLA the chance to seal the Trojans’ fate in a 34-27 loss at the Rose Bowl on Saturday.

The loss drops USC to 5-6 on the season and marks the end of a three-year winning streak over the Bruins, almost certainly eliminating the Trojans from bowl eligibility with No. 3 Notre Dame entering the Coliseum next week. The matchup featured an attendance of 57,116 spectators, the lowest for a USC-UCLA matchup since 1950.

The Bruins trailed for the majority of the second half, but edged out a 97-yard drive to take the lead with 10 minutes remaining in the game. The score came by way of a 55-yard rush from junior running back Joshua Kelley, who ran through a gaping hole.

UCLA’s ensuing drive following freshman quarterback JT Daniels’ second interception resulted in a field goal, and it tacked on a field goal later in the quarter to take a 34-27 lead with over two minutes on the clock.

On USC’s final drive, Daniels’ fourth down pass from the Bruins’ 30-yard line fell incomplete, sealing the victory for UCLA.

UCLA seemed to have the momentum coming out of halftime as the Bruins were steadily working downfield. But on a 40-yard stab to the end zone, senior cornerback Isaiah Langley intercepted Speight. The Trojans converted the ensuing drive into 3 points after failing to reach the end zone.

The Trojans went into halftime leading 24-21 but their performance was far from fluid. While the Trojans dominated the passing game with 218 yards to UCLA’s 114, the Bruins more than tripled USC on the ground (1269-47).

USC drew first blood with a 46-yard field goal, but UCLA promptly took back the lead. The Bruins’ two ensuing drives resulted in touchdowns, putting UCLA up 14-3 early in the first quarter.

Both touchdowns came as a result of a big play. The first touchdown came at the hands of a 33-yard over-the-shoulder touchdown reception to junior wide receiver Theo Howard. The second was sparked by a 61-yard rush from redshirt junior running back Joshua Kelley to break into the red zone. Several plays later, graduate transfer quarterback Wilton Speight drove the ball in on a quarterback keeper.

USC saw its fair share of preventable penalties in the first half. Most notably, the Trojans suffered an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after sophomore defensive lineman Brandon Pili delivered a punch to an opposing player’s helmet. Afterwards, head coach Clay Helton yelled at Pili on the sideline, frustrated with a poor decision by one of his players.

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