Bruins crank up defense to end Trojans’ championship hopes
PASADENA, Calif. – Southern California’s dejected players trudged off the Rose Bowl field, oblivious to the celebration going on around them.
Their national championship hopes had just ended.
UCLA knocked No. 2 USC out of the Bowl Championship Series title game with a stunning 13-9 victory over its crosstown rival Saturday. The Bruins did it with a vastly improved defense and a quarterback starting on three days’ notice.
“Give credit to UCLA. They made it a difficult day,” said USC coach Pete Carroll, whose team lost for just the fourth time in its last 59 games. “They kept us from doing what we wanted to do. We did not anticipate this happening.”
The Trojans hammered the Bruins 66-19 last season to lock up a second straight appearance in the BCS title game, and figured to win again.
It wasn’t to be.
“I didn’t believe it until the clock hit zero. All we wanted to do was stay close and get a chance to win,” UCLA coach Karl Dorrell said. “I know how important this win is for the Bruin family. I know that it’s been a long time.”
Since 1998, to be exact. The Trojans had beaten the Bruins seven straight times. Before that, UCLA beat USC eight times in a row.
Patrick Cowan passed for 114 yards and ran for another 55 as UCLA pulled off the upset before a crowd of 90,266.
As Pac-10 champions, the Trojans will return to this same field on New Year’s Day and play in the Rose Bowl game. The final BCS standings and bowl pairings will be announced today.
The Trojans moved into position for a potential game-winning touchdown before Eric McNeal deflected and then made a diving interception of John David Booty’s pass at the UCLA 20-yard line with 1:10 remaining. It was USC’s only turnover of the game.
“What a great way to go out in your senior year playing your last game in the Rose Bowl,” Dorrell said. “To finish your last game with an interception like that … I’m sure he’ll tell his kids someday how it ended and how he made the stop.”
Besides having their national championship hopes ended, the Trojans (10-2, 7-2 Pac-10) had their NCAA-record streak of 63 games in which they had scored 20 or more points snapped.
“I really hate it for the seniors more than anybody,” said Booty, a fourth-year junior. “The Rose Bowl is still a big-time game we are glad to be in that and we’re going to play our hearts out in that as well. But it is tough when you know what could have been.”
The Bruins (7-5, 5-4), winners of three straight, will face Florida State in the Emerald Bowl on Dec. 27.