A tarnished end
Linebacker Akeem Ayers shows frustration after dropping the ball during an attempted interception in the third quarter of the Bruin’s 28-7 loss to USC Saturday.
By Andrew Howard
Nov. 30, 2009 12:12 a.m.
With 52 seconds remaining in the game, what had been a closely contested and largely docile rivalry game turned into a yet another one-sided outcome tinged with bitterness.
Leading by two touchdowns, USC’s freshman quarterback Matt Barkley took a knee, seemingly content to end the game as it stood.
Yet immediately, UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel used his first time-out, stopping the clock and forcing the USC offense to run a play.
That next play was a 48-yard touchdown pass to Damian Williams on a play-action pass to put the No. 24 Trojans (8-3, 5-3 Pac-10) up by the final score of 28-7 and send the 85,713 in attendance at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum into a frenzy.
As chants of “We are ‘SC” and “UCLA sucks” rained down from the crowd, the USC players proceed to jump up and down along their sideline. After years of playing in the shadow of the Trojans and disappointed in how a hard-fought game had ended, the Bruin players started to walk towards the middle of the field to meet the USC players, resulting in a near-brawl.
“It’s a rivalry regardless of what happens,” said Neuheisel of how the game ended. “It’s unfortunate it got to the point where it did at the end of the game because that doesn’t belong in this deal.”
Following the game, sitting in a tent set up in the players’ tunnel of the Coliseum, Neuheisel explained his decision to call a time-out with the game already decided.
“I had three time-outs,” Neuheisel said. “They took a knee on first down, I took a time-out. I was trying to make them punt and if they were going to run the ball then I maybe cause a fumble. But it’s our job to cover them. They have every right to throw the ball deep. We’ve got to cover it.”
USC coach Pete Carroll also explained his reasoning, saying “It was the heart of the competitor just battling.”
The UCLA players were of a different opinion.
Said sophomore safety Tony Dye: “To be honest with you, I was in utter shock when I saw that ball in the air. I couldn’t believe it.”
Said senior cornerback Alterraun Verner: “That’s USC. You can’t expect anything less of them due to something like that. They figured that was a good time to take a shot and they did and we got to cover down. They didn’t do anything special on that play. We just weren’t where we were supposed to be as a defense.”
Prior to that point, the game was uneventful for the most part, a result of two stellar performances by both defenses. In the first half, the Bruins (6-6, 3-6) gained just 138 yards of total offense, the Trojans 140.
“We were moving the ball fairly well throwing but we were struggling with the running game, which has been kind of who we’ve been,” said Neuheisel of his team’s 48 yards rushing in the first half.
UCLA redshirt freshman quarterback Kevin Prince, who had bounced back from a forgettable October to have a solid November, was ineffective, completing just 10 of 22 passes for 90 yards and two interceptions.
Prince’s first interception was costly for the Bruins. Midway through the first quarter with the Bruins on USC’s 38 yard line, Prince dropped back and tried to thread a pass to tight end Ryan Moya but was picked off by USC linebacker Malcolm Smith, who returned it 62 yards for a touchdown and an early 7-0 lead for the Trojans.
“I didn’t see him,” Prince said. “I wouldn’t have thrown it if I saw him.”
On a third down play early in the third quarter, Prince ran towards the far sideline and he was brought down on his right shoulder by USC defensive end Everson Griffen. A series later, with the Bruins trailing 7-0, Prince tossed another interception.
The tackle resulted in a sprained shoulder for the oft-injured Prince, who successfully pleaded with Neuheisel to return to the game on UCLA’s next series.
Two plays later, he threw a pick to USC safety Will Harris. Prince was yanked in favor of redshirt senior Kevin Craft.
Neuheisel admitted that it was a mistake on his part to let Prince return to the game.
“He was John Wayne-ing and wanting to be in there,” Neuheisel said. “I let him try.”
Prince agreed with his coach’s decision insert Craft into the game.
“Got to the point where I just felt that Kevin would be a much more help to our team than I would have been considering the pain that I was in when I was throwing,” Prince said. “I didn’t feel like I could throw the way I wanted to so I thought that Kevin gave us a better shot to win.”
With Craft at quarterback, the Bruins scored their lone touchdown of the night. Trailing 14-0 with 11:03 left in the game, the Bruins began a drive on their own 35-yard line. On a 65-yard drive, the Bruins converted two fourth downs. Running back Chane Moline capped the drive with a two-yard rush, cutting the deficit to 14-7 with 5:41 left in the game.
Craft finished the game with 98 yards on eight-of-17 passing, and 40 yards rushing.
For the Bruins, the loss was an example of too little, too late on offense.
“We left some plays out there,” sophomore wide receiver Taylor Embree said. “It took us a little while to get going. But it’s frustrating and we got to start playing how we play at the end of games early on.”
Coming into the game, the Bruins were confident in their chances against their crosstown rivals, the result of UCLA’s three-game winning streak and a USC team that looked vulnerable.
Despite the loss and the way in which events unfolded in the final minute, both UCLA coaches and players were confident in the direction the program is moving toward.
“I think anybody watching this game knows these programs aren’t far apart, other than a ball at the end of the game,” Neuheisel said. “These programs are not far apart. There was an interception returned for a touchdown that’s really the difference in the game. I believe that we can gain.”
As for the USC’s decision to run up the score?
“I don’t forget very much.”
