Bruin defense proves itself against top-pick Trojans in 38-20 victory

PASADENA — With his team down three scores and a third and long in front of him, USC’s Cody Kessler had nowhere to go.

The redshirt junior quarterback took the snap, dropped back to pass and was promptly swallowed up by the UCLA defense, and with him went any doubt of who had control of Los Angeles’ intercity rivalry.

As UCLA’s offense kept scoring in its 38-20 victory over No. 19 USC, the Bruins’ pass rush kept coming after Kessler, recording a season-high six sacks in a physically dominant effort.

“We saw the weaknesses in their protection … where we could attack it and how we could really get after (Kessler). And coach just trusted us,” said redshirt senior defensive lineman Owamagbe Odighizuwa. “And that’s part of how we built that trust: just through how we practiced all week. And when we saw it on the field it just gave the coaches confidence in us and then we started dialing it up and getting home.”

Kessler felt anything but at home in the Rose Bowl as No. 9 UCLA (9-2, 6-2 Pac-12) continually bothered USC’s signal caller, often forcing him to scramble out of the pocket and settle for short dump-off passes.

Wherever Kessler went, a UCLA defender was there to greet him, as five different Bruins recorded sacks – led by Odighizuwa’s two. The redshirt senior consistently disrupted the pocket, at times rushing off the edge, at others, collapsing the pocket from inside.

Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said that Odighizuwa saw this game as an opportunity to showcase his ability, which seemed to improve as the game went on. And with it came Kessler’s discomfort.

“As we kinda got it going with our pass rush, (Kessler’s discomfort) escalated,” said redshirt senior linebacker Eric Kendricks, who made a game-altering, one-handed interception in the second quarter. “And I felt like (Kessler) started looking at the pass rush as opposed to looking downfield – and that is always what we want.”

The Bruins meanwhile felt like many looked past their pass rush, which only managed 16 sacks over the first 10 games before Saturday night’s demolition. But going against USC’s much-ballyhooed defensive front, led by likely top-10 pick junior defensive end Leonard Williams, it was UCLA’s front four that stole the show.

“I think our defensive line took it a little personally,” said coach Jim Mora. “There was a lot of talk about their defensive line and they are a great defensive line – that 94 (Williams) is a special, special player, but our guys are pretty darn good themselves.”

They were better than that against the Trojans. Coming into the weekend, USC had the conference’s top two players in all-purpose yards – junior tailback Javorius Allen and junior wide receiver Nelson Agholor, with each averaging more than 140 yards per game.

The Bruins’ secondary – who blanketed Trojan receivers for much of the game – limited Agholor to 24 yards on three receptions while the Bruin front seven held Allen to 60 yards on 14 carries and USC’s entire ground attack to 62 yards on 33 carries.

Saturday night was a far cry from the 50-0 shellacking USC put up on UCLA in 2011, as the Bruins’ defense held the Trojans to just 13 points. No. 19 USC (7-4, 6-3) scored its first touchdown by way of an interception thrown by redshirt junior quarterback Brett Hundley, while its offense went more than 37 minutes between its two scores.

For Kendricks, whose first career start came in that blowout loss three years ago, the win Saturday wasn’t about making a statement or sending a message. It was just the culmination of three season’s worth of promise and potential put on display.

“I really went in the lab and told myself I wasn’t gonna go out like that ever again,” Kendricks said. “I mean it’s awesome that we won three in a row and it’s just a testament to our hard work and dedication throughout the program.”