Football Monday: UCLA vs. USC

Every postgame, Daily Bruin Sports breaks down the Bruins’ most recent game, outlining the good, the bad and the final verdict of their performance. This week, we take a closer look at UCLA’s 40-21 loss to crosstown rival USC at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

The good: Controlling the battle of big plays
The one silver lining for the Bruins in Saturday’s game was that they both gained big plays on offense and prevented big plays on defense. UCLA averaged 5.6 yards per play, while USC averaged just 4.8. Moreover, the Bruins had 18 offensive plays of 10-plus yards, while the Trojans only had 11.

Big-play control was one of the few parts of the game in which the Bruins asserted their identity over the Trojans. UCLA came into the game as a bend-but-don’t-break defense while USC entered the game with an offense predicated on big plays. Prior to Saturday, the Bruin defense ranked No. 16 in the nation in preventing “explosive drives” – drives averaging at least 10 yards per play – while the USC offense ranked No. 17 in creating ‘explosive drives.’

UCLA got the upper hand in this regard on Saturday, limiting the Trojans’ top playmaker – JuJu Smith-Schuster – to only 85 receiving yards on six catches. The Bruins also kept Trojan quarterback Cody Kessler below the 200-yard passing mark for just the third time this season.

But in the end, the big-play prevention didn’t matter. UCLA ended up losing the game because it couldn’t stop USC’s steady, consistent and efficient rushing attack.

The bad: Run defense and turnover control
It’s been pretty clear for a while now that the Bruins’ weak point is defending against the run. Arizona racked up 353 rush yards against UCLA, Stanford tallied 311 and Colorado gained 242. On Saturday, UCLA allowed 235 rushing yards on 59 USC attempts.

The Trojans didn’t use any trickery to get to their lofty rushing total – they didn’t bring in back-up quarterbacks like Utah last year or Arizona this year – they utilized a man-blocking scheme and the power run up front. UCLA’s front seven just couldn’t get a push on most plays, allowing USC to consistently gain four or five yards. The Trojans finished with a steady average of 4 yards per carry, and an average of 5 yards per carry on their 25 run plays in the second half.

Aside from the poor run defense, UCLA was troubled by turnovers for the first time in weeks, as freshman quarterback Josh Rosen threw his first interception in 245 pass attempts. Rosen was responsible for all three of the Bruins’ turnovers on the day – a fumble and two interceptions – and those three turnovers led to 14 points by USC.

The verdict: UCLA held itself back again
A recurring theme throughout this season: UCLA holding itself back. It happened in the Arizona State game – with poor play-calling on first down – and in the Washington State game – with penalties and poor play-calling in the red zone. If not for those self-imposed errors, UCLA could have been 10-1 entering the USC game, as opposed to 8-3.

In the game against the Trojans, the Bruins held themselves back in another way: turnovers. Rosen simply refused to take a sack or throw the ball away on several plays – including the strip-sack midway through the third quarter, which led to USC’s go-ahead touchdown. After that play, Rosen threw two interceptions to put the game on ice, giving USC the Victory Bell for the first time in four years.

“There’s a lot of plays that I wish I had back,” Rosen said. “I just didn’t play like myself, and that’s frustrating.”

Player of the game: USC running back Justin Davis
The Trojans won this game with their ground attack, and Justin Davis spearheaded that charge. The junior running back carried the ball a career-high 25 times for a team-high 130 yards, steadily wearing down the Bruin defense as the game went on.

Davis acted sort of like a baseball closer in this game, icing the game in the fourth quarter and preventing any chances of a Bruin comeback. On USC’s 11-play, 68-yard drive early in the fourth quarter – which put the Trojans ahead 40-21 – Davis carried the ball nine times and gained 57 yards himself.

The junior tailback finished off the game by running the ball on 15 of USC’s last 18 plays from scrimmage – not including the two kneel-downs at the end. During that 15-carry span, Davis gained 100 yards and averaged 6.7 yards per carry.

Quote of the game: Freshman quarterback Josh Rosen, on missed opportunities versus the USC defense
“I just felt like we made that (USC) defense look a lot better than they necessarily were. No shots at them at all, I just felt we didn’t execute like we could, or should have.”

Compiled by Matthew Joye, Bruin Sports senior staff.