Rivalry game incites Bruin pride

I’ve seen the best of times and I’ve seen the worst
of times.

I’ve seen an 8-game winning streak and I’ve seen
each of the last six losses in a row.

I am a 10th-year diehard Bruin fan.

My first UCLA football game in the student section was back in
1996, when a brash sophomore named Cade McNown led a 17-point
comeback that resulted in a double-overtime victory.

That was UCLA’s sixth win in a row over the Trojans, and
the first time I ever saw a grown man cry with joy.

Since then, to say that I’ve become one of UCLA’s
biggest fans would be a gross understatement.

After a decade of seeing each extreme of this rivalry, what does
the USC ““ excuse me, I mean U$C ““ game mean to me?

In short, everything.

While this is the only college rivalry that I’ve known
firsthand, I would argue that it is the best anywhere in the nation
(though I’m sure that rivalry week for Michigan-Ohio St. or
Georgia-Auburn is equally intense, as those schools are located in
separate states hundreds of miles apart).

In the battle for Los Angeles, we are reminded of our rivalry
every single day.

We live in a city divided. This is a city made of Bruins and
Trojans, and it is impossible to go out and not see our UCLA script
across someone’s chest or a shady individual clad in the
famous mustard and blood of U$C.

For better or worse, a single football game seems to do more to
define our university’s worth than any other factor.

While Bruins are proud to point out the merits of a UCLA
education and a campus not located in the ghetto, somehow the
result of this one game is the ultimate trump card. Our dominance
in almost every other sport ““ and area of life, for that
matter ““ seems to fall a distant second to becoming the
possessor of the great Victory Bell.

This week especially, there is no hiding from the rivalry. Lines
have been drawn and everyone in the city, sports fans and
non-sports fans alike, is forced to take a side.

I’m sure that I’m on the extreme end of this
situation. I’m sure that somewhere, someone out there in blue
and gold can actually tolerate the Trojans.

But that’s not me. I’m a proud card-carrying member
of The Den and live and die with my Bruins. I’ve tasted the
fruits of victory and the agony of defeat.

Nothing is sweeter than walking into USC’s house and
wiping that smug grin off its face.

On the other hand, there are few times where I’ve felt an
emptiness similar to the one that comes after taking a whipping at
the hands of the Trojans.

These moments have highlighted my career at UCLA, and at times
defined it. Some may say that I take it all too seriously, that
after all, it is just a game.

That may be true, but that’s what will make the whole
experience that much sweeter. For this week, for this game, I will
be one of thousands in the “Bruin Nation” focused on
the singular goal of beating the Trojans.

That’s what this rivalry is about. It’s about
camaraderie, friendship, school pride and memories that will last a
lifetime.

Go Bruins!

Brough is a Ph.D. candidate in

mechanical engineering. He also received his
bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UCLA.