Paltry offering of competition served up by USC is not representative of path to NCAA

The UCLA–USC rivalry is just ugly these days. I couldn’t even find the heart to Tweet any jokes, so you know it was a rough viewing.

In the end, you got the sense that this was little more than a tune-up game for the Bruins, who would be well-served to win out in their remaining games to generate some end-of-season momentum and secure a more comfortable spot in the postseason Pac-12 tournament.

It could be the most trying stretch of games of the season for UCLA, which travels across the country to face St. John’s on Saturday, faces the Arizona schools on the road next week, and then finishes the regular season by hosting the Washington schools at home. UCLA should win at least three of those games at the bare minimum ““ the concern is, outside of St. John’s, nearly all of those teams are in the same boat: fighting tooth-and-nail for optimal seeding in the Pac-12 tournament.

What that means is that it’s gut-check time for UCLA. It’s time to dig deep. Time to discover some heart, and I have just the right kind of inspirational story to pass along.

It’s late in the afternoon on Monday, and I’m walking down Landfair Avenue with one of my roommates, though it feels more like I’m escorting a gladiator out of the tunnel into the Colosseum.

See, Tyler Chuck is embarking on one of the most primal forms of competition imaginable: a French fry eat-off.

Gut-check time? No doubt; nothing tests the limits of your gut like stuffing it with a pound and a half of cheap potatoes. You want heart? This is where you’ll find it; only the strongest of hearts could survive this artery-clogging gauntlet of gorging.

As I escort Tyler down to the apartment where his fate will be determined, I reflect on the nature of competition.

My pockets are packed with aspirin, my back and legs stretching and preparing to carry a comatose companion, my fingers twitching as if they were wielding defibrillators like a set of nunchucks. I’m hoping that comparison isn’t an omen, that None-Chuck won’t be the imminent state of my roommate’s life.

An hour or so later, the man is victorious. He looks horrible and he feels worse, but sometimes those are the side effects of triumph.

I spent the competition shouting encouraging “come on Chuck!”s, and given the amount of food consumed I feel like I’m talking to Charles Barkley.

The return walk up Landfair is victorious, meritorious and laborious. Tyler makes a move to sit down, and I have to catch myself before yelling “Up, Chuck!” because you put those words together and that’s the last command he needs to hear at this point.

We make it home. He has persevered. Was it difficult? Yes. Did it stretch him to his limits? Yes. Did he need some support to make it through? Yes.

I think this UCLA team has it in them to make a run, at least in terms of skill, or perhaps more importantly because of the shortage of dominant teams in this conference.

But it’s going to take guts, and it’s going to take heart, and the Bruins need to prove that they still possess those attributes in abundance.

They need to prove it to their fans, because it’s going to take support, too.

Last night’s win over USC was an unexciting appetizer, but now UCLA is hitting the meat of its schedule, with fries on the side and maybe some sweetness in the end.

If his columns slow your heart rate and elevate your blood pressure, email Eshoff at [email protected].