Jon D. Gaede | BVN Sports
In a game that used to be known as the Los Angeles City Championship dating back to 1929, 11 miles down Figueroa Street, the USC Trojans outlasted their cross-town rival UCLA Bruins 48-45 with a late fourth quarter interception by Korey Foreman (Corona Centennial High School).
Trojans now wait for their PAC 12 Championship opponent to be named
USC (10-1) keeps a potential BCS Playoff bid alive, as the Bruins (8-3) play one more at Cal and hope for a prestigious postseason bowl opportunity. Trojans play visiting Notre Dame on Saturday at the Coliseum, then wait for their PAC 12 Championship opponent to be named. That game will be played at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, on December 2.
Many great athletes made their mark on the history of this game
The annual football rivalry played at the Rose Bowl on Saturday night, has featured hundreds of All-Americans, National Champions, several Heisman Trophy winners and NFL Hall of Fame inductees, in addition to so many other great athletes who made their mark on the history of this game.
Some of the notable players include the late Junior Seau, Mike Garett, Anthony Munoz, Ken Norton Jr., Jonathan Ogden, Marcus Allen, Lynn Swann, Matt Leinart, Freeman McNeil, OJ Simpson, Reggie Bush, Ronnie Lott, Jerry Robinson, Marcedes Lewis, Bob Wakefield, Gary Beban, Chris Claiborne, Kenney Easley, Keyshawn Johnson, Ron Yary, Charles White and so many more.
Caleb Williams takes advantage of the NCAA transfer window
In 1986, after playing quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners for two years, Troy Aikman surprised many by transferring to UCLA, a move that worked out very well for UCLA and for Aikman, who was drafted number one in the 1989 NFL draft and a Hall of Fame career that followed.
Not to be outdone, USC quarterback Caleb Williams was one of 28 players who took advantage of the NCAA transfer window to come west. Williams outdid Aikman, so to speak, by bringing his Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley with him. Together, they made their mark upon this game.
USC’s Austin Jones filled in for Travis Dye
Caleb Williams, the dynamic sophomore quarterback, was 29 of 38 for 470 yards passing, plus another 32 with his quick feet. Pressured and sacked several times by a tenacious Bruin defense all night, Williams ultimately faced the sellout crowd and magnitude of the game by matching every score. USC’s running back Austin Jones filled in for the injured Travis Dye, by rushing for 120 yards and two touchdowns.
Zach Charbonnet had 95 yards on the ground and five catches
Wide Receiver Michael Ezeike had a career best three touchdowns for the Bruins, catching three of four passes thrown to him by quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Bruin running back Zach Charbonnet had 95 yards on the ground and five catches for 30 more. Thompson-Robinson completed 20 of 32 passes for 280 yards and 75 more on the ground.
Another classic game
The game was still in question when the Bruins were driving at the 1:26 mark of the fourth quarter, until the Bruins Thompson-Robinson threw his third interception to 6’5” defensive lineman Korey Foreman (Corona Centennial HS) that sealed the game. UCLA was denied an opportunity to march down the field to attempt a game tying field goal. It was certainly another classic game with back and forth scoring and 96 total points.