In three plays with 4:25 left in the game, Taylor Embree dropped a sure touchdown which would have brought the Bruins within a touchdown, Allen Bradford scampered 73 yards to put the game out of reach and the Trojan fans rubbed it in to the Bruin faithful with the chant, "This is our house!"
The overmatched UCLA Bruins (4-8, 2-7 Pac-10) kept it close for three and a half quarters but couldn't put enough drives together to pull off the upset the USC Trojans (8-5, 5-4 Pac-10) losing 28-14.
Why? One big reason was the Trojans' tailback and senior leader Bradford who tallied 212 yards on 28 carries. He scored one touchdown in his first appearance post-stay in Lane Kiffin's doghouse.
THREE THINGS THAT WILL MAKE YOU GO HMMMMM:
- The Drops. When your passing game is anemic, awful and downright non-existent, your receivers must help the quarterback out and catch the ball. It has plagued the Bruins all year and it is one thing that separates good teams from great teams.
- The Missing Franklin. Johnathan Franklin carried the ball 12 times for 105 yards in the first half, but just before halftime the sophomore running back for the Bruins coughed up the ball and a greedy Malcolm Smith scooped it up and ran 68 yards for a Trojans touchdown. After halftime, Franklin disappeared running the ball only one time for five yards.
- Neuheisel Owes Kai Forbath. The UCLA's all-time kick leader needed one field goal against USC to tie the NCAA record for career field goals. In an illustrious career for the Bruins, Forbath had never kicked a field goal against the Trojans. Hard to believe, isn't it? With 26 seconds left, the game out of reach and the ball on the USC 10-yard line, Neuheisel elected to go for the touchdown instead of sending his senior kicker on the field for a grand gesture.
- The Bradford Appears. How does Bradford gain 223 yards against Washington on 21 carries and then only get 31 carries in the next seven games? Bradford even had two games where he didn't step foot on the field per coach's decision. However, Bradford saved the best for last as he singlehandedly ran around, through and over the Bruin defense.
BY THE NUMBERS:
| GAME STATS | ||
| 
| |
| SCORE | 28 | 14 |
| RUSHING YARDS | 271 | 127 |
| PASSING YARDS | 203 | 230 |
| TOTAL YARDS | 474 | 357 |
| PENALTIES | 6-55 | 8-53 |
| TURNOVERS | 2 | 3 |
| TIME OF POSSESSION | 31:08 | 28:48 |
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THAT IS ALL SHE WROTE:
The 2010 season for the Bruins and the Trojans is officially over. It's safe to say that neither team could call this season a success. Changes will be made to staffs, philosophies and style before next season. At the end of the day, Trojan fans and Bruin fans can at least agree on one thing: They would rather just forget this season ever happened.
Well, at least there is only . . .
