They can take Tommy the Trojan out of the bubble wrap now.
USC scored 29 unanswered points and the No. 13 ranked Trojans defeated their crosstown rivals, UCLA, 36-14, at the Rose Bowl on Saturday night.
Redshirt freshman Sam Darnold was out for blood in his first taste of one the greatest rivalries in college football.
Darnold threw for 267 yards and two touchdowns as the Trojans kept their hopes of winning the Pac 12 South for the second consecutive year alive with the victory.
Senior De'Quan Hampton caught both touchdown passes from Darnold, his best game of the season as he saw increased due to an early injury to receiver Juju Smith-Schuster.
The Bruins brought the house down early in the game as Mike Fafaul threw two touchdowns to Jordan Lasley in the first and second quarters giving UCLA an early 14-7 lead.
Fafaul found Lasley on a slant on the Bruins opening drive, but Trojans cornerback Adore'e Jackson gave up on the play after it appeared his safety would make the tackle. Instead, the Bruins speedy wideout broke free and scampered 56 yards to the end zone.
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Well that was quick. ��
UCLA is on the board first! pic.twitter.com/XUDmS091YR — ESPN CollegeFootball (@ESPNCFB) November 20, 2016
The Trojans countered with 29 unanswered points including a 60-yard touchdown burst up the middle from Ronald Jones II.
Jones was outstanding in the rivalry game, rushing for 118 yards and two touchdowns on the night before raising the Victory Bell trophy after the game.
After missing an extra point in the first half, kicker Matt Boermeester redeemed himself with three field goals in the second half to extend the lead for the Trojans.
The Trojans dominated the time of possession nearly two-to-one as USC controlled the ball for over 43 minutes compared to the Bruins who had the ball for just 16 minutes.
USC's offense had over 500 total yards in the game, and the Trojans stingy defense held UCLA scoreless in the second half and under 300 total yards in the game.
USC defeated UCLA for the second consecutive season and head coach Clay Helton is 2-0 in the crosstown rivalry.
The Trojans have won seven straight games overall and are quickly rising up the rankings in the College Football Playoff.
The No. 13 ranked Trojans will have to defeat Notre Dame next week in another rivalry game and get an assist from the University of Utah in Boulder. If the Utes can upend the No. 10 ranked Colorado Buffaloes, USC will win the Pac 12 South. If Colorado hangs on, they will be crowned champions.
With their destiny out of their own hands, the Trojans will need a strong showing against the Fighting Irish or else they would likely be headed for another trip to the Holiday Bowl in San Diego, CA at the end of the year.
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