USC defeats UCLA, 40-21: Full highlights, final score and more

USC claimed the Pac-12 South with a big win at home over rival UCLA.

It had been three straight years that the UCLA Bruins had claimed Los Angeles. USC quarterback Cody Kessler had never defeated the Bruins in his time as the team’s starting quarterback. That all changed on Saturday, as the USC defense put the pressure on Josh Rosen, and the Trojans rolled to a Pac-12 South Championship at home in front of their fans.

The game got started with both teams struggling to get points, but then that all changed in the second quarter, when the Trojans got their first touchdown of the day. Trailing 7-3, the Trojans went all the way down the field and punched the ball in the end zone after some unsuccessful attempts.

UCLA would respond well to the score, as Josh Rosen found Thomas Duarte with a 19-yard pass for a touchdown. The Trojans would kick a field goal to pull within one. With some points and a little momentum, the USC defense began to feed by getting consistent pressure on the quarterback and forcing some bad throws.

Forced to punt deep near their own end zone, UCLA sent a short punt to Adoree’ Jackson, who made defenders look silly as he caught it and took it all the way back to give the Trojans the lead again, which they would hold into the half.

UCLA would regain the lead 21-20 one more time on a Paul Perkins run, but from their the rout was on in Los Angeles. After Josh Rosen was hit hard, he fumbled the ball, which Rasheem Greene took the distance to put USC on top for good.

It went from bad to worse for Rosen, as he threw an interception and turned the abll over again on the next possession. Darreus Rogers would then take a 20-yard pass from Cody Kessler and make some nifty moves into the end zone to put USC up 33-21.

USC would tack on one last score, when Kessler found Taylor McNamara all alone for a touchdown in the back of the end zone and the Trojans would go up 40-21. That would be it and the Trojans would celebrate the fact that they are moving onto compete for a conference championship.

Highlights

Three Stars

3. Damian Mama, OG, USC

All day, Mama was a force on the offensive line for the Trojans. They needed a push up front for their talented running backs to get space on the field, and Mama provided that. He was constantly moving the Bruins’ defense around and made some nice shifts to help get the Trojans’ running game going.

2. Rasheem Greene, DT, USC

The big man brought the pressure all day for the Trojans. When they needed it most, he made the play to put the Trojans on top for good, when he returned a fumble for a touchdown that really put Josh Rosen on the UCLA offense on edge for the day.

1. Adoree’ Jackson, Punt Returner, USC

Jackson is an all-around athlete with a penchant to make the big play for the Trojans. On Saturday, he did just that when he put some life into the Trojans’ offense and returned an incredible punt for the touchdown. It was a beautiful combination of finesse and speed.

Odds

USC came into the game favored by three points and covered the spread, thanks in part to a great second-half effort from all three phases of the game.

Next Week

UCLA will wait to find out what bowl game that they are going to. USC will face Stanford for the Pac-12 Championship and a shot in the Rose Bowl.