Tag: UCLA

Former USC offensive lineman heads to UCLA

Courtland Ford, a former Trojan, will put on UCLA powder blue this fall. We will see how it works out for him.

It’s not very often you see a players transfer between USC and UCLA (Kyle Ford being a rare exception). But it happened on Tuesday … sort of. After starting his college career with the Trojans, offensive lineman Courtland Ford spent the past two seasons at Kentucky. This week, he announced that he will be returning to Los Angeles to play his final season of college football at UCLA.

After redshirting the COVID-shortened 2020 season in his first year at USC, Ford played a key role on USC’s offensive line in 2021 and 2022. He appeared in 19 games for the Trojans over the course of the two seasons, making 11 starts. Following the 2022 campaign, however, he elected to enter the transfer portal.

Ford wound up at Kentucky, where he spent the past two years. However, his time in Lexington was hampered by injuries, and he was never really able to carve out a consistent role for himself with the Wildcats. With one more year of eligibility remaining, Ford elected to enter the portal again following the conclusion of Kentucky’s season.

Now, he is back in Los Angeles, the same city that he called home for three seasons. But this time, Ford will be on the opposite side of town, wearing UCLA blue instead of USC Cardinal and Gold.

Oregon Ducks named 3 seed in latest ESPN bracketology

In the latest ESPN bracketology outlook, the Oregon Ducks would receive an outstanding draw and play close to home out west.

If this is where the Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team ends up in March, the Ducks wouldn’t complain in the slightest.

In the latest ESPN bracketology outlook by Joe Lunardi, the Ducks would be the No. 3 seed in the West Regional and play 13-seed Princeton in Seattle. The two western sites in the first two rounds are Seattle and Denver with the West Regional being playing in San Francisco. That scenario would be ideal for the Ducks and their fans should it come to fruition.

Oregon has plenty of chances to even improve on that 4-seed as they are 9-1 on the season with Big Ten play just around the corner. The Ducks got an early taste of conference action last week as they split their first two games with a win at USC, but then a heartbreaking loss to UCLA at home.

But the non-conference action isn’t over yet as the Ducks still have Stephen F. Austin, Stanford and Weber State still on the docket before Oregon welcomes Illinois to Matthew Knight Arena on Jan. 2.

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One thing USC football fans can be thankful for in 2024

A lot of things went wrong for USC in 2024, but beating the UCLA Bruins is one thing that went right.

2024 has certainly not been the most fun year for USC football fans. The Trojans currently sit at 6-5 and have been completely out of the College Football Playoff race for over a month. With all five losses coming by seven points or fewer, it has certainly been a season full of frustration.

However, there is still one thing that USC fans can be thankful for in 2024.

When the Trojans defeated crosstown foe UCLA at the Rose Bowl this past Saturday night, it accomplished two things. Number one, it clinched bowl eligibility for USC. Number two, and perhaps just as importantly, it ensured that UCLA will NOT be going to a bowl game this winter.

Obviously, going to the Sun Bowl or Las Vegas Bowl is not the conclusion to the season that USC fans were hoping for. However, getting to play one additional game—and the extra practices that come along with it—will be an invaluable experience for the program’s younger players.

Perhaps just even sweeter for USC fans, however, Saturday’s victory handed UCLA their seventh loss of the season, ensuring that the Bruins will not be playing football in December.

There is something spitefully sweet about knowing that you were the very reason that someone you hate did not get what they want. While it is not like UCLA had any shot to go to the playoff, USC fans can hold their heads high knowing that the Trojans are the reason the Bruins’ season will conclude after this week.

To quote Kevin Malone from The Office, “It’s just nice to win one.” In a season as frustrating as 2024, USC fans should be thankful for every victory, even one as minor as this.

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USC’s big moment vs UCLA was a pass, but not by the quarterback

The fact that USC used a trick play to beat UCLA shows Lincoln Riley is at his best when he is creative, not predictable. Everyone can agree we haven’t seen enough of that.

For the past few weeks, much of the discussion surrounding USC football has surrounded the quarterback position. The UCLA football rivalry game offered a fascinating plot twist connected to big-play passing for the Trojans.

Following the loss to Washington, head coach Lincoln Riley elected to bench starter Miller Moss in favor of UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava. Through two games, the move has shown mixed results. Maiava has not exactly lit the world on fire, but he has played well enough for the Trojans to defeat both Nebraska and UCLA.

On Saturday night at the Rose Bowl, USC’s biggest play of the game was indeed a pass. It just wasn’t thrown by Maiava.

Midway through the third quarter, the Trojans trailed 13-9, and had not been able to get much going offensively. So Riley decided to pull one out of his bag of tricks.

Facing second down and 4 at the UCLA 43 yard line, Maiava took the snap and threw a backwards screen to wide receiver Makai Lemon. Lemon caught the ball and dropped back to pass himself, delivering a 39-yard dart to Ja’Kobi Lane, setting USC up with first and goal at the UCLA 4.

If the play looked at all familiar to you, that’s likely because the New England Patriots pulled off a similar trick nearly a decade ago in the AFC Divisional Playoffs against the Baltimore Ravens, with former college QB Julian Edelman playing the role of Lemon.

Following Lemon’s big throw, the Trojans punched the ball into the end zone on the next play to take a lead that they would not relinquish the rest of the night.

The play had a huge outcome on USC’s win probability. Prior to Lemon’s double pass, the Trojans had just a 37.6% chance to win the game, per ESPN analytics. After that play, it jumped to 58.6%.

We will never know what would have happened in the game had the trick play not been successful. But given how poorly the Trojans’ offense had looked prior, it was undeniably their most important one of the night.

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USC finally gets first road victory in more than a year

USC did technically win a road football game for the first time in a very long time, but of course, it was just a short drive from campus and not out of state.

Heading into Saturday’s matchup with crosstown rival UCLA, it had been more than a full calendar year since USC football had won an away game.

Entering the night, the Trojans’ last road victory had come on October 28, 2023, 392 days prior. That day, USC defeated Cal 50-49.

The Trojans dropped their final road game of the 2023 season at Oregon. They then lost their first four away contests of 2024 against Michigan, Minnesota, Maryland, and Washington.

During that time, USC did win two games away from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum against Louisville in last year’s Holiday Bowl and LSU in Las Vegas to open this year. However, those were both neutral site contests, not true road games.

Saturday night’s matchup with UCLA was not exactly a super intimidating environment, either. The Rose Bowl is actually closer to USC’s campus than it is to UCLA’s. The two teams played in front of a half-full, rain-filled stadium with a significant portion of the crowd cheering for the Trojans. Let’s also note the tarps UCLA puts over several thousand seats.

But after going nearly 400 days without a road victory, the Trojans aren’t going to get caught up in the particulars. As ugly as it was, USC’s losing streak in away games is finally over.

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Notre Dame women’s basketball receives No. 1 votes in AP Top 25 poll

The Irish are getting close to the top.

The Notre Dame women’s basketball team is looking stronger than ever, and people are starting to notice. After a huge victory in a much-anticipated game at USC over the weekend, the Irish received three No. 1 votes in the latest AP Top 25 Poll. They also moved up the rankings from six to third.

The top of the latest poll had some serious movement. After UCLA knocked off top-ranked South Carolina over the weekend, it became the new No. 1 team in the country. The Gamecocks slipped to fourth, one spot below the Irish, and the Trojans fell to sixth, one spot behind Texas. UConn remained at No. 2 from the previous week.

After the Irish play two games at the Cayman Islands Classic this weekend, they’ll return home to play the Longhorns in the ACC/SEC Challenge, open ACC play against Syracuse and then host the Huskies. After that slate, we’ll know a lot more about what we can expect from the Irish this season.

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USC’s victory over UCLA reminds us there are no style points in a rivalry game

Many parts of USC’s win over UCLA did not feel satisfying, but beating the Bruins is always delicious and should never be taken for granted. Job done.

On Saturday night, the USC Trojans defeated crosstown rival UCLA 19-13 at the Rose Bowl. USC football survived when it could have dominated.

To say that the game was not exactly pretty would be a massive understatement. The two teams traded field goals and punts for much of the night, with each team mustering just one offensive touchdown. Add in the two teams’ poor records, damp weather, a relatively sparse crowd, and it was a far cry from the instant classic the two teams played on the same exact field two years prior.

Despite the ugly showing, somehow, some way, the Trojans were able to emerge with a victory over their crosstown foes.

Had this exact game come against pretty much any other opponent, there would have been very little satisfaction among the USC fan base. But this game was not against just any opponent.

There are no style points in a rivalry game. When USC and UCLA take the field, records largely get thrown out the window. For those 3-4 hours, all that matters is beating the other team and claiming ownership of the city of Los Angeles.

After being embarrassed by the Bruins in the Coliseum last year, the Trojans desperately wanted to win this one. And although it was far from pretty, they were able to do just enough in order to do so.

There will be plenty of time down the road to scrutinize all of the mistakes that the Trojans made in this game. But for now, USC fans can enjoy the fact that even in this frustrating season, the Victory Bell will once again be painted Cardinal.

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Former USC football players react to victory over UCLA

Former USC football players reacted with a genuine and clear sense of relief when the Trojans were finally able to finish off UCLA.

On Saturday night, USC football defeated crosstown rival UCLA, 19-13. at the Rose Bowl. Following the game, numerous former USC players took to social media to celebrate the victory. This was a tense, tight game which had USC fans nervous, agitated, and uncomfortable the whole night. USC never led by more than six points at any stage of the game. The Trojans didn’t seal the win until the final two minutes. Nothing about this game was easy, which meant a lot of relief poured out when this win over the Bruins went final.

Here is what some of the more notable figures in the USC football universe had to say about the win:

Matt Barkley

“Fight On boys!!! It ain’t always pretty, but a win’s a win! #BeatthebRuins ✌️”

Jake Olson

“Ahh man this is the sweetest ugliest win. No matter how bad a season is… it gets a whole lot better when you can hear that victory bell ringing in the Coli! Bust out that paint boys and let’s beat the Irish!”

Matt Leinart

“Win is a win!”

Rey Maualuga

“USC owns the #RoseBowl”

Calen Bullock

“Fight On ✌️❤️”

The Trojans won at the Rose Bowl for the third straight game, going back to 2020’s win over UCLA. USC won in 2022 as well and then made it three in a row on Saturday night in Pasadena.

Kyle Ford doesn’t hold back emotions before facing UCLA

Kyle Ford played for USC, then for UCLA, and now he’s back at USC. No player will pour more emotion into this game than Ford, who has been through quite a ride.

Kyle Ford is certainly no stranger to the USC-UCLA football rivalry.

The Southern California native spent the first four seasons of his college career at USC. In 2022, he caught a key fourth quarter touchdown pass to help the Trojans to a 48-45 victory over their crosstown foes. But seeking more playing time ahead of the 2023 season, Ford entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, and wound up at, of all places, UCLA.

However, Ford’s time as a Bruin did not go according to plan. With UCLA going through a whirlwind of quarterbacks last season, Ford had just 236 receiving yards last season, and quickly grew unhappy. Following the year, Ford decided to transfer yet again.

Now, the wide receiver is back at USC for his sixth and final season of eligibility. Although he may not be leading the Trojans in any major statistical category, he has still served as a key veteran presence in a relatively young wide receiver room.

Now, with the Trojans set to take on UCLA this week, Ford will have an opportunity to face his former team. Earlier this week, he was asked about such.

“I’m just trying to keep all my emotions at hand like this whole week,” Ford said. “I told someone like right when the whistle blew at the end of the last game that this was the only thing on my mind.

“This is something that you know, when you transfer . . . you dream about, you sleep about.”

With a victory on Saturday, Ford could improve his record in the Crosstown Showdown to 5-1. He won three of four games against UCLA during his first stint as a Trojan, and was with the Bruins for their 38-20 win at the Coliseum last season.

Kickoff between USC and UCLA is set for 7:30 p.m. Pacific time at the Rose Bowl Saturday night.

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Taylor Mays shares his thoughts on the USC-UCLA rivalry

Taylor Mays has played in the USC-UCLA football game. This season, he will coach in it, and he’s fired up for another run at the Bruins.

Taylor Mays is no stranger to the USC football rivalry against UCLA. Having played at USC from 2006-2009, the three-time All-America safety played against the Bruins four times, going 3-1 in those matchups. Now, Mays will be on the Trojans’ sideline for the Crosstown Showdown Saturday night as USC’s assistant defensive backs coach.

Earlier this week, Mays discussed the significance of the rivalry on USC’s weekly “Trojans Live” show.

”It does have a different feel, being at the Coliseum or the Rose Bowl playing UCLA,” Mays said.

”This is one of the reasons that you come to USC, to play in an awesome rivalry game like this. I’m not even from Los Angeles, and the rivalry means everything to me.

“You wanna be in the moment and really take it all in. But then you also want to go out there and slam their face in the ground.”

With neither USC nor UCLA having a particularly successful season, the stakes of this year’s matchup are not nearly as high as in years past. However, major bragging rights are still on the line this weekend, so there will certainly be no shortage of motivation on either side.

Kickoff of the Crosstown Showdown is set for 7:30 p.m. local time on Saturday night from the Rose Bowl.

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