USC vs. UCLA: Game Grades, Analysis for Trojans and Bruins
Brett Hundley and No. 9 UCLA reestablished their dominance over No. 19 USC Saturday night, with the Bruins pounding their way on both sides of the ball to a dominant 38-20 victory under the lights in the Rose Bowl.
The Bruins (9-2) manhandled the Trojans (7-4), outgaining them by 186 yards in the 18-point victory. Jim Mora's squad needs one more victory (against Stanford next week) to clinch the Pac-12 South. If it can do that, the team will book a trip to the conference championship game for a rematch against Oregon.
For now, though, UCLA gets to enjoy its third consecutive victory over its crosstown rival.
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How did the Trojans and the Bruins grade out from an entertaining game Saturday night?
| Pass Offense | C | D |
| Run Offense | C | D- |
| Pass Defense | C- | D- |
| Run Defense | A | A |
| Special Teams | F | F |
| Coaching | D | D |
USC Trojans Grade Analysis
Pass Offense: Most of USC's success has come through the air offensively this year, but that wasn't the case against UCLA. Cody Kessler, who came into the game as the nation's 12th-ranked passer, managed just 214 yards and one touchdown against the Bruins. Kessler threw a bad interception and failed to get anything going down the field past UCLA's secondary.
Nelson Agholor, coming off a career performance against Cal last week, hauled in just three passes for 24 yards.
Run Offense: Kessler was under constant fire all night, which hurt USC's run offense in a big way, but the Trojans running backs failed to get anything going. Javorius Allen gained just 59 yards on 14 carries—averaging a modest 4.2 yards per carry—and Justin Davis chipped in 37 yards on nine attempts. The Trojans failed to generate any big plays on the ground, as their long carry on the night went for just 12 yards.
Pass Defense: USC's pass defense got off to a great start when Anthony Sarao picked off a Brett Hundley pass and returned it 17 yards for a touchdown on UCLA’s first drive. But things turned quickly for the Trojans when Hundley found a groove. The Bruins had no trouble poking holes in USC's secondary as they finished with 326 passing yards on the night.
Run Defense: UCLA had a tough time finding holes in USC's defense early, finishing with minus-seven yards in the first quarter. USC was keyed in on Hundley as a runner, which was a big reason why UCLA only had 45 rushing yards at halftime.
That changed a bit after the break when UCLA's star quarterback broke free for a 15-yard touchdown run. But that was the biggest play the Trojans allowed on the ground, as they only gave up an average of 3.1 yards per carry to the Bruins.
Special Teams: Things got off to a bad start for USC’s special teams when Agholor muffed a punt early in the first quarter, which set UCLA up inside the 10 for an easy touchdown drive. That was the only notable special teams play from the Trojans, which is as bad as it sounds. With UCLA shutting down the offense, USC could have used a big play in the kicking game to provide a spark.
Coaching: Steve Sarkisian made some curious calls in the first half, most notably in short down-and-distance situations. He called for a fullback dive and a zone-read run when USC needed just two yards on separate, critical situations—both of which resulted in lost yards. The Trojans left valuable points on the board when they went for it on fourth down instead of kicking a chip-shot field goal late in the first quarter.
After falling behind by 10 at the break, USC didn't make any adjustments to slow down UCLA's ferocious pass rush. There were no quick screens to punish the attacking defense, and Agholor was horrendously underutilized throughout the night.
| Pass Offense | B | A- |
| Run Offense | D | C- |
| Pass Defense | A | A |
| Run Defense | A | A |
| Special Teams | B- | B- |
| Coaching | A | A |
UCLA Bruins Grade Analysis
Pass Offense: Hundley’s night got off to a rough start with the pick-six, but he bounced back in a big way. He finished the first half completing 78.9 percent of his passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns. The junior signal-caller spread it around, too, finding nine different receivers in the first two quarters.
With the blowout nature of the game, Hundley wasn't asked to do much in the second half. He still finished with 326 passing yards and three touchdowns. Wideout Thomas Duarte was explosive, leading all receivers with 95 receiving yards (and a touchdown) on just two receptions.
Run Offense: The Bruins boast a potent rushing attack because Hundley is such a dangerous threat on the ground. The quarterback came into the game with 564 rushing yards, but he only managed two yards against the Trojans.
That was a big reason for UCLA's struggles on the ground. The Bruins gained just 135 rushing yards Saturday night, which was 80 yards shy of their season average.
Pass Defense: UCLA's secondary had a tough task in stopping Kessler, Agholor and a surging Trojans passing attack, but that’s exactly what it did Saturday night. The secondary got a big boost from an inspired defensive front. UCLA came into the night averaging just 1.6 sacks per game, but it registered six against Kessler and the Trojans. That disrupted everything USC tried to establish offensively, which was a huge key to the victory.
Run Defense: USC aims to establish balance offensively, but UCLA eliminated that possibility when it raced out to a big lead early in the third quarter. That's a big reason why the Bruins were able to limit the Trojans to just eight rushing yards in the second half. Of course, that low total was as much the result of UCLA's pass rush as it was its run defense, but it was still an incredible performance from a fired-up defense. USC finished with just 61 rushing yards on 33 carries.
Special Teams: It was a quiet night for UCLA's special teams as they failed to make any big plays, but they also didn't make any huge mistakes. The Bruins did come up with Agholor's muffed punt in the first quarter, but otherwise, it was a forgettable night. Matt Mengel averaged just 33 yards on his six punts. Ka'imi Fairbairn connected on his only field-goal attempt (a 32-yard chip shot) and accounted for just 52 yards on four kick returns.
Coaching: Mora knew that he could outman and outgun USC, and he executed his game plan perfectly Saturday night. The Bruins raced out to a comfortable lead early in the third quarter and then went to work grinding out the game against an overmatched defense. He established complete control over USC with a third consecutive victory over his biggest rival.
All stats via NCAA.com.
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