USC clinches Pac-12 South title with 40-21 win against UCLA
USC is heading to its first Pac-12 title game courtesy of Saturday’s 40-21 win against rival UCLA.
Saturday’s game was a de facto Pac-12 South championship game with the winner of the contest heading to Santa Clara to play Stanford for the conference title. The game was close early, with the two teams trading points through much of the first half. However, a 42-yard punt return late in the second quarter gave the Trojans a 20-14 lead and momentum heading into the half.
UCLA tried to steal that momentum back early with a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Paul Perkins, which gave the Bruins a 21-20 lead. It would be their last lead of the game.
UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen lost a fumble and threw an interception on the Bruins’ next two possessions and the Trojans turned both mistakes into touchdowns. Rasheem Green picked up the Rosen fumble and ran it 31 yards into the end zone. Darreus Rodgers hauled in a 20-yard touchdown pass to complete an eight-play drive following the interception. Rosen’s interception marked his first in 245 passes. He actually threw two on the day and had a couple potential interceptions dropped.
Those two mistakes in the third quarter were all USC would need to tighten the screws against the Bruins and take control of the game. UCLA had trouble mounting any sort of offense and USC almost exclusively used its running game in the fourth quarter to whittle down the clock. Kessler threw three passes in the quarter, including a 7-yard touchdown pass to Taylor McNamara. Otherwise, USC ran the ball 18 times in the quarter.
The win marked USC’s first against the Bruins in four straight seasons and the Trojans’ first-ever Pac-12 title game berth. USC last won a Pac-12 title in 2008, but has never won a divisional title since divisions were formed prior to the 2011 season.
The Trojans will meet up with Stanford, which defeated USC 41-31 in Los Angeles on Sept. 20. The Cardinal face Notre Dame on Saturday in what likely will be a College Football Playoff elimination game. If Stanford beats Notre Dame and USC — and some other teams lose — the Cardinal could find themselves in the top four.
For more USC news, visit TrojanSports.com.
For more UCLA news, visit BruinSportsReport.com.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
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