Bruins drop crushing rivalry loss despite admirable effort

The UCLA Bruins could not come out with a win in their biggest game of the season on Saturday night against their bitter opponent, USC. Poor offensive execution and failure to make the big plays were the difference in the loss.

The UCLA Bruins (4–7) suffered a crushing loss at the Rose Bowl on Saturday night as they fell, 19–13, to their arch-rival, USC (6–5), in the Crosstown Cup. The Bruins failed to execute in the red zone and were unable to come up with the win, suffering a frustrating home loss, their seventh of the season.

The Trojans scored 10 points in the final 8 minutes of the game to steal away what would have been a season-defining victory for the Bruins. Field position was key all game as the Trojans received numerous short fields that helped them earn key points down the stretch.

The Bruins’ defense was stout in the first half, holding the Trojans to just nine points on three field objectives. They allowed just one landing in the loss, playing as well as they could to hold off a strong Trojan offense. This marks the Trojans’ lowest point total since their Week 5 loss to Minnesota (17).

Bruins senior quarterback Ethan Garbers played a very good game, tossing 265 yards and one TD. He completed 20 of 29 passes but was sacked thrice with a few coming in clutch moments when the Bruins needed a key play.

The biggest surprise for the Bruins was junior wide receiver J. Michael Sturdivant. He had played in just five games coming into the competition and posted 117 receiving yards on five catches. He made multiple sensational catches to put the Bruins in situations that they failed to execute.

Amazingly, the Bruins out-rushed their opponent as Trojans senior running back Woody Marks was limited to 76 rush yards on 18 carries. This was the lowest rushing total for Marks in the last seven games. Bruins Junior back T.J. Harden had 98 hurry yards with 37 receiving on three receptions.

The Bruins’ defense did what was necessary to win the game, but the offense simply could not find a way to score enough. It did not give up a turnover all game, albeit it turned the ball over on downs three times, including twice on its final two drives of the ballgame.

With the loss, the Bruins are eliminated from bowl eligibility and will look to finish the season stronger at home next week against Fresno State (6-5). A very frustrating loss for a team that had immense momentum heading into the game and early in the second half.