11-19-2017, 09:33 AM
USC head coach Clay Helton has brought stability to the football program and with that a return to normalcy in the UCLA rivalry, the Coliseum and the Pac-12. The Trojans made it back-to-back seasons with 10+ wins, back-to-back unbeaten Novembers and 16 consecutive home victories. "It's such a special place. I thought our fans were terrific tonight. There was cardinal everywhere in the stadium," Helton said about the Coliseum. "It's a hard place to play. You walk in here and you feel the ghosts."
Phase Three
While the USC offense did not have its best night, special teams provided a huge lift. Sophomore Michael Pittman Jr. took a punt back 72 yards for a touchdown on a perfectly designed play by special teams coordinator John Baxter. "We pulled out the old rat play one more time," Helton said. "We had done it against Oregon last year with success, and we always try to pull it out at least once and tonight it hit." While USC return man Ajene Harris tricked nine Bruins to run in the wrong direction, Pittman made a great sideline catch and then used his blockers to coast by the only two UCLA players on that side of the field.
Dead Zone
UCLA QB Josh Rosen put up an impressive 421 yards passing, but USC's defense held the Bruins to only 23 points despite yielding all that yardage. "Our defense did a tremendous job of bending but not breaking, coming up with big turnovers and big stops," Helton said. "I thought we got to the quarterback a little bit and got sacks tonight." The Trojans recorded four sacks to add to their national-leading total, but the two biggest plays were red zone turnovers forced by S Marvell Tell III (interception) and DL Malik Dorton (strip-sack). "Josh Rosen is an NFL quarterback for sure," said OLB Uchenna Nwosu, who had a sack and batted two passes down. "We had to contain him and execute the game plan."
Tough Sledding
UCLA came into the game with the worst rush defense in the Pac-12, but the Bruins held Ronald Jones II to 4.4 yards per carry by committing an extra man in run support. "They were playing a new defense that we didn't study on film," said C Nico Falah. "They were really loading the box, and we were a man short in the run game from an offensive line standpoint." While Jones still racked up 122 yards and 2 touchdowns, the Trojans had to rely on a methodical attack which lacked the typical explosive plays. "I thought they really came in to stop RoJo. If there's one thing I wish we had back, it was probably not hitting our deep balls. We left some out there and it was needed to sustain drives," said Helton about the offense which converted only 2 of 10 on third down. "Overall, our kids did what they had to do to win."
Senior Standouts
USC's seniors went out a winner on an emotional final Saturday at the Coliseum. "They are special men who have done a lot for our program and our football family," said Helton about the group of 18. The long jog out of the tunnel gave the seniors time to reflect on their journey. "It was a bittersweet moment, very emotional for me and my family," Falah said. "Honestly, I thought I was going to cry when I saw my family at the 50-yard line, but I didn't." All the seniors played well including Nwosu, S Chris Hawkins (game-high 10 tackles and a sack), DT Josh Fatu (2 tackles and a sack), DB Matt Lopes (3 tackles and recovered the onside kick) and WR Steven Mitchell (team-leading 4 catches for 56 yards).
Not Done Yet
The Trojans waved goodbye to the Coliseum for another year, but they still have two games to go. First though, they get a much needed bye week. "I won't know what to do with myself to be honest," said Helton about the long-awaited breather. USC's plan is to prepare for both potential Pac-12 Championship Game opponents, Stanford and Washington State, on Monday and Tuesday before taking the rest of Thanksgiving off. "Both teams are very talented, so whoever wins the Pac-12 North, we will be humbled and blessed to play," said Nwosu, who did admit that "vengeance" on Wazzu would be nice. "We're not done yet," Falah said. "We've got two more games, and our mission is to finish."
http://usctrojans.com/news/2017/11/19/us...la-23.aspx
Phase Three
While the USC offense did not have its best night, special teams provided a huge lift. Sophomore Michael Pittman Jr. took a punt back 72 yards for a touchdown on a perfectly designed play by special teams coordinator John Baxter. "We pulled out the old rat play one more time," Helton said. "We had done it against Oregon last year with success, and we always try to pull it out at least once and tonight it hit." While USC return man Ajene Harris tricked nine Bruins to run in the wrong direction, Pittman made a great sideline catch and then used his blockers to coast by the only two UCLA players on that side of the field.
Dead Zone
UCLA QB Josh Rosen put up an impressive 421 yards passing, but USC's defense held the Bruins to only 23 points despite yielding all that yardage. "Our defense did a tremendous job of bending but not breaking, coming up with big turnovers and big stops," Helton said. "I thought we got to the quarterback a little bit and got sacks tonight." The Trojans recorded four sacks to add to their national-leading total, but the two biggest plays were red zone turnovers forced by S Marvell Tell III (interception) and DL Malik Dorton (strip-sack). "Josh Rosen is an NFL quarterback for sure," said OLB Uchenna Nwosu, who had a sack and batted two passes down. "We had to contain him and execute the game plan."
Tough Sledding
UCLA came into the game with the worst rush defense in the Pac-12, but the Bruins held Ronald Jones II to 4.4 yards per carry by committing an extra man in run support. "They were playing a new defense that we didn't study on film," said C Nico Falah. "They were really loading the box, and we were a man short in the run game from an offensive line standpoint." While Jones still racked up 122 yards and 2 touchdowns, the Trojans had to rely on a methodical attack which lacked the typical explosive plays. "I thought they really came in to stop RoJo. If there's one thing I wish we had back, it was probably not hitting our deep balls. We left some out there and it was needed to sustain drives," said Helton about the offense which converted only 2 of 10 on third down. "Overall, our kids did what they had to do to win."
Senior Standouts
USC's seniors went out a winner on an emotional final Saturday at the Coliseum. "They are special men who have done a lot for our program and our football family," said Helton about the group of 18. The long jog out of the tunnel gave the seniors time to reflect on their journey. "It was a bittersweet moment, very emotional for me and my family," Falah said. "Honestly, I thought I was going to cry when I saw my family at the 50-yard line, but I didn't." All the seniors played well including Nwosu, S Chris Hawkins (game-high 10 tackles and a sack), DT Josh Fatu (2 tackles and a sack), DB Matt Lopes (3 tackles and recovered the onside kick) and WR Steven Mitchell (team-leading 4 catches for 56 yards).
Not Done Yet
The Trojans waved goodbye to the Coliseum for another year, but they still have two games to go. First though, they get a much needed bye week. "I won't know what to do with myself to be honest," said Helton about the long-awaited breather. USC's plan is to prepare for both potential Pac-12 Championship Game opponents, Stanford and Washington State, on Monday and Tuesday before taking the rest of Thanksgiving off. "Both teams are very talented, so whoever wins the Pac-12 North, we will be humbled and blessed to play," said Nwosu, who did admit that "vengeance" on Wazzu would be nice. "We're not done yet," Falah said. "We've got two more games, and our mission is to finish."
http://usctrojans.com/news/2017/11/19/us...la-23.aspx