USC Rose Bowl-bound after taking down rival UCLA
Looking for
Rose Bowl Tickets?
Barrys Tickets Service has 5 Los Angeles locations to serve you. They have been in business since 1985.
The also carry
BCS Championships Tickets,
Fiesta Bowl Tickets and all
other Concerts, Sports, and Theater tickets.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Southern California is Rose Bowl-bound again thanks to another late-season surge capped by a convincing victory over its biggest rival.
UCLA, meanwhile, might soon be making a coaching change.
John David Booty passed for 206 yards and one touchdown, USC rushed for another 231 yards, and the Trojans beat the Bruins 24-7 Saturday to assure themselves a date in Pasadena on New Year's Day.
The Trojans (10-2, 7-2 Pac-10) won their final four regular-season games to earn an unprecedented sixth consecutive conference championship. It also gives them their third consecutive Rose Bowl berth and a sixth appearance in a BCS bowl.
USC has a 25-1 record in regular-season games played in November and December since coach Pete Carroll was hired in 2001. The only loss was a 13-9 setback to UCLA last year, snapping the Trojans' seven-game winning streak against their crosstown rivals.
The Trojans certainly gained a measure of revenge in this game -- their fifth straight triumph over UCLA at the Los Angeles Coliseum, where they've won 38 of their last 39 games. USC has outscored the Bruins 181-55 in those five games.
This could have been the last game for the Trojans at the Coliseum, their home since 1923. USC's latest lease has expired, and frustrated by a lack of progress in negotiations for a long-term deal, the university has been negotiating with Rose Bowl officials to play there next season.
Meanwhile, fifth-year UCLA coach Karl Dorrell's job appears in jeopardy. The Bruins (6-6, 5-4) entered the season with 20 returning starters and high expectations. Erratic play caused at least in part by injuries to several key players including quarterbacks Ben Olson and Patrick Cowan short-circuited their hopes.
Dorrell was given a one-year extension last February to put him under contract through the 2011 season, but athletic director Dan Guerrero said several weeks ago he'd evaluate the program at season's end.
John David Booty completed 21 of 36 passes with one interception. Freshman Joe Mcknight gained 89 yards on 13 carries; Stafon Johnson picked up 73 yards on 15 carries, and Chauncey Washington rushed for 66 yards on 13 attempts.
USC gained 437 yards to UCLA's 168. Cowan, playing for the first time since suffering a concussion and partially collapsed right lung Nov. 3, was 13-of-24 for 156 yards before being relieved by Olson midway through the fourth quarter. Chris Markey gained 49 yards on 17 carries.
The Trojans led 17-7 late in the third quarter when the teams combined for three turnovers in a span of 80 seconds, with the third an interception by USC's Terrell Thomas at the Bruins' 43.
That led to a game-clinching 12-yard touchdown pass from John David Booty to Fred Davis with 12:03 remaining. Neither team threatened after that.
The Trojans dominated the first half, outgaining the Bruins 243 yards to 101, but their lead was only 10 points.
Joe Mcknight scored on a 5-yard run midway through the first quarter, going into the end zone two plays after Keith Rivers recovered a fumble by Markey at the UCLA 32.
The Trojans made it 14-0 early in the second period on Washington's 10-yard run, capping a 12-play, 79-yard drive. The TD came two plays after Korey Bosworth was penalized for roughing the passer after John David Booty threw an incompletion on third-and-12.
David Buehler added a 46-yard field goal with 45 seconds left before halftime, but the Bruins then moved 65 yards on five plays, scoring on a 9-yard pass from Cowan to Dominique Johnson with seven seconds remaining in the half to make it 17-7.
UCLA had only one first down before the scoring drive, and just 10 total to USC's 26.
The Bruins lost two fumbles and punted three times in the first period, but the Trojans blew two scoring opportunities. Washington was stopped for no gain by Jess Ward on fourth-and-1 at the UCLA 24, and Buehler missed a 40-yard field goal.
The game was played before a crowd of 91,553.
See more at http://sports.espn.go.com
