USC, UCLA trading interceptions early in Crosstown Showdown
The USC–UCLA game is off to a wild start.
After the Trojans kicked a field goal on their first possession, the teams traded interceptions on three consecutive drives.
UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson threw interceptions on his first two pass attempts. The picks were notched by Xavion Alford and Chris Steele. Alford now has three interceptions in his last two games.
True freshman Jaxon Dart got his first start for USC today, becoming the first USC quarterback to get his first start against UCLA since 1980. Unfortunately for him, his second drive was ended in a pick by Quentin Lake.
Thompson-Robinson started 0-for-4 before hitting Greg Dulcich for a 37-yard completion and Kazmeir Allen for a 45-yard score.
USC leads 10-3 in the waning minutes of the first quarter.
Stakes are low in LA
The Trojans are 4-5 and fighting to become bowl eligible. They did not play last weekend, as their game against Cal was postponed due to COVID-19 issues for the Bears. UCLA is 6-4.
The low stakes at the Coliseum are evident, as the stadium was very empty before kickoff.
Lane Kiffin joins in on rivalry banter
Earlier this week, former USC head coach Lane Kiffin joined in on the rivalry conversation.
Kiffin, who is the current Ole Miss head coach and ran the Trojans program from 2010-2013, took to Twitter on Friday and tagged former quarterback Matt Barkley in a photo commemorating the 10-year anniversary of USC’s 50-0 thrashing of the Bruins in 2011.
Barkley commented “It’s just so beautiful” at the bottom of the post, which was a reminder of a big day for the former Trojans star. He was 35-for-42 with 423 yards and six touchdown passes in the shutout. True freshman wide receiver Marqise Lee caught 13 passes for a season-high 224 yards and two touchdowns in the game.
The Trojans quarterback, who was a junior at the time, had his best season in 2011. He led all Power Five signal callers with 39 touchdowns passes. In total, Barkley threw for 3,528 yards with a passer rating of 161.2 and had just seven interceptions.
USC went 10-2 that season, but they were banned from the postseason as a result of sanctions related improper recruiting practices. Kiffin was 28-15 overall as the USC head coach and was fired in September 2013 at an airport in the now-famous “tarmac firing.”