UCLA
4-7 , 4-4
USC
8-4 , 7-2
UCLA Falls to USC, 52-35
November 23, 2019 | Football
LOS ANGELES – In the highest-scoring UCLA-USC game in 23 years, the Trojans defeated the Bruins, 52-35, at the Coliseum. UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson accounted for much of UCLA's offense, passing for 367 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 64 yards and one touchdown.
UCLA (4-7, 4-4 in the Pac-12) jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter after a nine-yard touchdown pass from Thompson-Robinson to Demetric Felton. The Bruins had their drive extended after USC was assessed a penalty for running into punter Wade Lees. Four plays later, Felton made an acrobatic move to get into the end zone for the game's first score.
The Bruins caught another break on a punt when long snapper Johnny Den Bleyker recovered a USC fumble on a return at the USC 33, but UCLA could not capitalize, turning it over three plays later on an Isaac Taylor-Stuart interception. The Trojans took the opportunity to score their first touchdown, a one-yard touchdown run by Vavae Malepeai with 1:40 left in the quarter.
Down 10-7 at the start of the second quarter, the Bruins quickly regained the lead on a three-yard Thompson-Robinson scamper with 13:16 left in the half. USC answered, however, with a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that culminated in a one-yard touchdown reception by Michael Pittman. On the Bruins' next drive, JJ Molson missed a 54-yard field goal that would have tied the game at 17-17. Instead, USC went on to score on another Kedon Slovis to Pittman touchdown pass to gain a 24-17 lead with 2:06 left in the half.
USC (8-4, 7-2) scored the first 14 points of the second half to take a 38-14 lead before the Bruins answered with consecutive touchdown passes by Thompson-Robinson. The Bruin quarterback first connected with Devin Asiasi on a 53-yard touchdown pass with 6:20 remaining in the third quarter. The reception was a career-long for Asiasi. Then with 1:54 left in the quarter, Thompson-Robinson found Chase Cota wide open in the end zone for a seven-yard score to trim USC's lead to 38-28.
The Trojans answered back quickly at the start of the fourth quarter on a 49-yard touchdown pass from Slovis to Tyler Vaughns. Undeterred, the Bruins matched the Trojans' score, going down the field in 2:29 to score on a one-yard Joshua Kelley touchdown to make it a 10-point game, 45-35. The Bruins were aided by a clutch fourth down conversion, as Thompson-Robinson scrambled out of danger before hitting Asiasi on a 21-yard pass on 4th and 17 at the USC 33.
But USC scored again on its next possession, with Stephen Carr rushing it in for two yards out for the backbreaking touchdown with 8:39 to play.
Asiasi and Philips each had career nights for the Bruins, with Asiasi finishing with a team-high and career-best 141 yards, and Philips recording career-high numbers in catches (12) and yards (123).
USC quarterback Kedon Slovis threw for a USC single-game record 515 yards, tossing four touchdowns in the game.
The Bruins will close out the season on Nov. 30 at the Rose Bowl against California at 7:30 pm.
Team Stats
UCLA 7, USC 0
UCLA - Felton, D 9 yd pass from Thmpsn-Robinson (Molson, JJ kick) 9 plays, 83 yards, TOP 3:52
UCLA 7, USC 3
USC - McGrath, Chase 31 yd field goal 6 plays, 55 yards, TOP 2:09
UCLA 7, USC 10
USC - Malepeai, Vavae 1 yd run (McGrath, Chase kick), 5 plays, 83 yards, TOP 1:42
UCLA 14, USC 10
UCLA - Thmpsn-Robinson 3 yd run (Molson, JJ kick), 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:24
UCLA 14, USC 17
USC - Pittman, Michae 1 yd pass from Slovis, Kedon (McGrath, Chase kick) 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:37
UCLA 14, USC 24
USC - Pittman, Michae 4 yd pass from Slovis, Kedon (McGrath, Chase kick) 8 plays, 64 yards, TOP 3:37
UCLA 14, USC 31
USC - London, Drake 32 yd pass from Slovis, Kedon (McGrath, Chase kick) 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:34
UCLA 14, USC 38
USC - Malepeai, Vavae 8 yd run (McGrath, Chase kick), 11 plays, 88 yards, TOP 3:26
UCLA 21, USC 38
UCLA - Asiasi, Devin 53 yd pass from Thmpsn-Robinson (Molson, JJ kick) 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:00
UCLA 28, USC 38
UCLA - Cota, Chase 7 yd pass from Thmpsn-Robinson (Molson, JJ kick) 8 plays, 73 yards, TOP 2:54
UCLA 28, USC 45
USC - Vaughns, Tyler 49 yd pass from Slovis, Kedon (McGrath, Chase kick) 5 plays, 76 yards, TOP 1:57
UCLA 35, USC 45
UCLA - Kelley, Joshua 1 yd run (Molson, JJ kick), 10 plays, 74 yards, TOP 2:29
UCLA 35, USC 52
USC - Carr, Stephen 2 yd run (McGrath, Chase kick), 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:37
