UCLA
8-3 , 5-3
USC
10-1 , 8-1
No. 16 UCLA's Late Rally Falls Short
November 19, 2022 | Football
PASADENA, Calif. – No. 16 UCLA (8-3) made a valiant comeback but dropped a heartbreaker to No. 7/6 USC (10-1) in front of a sold out crowd on Saturday night at the Rose Bowl, falling 48-45.
UCLA's Dorian Thompson-Robinson accounted for all six of UCLA's touchdowns – four in the air and two on the ground – as he finished with 384 all-purpose yards in the crosstown showdown. But he had one fumble and was intercepted three times, including on the Bruins' final drive of the game.
On the other sideline, USC's Caleb Williams threw for 470 yards (32-for-43) with two TDs and one INT. He also ran for another score and rushed for 33 yards to tally a career-high 503 yards of offense.
Offensively, UCLA was led by Zach Charbonnet's 95 rushing yards (on 19 carries) and Jake Bobo's 76 receiving yards (four receptions). Kazmeir Allen had five catches for 72 yards and a score. Michael Ezeike entered the game with one receiving TD on the year and racked up three against the Trojans. Stephan Blaylock had a game-high nine solo tackles for a game-high 11 total tackles to pace the Bruins' defense.
USC was led in rushing by Austin Jones who had 120 yards and two TDs on 21 carries. Jordan Addison caught 11 passes for 178 yards and had one score for USC's attack through the air.
UCLA made two big defensive stops on USC's first two drives. On the first drive, the Bruins forced the Trojans to turn the ball over on downs after Gabriel Murphy stopped Williams on fourth and one on the UCLA 19. USC got down to the UCLA 14 on their next possession, but on second and six, the Bruin defense forced two straight incomplete passes, forcing the Trojans to attempt a 32-yard field goal, which Denis Lynch missed. After the field goal miss, the Bruins marched down the field 80 yards on a 14-play drive that culminated in a Thompson-Robinson one-yard touchdown run for the game's first score (1Q - 2:29).
Two plays later, Kain Medrano intercepted Williams and returned it 24 yards to the USC 30-yard line (1:54). On the Bruins' next play, Thompson-Robinson hit a wide open Ezeike at the USC five-yard-line who walked it in for a 30-yard TD reception, his second of the season, to put UCLA up 14-0, USC's largest deficit of the season.
USC would score the next 10 points to pull to within 14-10. USC's Williams got the Trojans on the board with a six-yard run (2Q - 11:52) and then Lynch made a 44-yard field goal (2Q - 5:45).
Thompson-Robinson engineered a six-play, 63-yard scoring drive in 1:53 that he punched in with a one-yard TD run, his second of the game and ninth of the season, to push the lead to 21-10 at the 3:48 mark of the second quarter.
The Trojans would cut the deficit to 21-20 by halftime. Jones scored on an eight-yard TD run (3:41) and then Lynch converted on another 44-yard FG try as time expired in the second quarter.
UCLA started the half with a 46-yard field goal by Nicholas Barr-Mira to increase its lead to 24-20. USC quickly answered with a 35-yard touchdown pass from Williams to Addison to take its first lead of the game with 8:50 to go in the third at 27-24. Then after a costly fumble by Thompson-Robinson at UCLA's nine-yard line, Jones ran it in two plays later from the UCLA two to put the Trojans up 34-24 (3Q - 6:36).
Thompson-Robinson put together another impressive scoring drive (eight plays, 85 yards, 2:45) to pull the Bruins to within three (34-31) when he hit Ezeike for a six-yard TD reception, his second of the game (3Q - 3:46).
USC would extend its lead to 41-31 with a 16-yard TD pass from Williams to Kyle Ford early in the fourth quarter (14:51). But on the Bruins' next possession, Thompson-Robinson needed only one play as he found Allen at the USC 31 and then Allen did the rest, scampering for a 55-yard TD reception (14:35). Allen's second TD reception of the season pulled UCLA to within three at 41-38.
The Trojans would go up by 10 again at 48-38 on a six-yard TD run by Darwin Barlow (4Q - 9:10). Thompson-Robinson could not be stopped on the Bruins' next drive as he led UCLA down the field for an eight-play, 75-yard drive that ended with the third TD reception of the game by Ezeike (three yards) to make it 48-45 with 6:38 remaining.
UCLA's defense made a huge stop on the Trojans' next possession that culminated in a sack of Williams by Laiatu Latu, forcing the first punt of the game by USC. The Bruins took possession after a fair catch at their own 11 with 2:21 to go. But Thompson-Robinson was intercepted for the third time of the game with 1:26 remaining and USC would run out the clock to preserve the win.
The Bruins close out the regular-season next week when they travel to Berkeley, Calif., to face the California Golden Bears on Friday, Nov. 25 at 1:30 p.m. on Fox.
Team Stats
USC 0, UCL 7
UCL - Thompson-Robinson,Dorian 1 yd run (Barr-Mira,Nicholas kick), 14 plays, 80 yards, TOP 04:53
USC 0, UCL 14
UCL - Ezeike,Michael 30 yd pass from Thompson-Robinson,Dorian (Barr-Mira,Nicholas kick) 1 plays, 30 yards, TOP 00:07
USC 7, UCL 14
USC - Williams,Caleb 6 yd run (Lynch,Denis kick), 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:55
USC 10, UCL 14
USC - Lynch,Denis 44 yd field goal 7 plays, 72 yards, TOP 03:13
USC 10, UCL 21
UCL - Thompson-Robinson,Dorian 1 yd run (Barr-Mira,Nicholas kick), 6 plays, 63 yards, TOP 01:53
USC 17, UCL 21
USC - Jones,Austin 8 yd run (Lynch,Denis kick), 5 plays, 79 yards, TOP 01:59
USC 20, UCL 21
USC - Lynch,Denis 49 yd field goal 3 plays, 15 yards, TOP 00:14
USC 20, UCL 24
UCL - Barr-Mira,Nicholas 46 yd field goal 11 plays, 47 yards, TOP 04:28
USC 27, UCL 24
USC - Addison,Jordan 35 yd pass from Williams,Caleb (Lynch,Denis kick) 4 plays, 65 yards, TOP 01:42
USC 34, UCL 24
USC - Jones,Austin 2 yd run (Lynch,Denis kick), 2 plays, 9 yards, TOP 00:48
USC 34, UCL 31
UCL - Ezeike,Michael 6 yd pass from Thompson-Robinson,Dorian (Barr-Mira,Nicholas kick) 8 plays, 85 yards, TOP 02:45
USC 41, UCL 31
USC - Ford,Kyle 16 yd pass from Williams,Caleb (Lynch,Denis kick) 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:55
USC 41, UCL 38
UCL - Allen,Kazmeir 55 yd pass from Thompson-Robinson,Dorian (Barr-Mira,Nicholas kick) 1 plays, 55 yards, TOP 00:11
USC 48, UCL 38
USC - Barlow,Darwin 6 yd run (Lynch,Denis kick), 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 05:25
USC 48, UCL 45
UCL - Thompson-Robinson,Dorian 3 yd pass from Thompson-Robinson,Dorian (Barr-Mira,Nicholas kick) 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:32
