While TrojanSports.com has covered the USC perspective on the matchup this weekend in our preview podcast with Trojans analyst Max Browne, our weekly staff roundtable discussion and all of our thorough team coverage through the week, we also offer you insight from the other side.
Rick Kimbrel of BruinBlitz.com joins us to lend his perspective on the state of this UCLA team and his expectations for the rivalry showdown Saturday:
1. How much is UCLA deriving from its win in this game last year?
Kimbrel: “Any win over USC makes Bruin fans smile all year long. They get to hear the Victory Bell ring at home games and get bragging rights with family and friends. I think the UCLA/USC rivalry is unique in that for both schools. Even a bad season has some redemption with a victory over the other. Some Bruins fans talk about how they knocked the Trojans out of the national championship game in 2006. So, last year’s win did a lot to heal the wounds of an otherwise forgettable season.”
2. In what ways has QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson progressed in his time with the program?
Kimbrel: “Dorian Thompson-Robinson is growing as a player, but he is still very much a work in progress. He still has accuracy and consistency issues. When DTR is on his game, he makes UCLA a tough out as we witnessed during the three-game winning streak. When he’s not UCLA is easy to beat even when they can move the ball as they did between the 20s against Utah. It is frustrating for UCLA fans because they want to see more of the good DTR. He has extreme arm talent, and he has made some NFL-type throws, but then he will make some mind-numbing decisions that usually turn into a negative play or worse a turnover.
“I think this season has been his learning process: some good, some bad. The following season, if he wins the job -- Chip Kelly always says the one who trains best in practice will play -- could be the one that sees him progress to where he is playing up to his potential, and that would be lethal to the opposition. As it stands today, he is inconsistent in his execution and decision-making, thus the 4-6 record.”
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3. The turnover-riddled loss to Utah last week aside, what turned for the Bruins from the first half of the season to that three-game win streak over Stanford, Arizona State and Colorado?
Kimbrel: ”The Bruins started to mature on both sides of the football. On the defensive end, before the winning streak, the Bruins were 12th in the conference is every major defensive category except against the run, and now the defense is no longer in the cellar defensively in any category in spite of the nightmare in Utah. The defense was able to win the line of scrimmage war in more cases than not. UCLA’s sack and tackles for loss numbers increased. The Bruin defense also did a better job creating turnovers.
“Offensively, a young offensive line that starts two true freshmen, one true sophomore, and two players who were recruited to play defense matured helping the offense to gel. It also helped that Joshua Kelley became 100-percent healthy after suffering a knee injury in training camp. Kelley is currently second in the Pac-12 in rushing yards per game, averaging 104.33. If he rushes for over 61 yards, he will surpass the 1,000-yard mark for the second straight season. Thirdly, Thompson-Robinson played his best football of the season. His execution was much better, his accuracy was better, and his decision-making was better. The team, as a whole, played better.
“When Thompson-Robinson plays well, the Bruins are a competent team. Many Bruin fans feel with better execution early in the season, games against Cincinnati, San Diego State, Arizona, and Oregon State were winnable. Still, the Bruins left too many plays on the field.”
