There was plenty to talk about after USC's 52-35 win over rival UCLA on Saturday, from QB Kedon Slovis' program record 515 passing yards to the receivers making more history with four guys all topping 100 yards.

And then there was USC athletic director Mike Bohn's interaction with coach Clay Helton after the game.

In the weekly First-and-10, we break down the top thoughts, takeaways, kudos and criticisms from another eventful week for the Trojans.

A couple of weeks ago in the weekly Roundtable, I mentioned that I’d need to see how Kedon Slovis handled the final two games of the regular season before making my assessment of his year. Well, 120 minutes of football later, I’m more than comfortable with my judgement. From the start of the season, I noted that I thought Slovis had elite ability; we just needed to see if he could show it consistently. After finishing four of the past five games with over 400 passing yards, I think we have an answer to that. As exciting as he was through the early season, he’s arguably been as good as any quarterback in college football over the past few weeks. Over the last three games, Slovis has racked up 1,353 yards and 12 touchdowns to go with only a single interception. On the year, he now has 3,242 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions; all with a 71.8 completion percentage. He hasn’t just been impressive for a freshman; he might genuinely be the best quarterback in the conference right now. USC has their guy for the next two years -- there should be no doubt about it.

Since the Arizona game when they were reduced to a freshman and a walk-on at running back thanks to injury, the Trojans running game found itself in a rut. USC failed to crack 100 yards on the ground in each of the last three games despite strong play from Kenan Christon. This week, Stephen Carr and Vavae Malepeai were both active together for the first time since Notre Dame, and the duo totaled 147 yards and 3 touchdowns between them on 21 carries -- solid production, albeit against a weak opponent. Carr also had a 21-yard reception. (Christon got just 2 carries for 9 yards plus a 14-yard reception). The run lanes paved by the offensive line were much bigger than the ones we’ve seen for much of the season; it’s something the unit had struggled with consistently. Whether it’s a sign of improvement or a flash in the pan against a flimsy defense is up for interpretation, but the the Trojans got the job done on the ground Saturday.

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All year long, we’ve gushed about the talent of USC’s receiver group. It’s been described as one of the best in the nation for good reason. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Michael Pittman, Tyler Vaughns, and of late, Drake London, have all been mostly spectacular down the stretch for the Trojans. To put an exclamation mark on an already fantastic season, the four receivers each posted over 100 yards -- a feat never accomplished before in school history. With 95 catches for 1,222 yards and 11 touchdowns, Pittman is a legitimate Biletnikoff Award candidate, while St. Brown and Vaughns could both join him with 1,000 yard seasons with another game still to pile up stats. And London has turned in back-to-back 100-yard games after a string of impressive performances while accelerating his emergence. This is a group we’ll remember watching for a long time; and the fact that at least half of it will return for next year (while adding high-upside wideouts like Bru McCoy and Kyle Ford) is an exciting prospect.

Jay Tufele has been a force for the Trojans all year, even if his numbers haven’t been gaudy. The defensive tackle has an incredible knack for creating penetration, with plus athleticism and an assortment of moves that many defensive tackles don’t have this early in their career. Tufele’s play has been one of the primary reasons for USC’s success against the interior run all season. Against UCLA, it seemed at times like he might have been the best player on the field. Although he finished with a modest 4 tackles with a half tackle for loss, he was in the Bruins backfield for much of the afternoon, disrupting play after play from the interior. He’s been very good all season, and the prospect of his return next year is going to make whoever the Trojans’ next DC is very happy.