PASADENA, Calif. -- USC's much-anticipated rivalry showdown with UCLA on Saturday night was wildly chaotic, endlessly entertaining and everything anyone could have asked from the game between ranked crosstown foes.
There were 93 total points, 1,162 combined offensive yards, 5 turnovers (4 by the Trojans), a tense finish, a long-awaited breakthrough moment for a former five-star prospect and a whole lot of ringing the Victory Bell.
Sophomore rush end Korey Foreman dropped into coverage and intercepted UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson with 1:26 remaining in the fourth quarter for the biggest play of his young career, allowing the No. 7-ranked Trojans to close out a 48-45 win over the No. 16 Bruins in the Rose Bowl.
With the win, USC (10-1, 8-1 Pac-12) clinched its spot in the Pac-12 championship game in two weeks in Las Vegas, Nev.
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It sure felt like whichever team had the ball last would win this one -- it would have been hard to predict USC's defense would deal the decisive blow.
Meanwhile, quarterback Caleb Williams delivered his most compelling Heisman moment yet, completing 32 of 43 passes for 470 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception and rushed for 33 yards and a score.
His 503 total yards are the most by any player in the history of this rivalry series which goes all the way back to 1929 and has been played every year since 1936.
Williams was one of the last players to join the circle of Trojans around the reclaimed Victory Bell, ringing it loud for the USC fans who stayed to soak this all in with the team.
The chaos started immediately Saturday, with USC failing to score in the red zone on its first two drives. Uncharacteristic miscues from Williams, who threw only his third interception of the season, and players across the offense put USC in a 14-0 hole early, before a wild close to the half that saw the Trojans trim the deficit to just 1 point.
And in the third quarter, they seized the momentum. Williams hit a wide-open Jordan Addison for a 35-yard touchdown, and three plays later Tyrone Taleni sacked Thompson-Robinson, forcing a fumble that USC recovered at the UCLA 9, leading to a 2-yard Austin Jones touchdown and a 34-24 lead.
The Trojans led the rest of the game, but not with much breathing room as the Bruins (8-3, 5-3) made it a three-point game three times down the stretch, including a 3-yard touchdown toss from Thompson-Robinson to Michael Ezeike with 6:38 left to make it 48-45.
USC had to punt on its ensuing possession, leaving the Bruins 2:21 to try to steal the game. Instead, Foreman stole the moment and kept all the Trojans' lofty goals -- including a push for a potential College Football Playoff berth -- in play.
Scoring summary
1st Quarter
UCLA, 2:29: D. Thompson-Robinson 1-yd rush TD. (N Barr-Mira XP good) 7-0 UCLA
UCLA, 1:47: M. Ezeike 30-yd pass TD from D. Thompson-Robinson. (N. Barr-Mira XP good) 14-0 UCLA
2nd Quarter
USC, 11:52: C. Williams 6-yd rush TD. (D. Lynch XP good) 14-7 UCLA
USC, 5:45: D. Lynch 44-yd FG. 14-10 UCLA
UCLA, 3:48: D. Thompson-Robinson 1-yd TD rush (N. Barr-Mira XP) 21-10 UCLA
USC, 1:42: A. Jones 8-yd TD rush (D. Lynch XP) 21-17 UCLA
USC, 0:00: D. Lynch 49-yd FG. 21-20 UCLA
3rd Quarter
UCLA, 10:32: N. Barr-Mira 46-yd FG. 24-20 UCLA
USC, 8:50: J. Addison 35-yd pass TD from C. Williams. (D. Lynch XP) 27-24 USC
USC, 6:36: A. Jones 2-yd rush TD. (D. Lynch XP) 34-24 USC
UCLA, 3:46: M. Exeike 6-yd pass TD from D. Thompson-Robinson. (N. Barr-Mira XP) 34-31 USC
4th Quarter
USC, 14:51: K. Ford 16-yd pass TD C. Williams. (D. Lynch XP) 41-31 USC
UCLA, 14:35: K. Allen 55-yd pass TD from D. Thompson-Robinson. (N. Barr-Mira XP) 41-38 USC
USC, 9:10: D. Barlow 6-yd rush TD. (D. Lynch XP) 48-38 USC
UCLA, 6:38: M. Ezeike 3-yd pass from D. Thompson-Robinson. (N. Barr-Mira XP) 48-45
Turning point of the game
Up 48-45, USC was forced to punt the football back to the Bruins with 2:21 left in the game. In that moment, things felt like they had taken a turn for the worse for USC. UCLA had scored with ease on every possession throughout the fourth quarter, and with three timeouts remaining, it seemed like it was poised to do so once again.
The Bruins appeared to land the death blow as they marched to midfield with more than a minute left when Dorian Thompson-Robinson dropped back to pass on third-and-5 from the UCLA 43. Thompson-Robinson fired the ball short to a crossing receiver who'd gotten a step on his man, but it didn't reach his intended target. Instead, Korey Foreman, who had dropped into coverage from his rush end spot, read the play perfectly and peeled off his man to jump the route.
Foreman intercepted the pass, and effectively ended the game. The sophomore made the play of his career in that moment, winning the crosstown showdown for USC and securing its path to the conference championship.
Trojans offensive player of the game
Wide receiver Jordan Addison
Despite the inconsistencies of the USC offense from the early going, receiver Jordan Addison delivered for the team with consistency in his first extended action since the Utah game. The Trojans made an active effort to get him involved early, feeding him a steady diet of targets through the first half — both downfield and on screens underneath. The screen game was largely ineffective in the early going, but Addison made his targets downfield count, reeling in huge gains of 48, 37 and 35 yards.
He topped 100 yards in just the first half with 5 catches for 106 yards. In the early moments of the second half, Addison burst free on a wheel route from the backfield, flying past the defender for a 35-yard touchdown. He made clutch catches through the rest of the game, finishing the night with 11 receptions for 178 yards and a touchdown.
Trojans defensive player of the game
DE Tuli Tuipulotu
Tuli Tuipulotu made his presence felt throughout this game. He was a consistent presence in the Bruins' backfield, playing a big part in what was a surprisingly strong performance against Zach Charbonnet. Though the star UCLA running back managed 95 rushing yards on the night, USC was able to stifle him at key junctures throughout the game. Thanks in large part to Tuipulotu's efforts.
He was a consistent factor in the pass rush as well, managing a number of pressures on Thompson-Robinson. Though his statistical production doesn't stand out, Tuipolutu's impact on this game was critical to USC's win.
Trojans play of the game
Early in the third quarter, USC took its first lead of the game, scoring on a pass from Williams to Addison to go up 27-24. The Trojans needed to find a way to keep the Bruins from responding yet again. After the defense forced the ULCA into a third down on its own side of the field, Tyrone Taleni made a beeline straight into Thompson-Robinson, blowing him up and knocking the ball free of his hands.
After bouncing off a number of players the football rolled toward the UCLA end zone before it was eventually recovered by Latrell McCutchin. The Austin Jones touchdown that followed put USC up by 10 points, giving them the lead they'd hold for the remainder of the game.
Why the Trojans won
One word: Turnovers. The Trojans forced four of them on the night, intercepting Thompson-Robinson three times and strip-sacking him on another occasion. On a night when both teams were mostly scoring at will, those turnovers proved critical for USC to eke out the win against its rival.
Even at the end of the game, it took a clutch interception by Foreman to stop the Bruins from taking the lead and to close out the victory for the Trojans. The offense was stellar for most of the contest, thanks to a fantastic game from Williams and a strong performance by the run game, but UCLA's offense was almost equally effective for most of the night. It was the ability of the defense to make those transformative plays that made the difference for USC.
Mekhi Blackmon, Shane Lee and Foreman had the interceptions while Taleni caused the fumble.
More highlights and clips
Soundbites
USC Stats
Passing
Caleb WIlliams: 32/43, 470 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
Austin Jones: 21 carries, 120 yards, 2 TD
Caleb Williams: 8 carries, 32 yards, 1 TD
Darwin Barlow: 3 carries, 25 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Jordan Addison: 11 catches, 178 yards, 1 TD
Kyle Ford: 3 catches, 73 yards, 1 TD
Austin Jones: 4 catches, 57 yards