Redshirt freshman Isaac Taylor-Stuart had started to lose ground in USC's cornerback rotation in recent weeks, but he delivered his biggest play of the season Saturday.

While it's obscured now by the eventual 52-35 win over UCLA, the Trojans actually got off to a slow start in the rivalry showdown due to a series of special teams snafus.

The Bruins already led 7-3 when Amon-Ra St. Brown muffed a punt return, turning it back over to the visitors at the USC 33.

But three plays later, Taylor-Stuart delivered a jolt of momentum the other way by picking off UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, and the Trojans would respond with a scoring drive as the teams traded the lead early.

It was the first interception for Taylor-Stuart at USC, and it was a timely one.

"It really didn't even feel real, to be honest," he said. "I'm like, dang, did this happen? Everybody's screaming, like, oh shoot, I guess I did pick it."

Taylor-Stuart made a nice read on the play to come off his man and drop back into Thompson-Robinson's passing lane toward a different receiving cutting across the field.

After playing just 26 snaps last week at Cal (and 6 snaps vs. Arizona State), according to the PFF College data, Taylor-Stuart had a larger share of the rotation Saturday with 41 snaps compared to 57 for fellow corner Chris Steele. Olaijah Griffin played 78 snaps as the No. 1 corner.

USC DBs coach Greg Burns had acknowledged earlier in the week that he was leaning toward continuing to give Griffin and Steele a larger share of the snaps at the position.

"Just coming down to making plays," Burns said. "We're getting into tight games, must-wins and guys are working hard and as long as they're staying healthy and able to do it that's fine."

Well, Taylor-Stuart made one of the biggest plays Saturday -- and finished as USC's second highest-graded defensive player in that game (70.5), per PFF -- but he knows he still has to keep proving himself.

"Personally, just got to keep working better, just keep working out, just focus on the tape and see where I can get better," he said. "... When it's our time to go in, we just go in and ball. We've all got to do our [job] and assignments."