A year ago, this rivalry game was the crowning achievement for Graham Harrell's USC offense.

"That's what it's supposed to look like," he said after the Trojans piled up 643 yards in a 52-35 win over UCLA, as four different receivers each topped 100 yards through the air.

That game also helped embattled head coach Clay Helton make a final pitch to his new boss, freshly-hired athletic director Mike Bohn, as he would soon be officially removed from the hot seat and given another chance to get the program moving in the right direction.

Helton and Bohn shared an emphatic embrace on the field after that game in what in hindsight felt like a pivotal moment.

So where do things stand a year later?

Well, USC is 4-0 and No. 15 in the CFP rankings in this COVID-disrupted season and have already clinched a spot in the Pac-12 championship game by virtue of Colorado's loss to Utah on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Trojans recruiting seems to be back on track as they are headed for an expected top-10 national class on Early Signing Day next week. So the two primary metrics with which to judge the program have progressing positively.

And the offense? Well, surprisingly that is the one area driving the most questions these days. It hasn't looked like it did that day last year against the Bruins, but there were signs of it at least last week as the Trojans jumped out to a 35-0 lead in a quarter and a half against Washington State last week. How they build on that Saturday will be key in delivering the verdict on that side of the ball for 2020 -- either the offense was building over the course of the season, or it was never able to overcome its offensive line/run game weakness to reach its full potential. In a 5-game regular season, the overall narrative can change quite a bit today.

But in general, this game could be more about the defenses. A year after both teams combined for 1,183 yards and 87 points, both USC and UCLA (3-2) come into this matchup having held their last two opponents under 20 points while new coordinator Todd Orlando looks to be making his impact on that side of the ball for the Trojans.

So that's the backdrop with which these rivals will meet Saturday. As always, the TrojanSports.com team weighs in on the key storylines and makes our predictions.

Ryan Young: "I pushed back against the reaction many had that the rushing performance was somehow the story of the game last weekend. It just wasn't -- USC's offensive line hadn't practiced for most of two weeks due to COVID setbacks, it was relying on two true freshmen guards making their season debuts, the Washington State defense was inviting the Trojans to throw and they piled up 35 points in a quarter and a half on the way to a 25-point win. Simply, put, conditions weren't right for a big rushing day and they smartly leaned on the pass, rushing just 16 times for 25 yards (lost sack yardage brought the net total to 5 yards). Saying all that, yeah, the run game is a problem overall. It has been all season. We've been driving that point home in this space. The Trojans have talented running backs -- that isn't the problem -- but they don't get any push up front on most plays, and it is what it is at this point. The time for hand-wringing over the running game was earlier in the season when there was still time to change it. This is the regular-season finale already -- it's not changing. It's not going to be a strength for this team at any point in 2020. The Trojans need to hope they can continue to lean on their defense and pass game to win the remaining games ahead. So, no, I don't expect a rushing renaissance Saturday, especially against an improving UCLA defense."

Tajwar Khandaker: "I think we’ve more or less seen the extent of what this USC team does on the ground. About 30 rushes per game seems to be the ceiling for Graham Harrell’s offense; we’ve seen fewer than 20 in the recent past. Against a UCLA defense that’s played the run well (allowing only 3.68 yards per carry, 33rd best nationally), I see little room for the run game to be much more successful than it has been. USC’s talented group of ball-carriers are capable of breaking big runs -- a few such plays against UCLA might make the rushing numbers a little more palatable than last week’s 5 net yards, especially as more offensive linemen return. However, this simply isn’t a unit that moves people well on the ground; they struggle to consistently produce the push necessary for a productive and reliable rushing attack. USC will struggle to run the ball against what’s probably the best run defense they’ve faced this year, and the Trojans will likely continue to lean away from the ground game as a whole."