USC rolls past No. 22 UCLA 40-21
LOS ANGELES — Cody Kessler threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, and Southern California clinched the Pac-12 South title with a victory over No. 22 UCLA on Saturday in the 85th edition of their crosstown showdown.
Darreus Rogers and Taylor McNamara caught TD passes while the Trojans (8-4, 6-3 Pac-12) scored 20 consecutive points in the second half before raising the Victory Bell in the frenzied Coliseum. USC improved to 5-2 under interim coach Clay Helton and snapped its three-year losing streak in the annual city rivalry game.
USC will face Stanford next Saturday in the Trojans’ first trip to the Pac-12 title game.
Paul Perkins rushed for two touchdowns for the Bruins (8-4, 5-4), who lost to USC for the first time in coach Jim Mora’s tenure.
Adoree Jackson returned a punt 42 yards for a touchdown shortly before halftime, and Rasheem Green put the Trojans ahead to stay in the third quarter when the freshman defensive lineman returned Josh Rosen’s fumble for a 32-yard touchdown.
Rosen passed for 227 yards and hit Thomas Duarte for an early TD, but the touted freshman also threw two second-half interceptions to Iman Marshall in his first taste of the L.A. rivalry.
Kessler finally beat UCLA in his final shot, earning a lifelong highlight in the final Coliseum appearance for the Trojans’ three-year starter. USC has won five of its last six games to earn a shot at the Pac-12 title despite coach Steve Sarkisian’s midseason firing.
Serious injuries and season-long inconsistency finally caught up to UCLA, which lost two of its final three games. The Trojans grinded out 235 yards rushing against the Bruins’ beleaguered run defense.
Both teams wore their home jerseys in the revived rivalry tradition on a crisp, clear day at the Coliseum. Kessler sneaked into the end zone to cap an 85-yard USC drive early in the second.
Rosen hit Duarte for a 19-yard TD moments later, but USC’s defense finally got pressure on Rosen on consecutive plays deep in UCLA’s end late in the first half. Jackson took the ensuing short punt all the way back, showcasing his track-star speed to put the Trojans ahead 20-14.
Perkins’ second TD run capped a 78-yard drive shortly after halftime, and UCLA appeared to be taking control until USC’s Claude Pelon abruptly jarred the ball loose from Rosen, allowing freshman Green to take it to the house untouched.
Moments later, Marshall picked off a short throw for Rosen’s first interception in 245 passes since the Stanford game, the longest interception-free streak in the FBS.
Rogers’ back-shoulder TD catch put the Trojans up 33-21 entering the fourth quarter. McNamara caught a 7-yard TD pass moments later.
Justin Davis rushed for 130 yards for the Trojans, while Ronald Jones II became the top freshman rusher in USC history, surpassing Charles White’s season mark.
Utah 20, Colorado 14: Joe Williams ran for 187 yards and a touchdown as Utah closed the regular season with a victory over Colorado.
The win Saturday gave the Utes (9-3, 6-3) their best Pac-12 finish since joining the league in 2011, but there was still a feeling of emptiness after a 6-0 start and a No. 3 ranking just over a month ago.
Colorado (4-9, 1-8) ends a season in which it was more competitive than in the past, but still struggled to win games.
Utah leaned on the run game despite leading rusher Devontae Booker being out for the season with a knee injury. Quarterback Travis Wilson threw for 108 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Colorado quarterback Cade Apsay threw for 145 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions before leaving the game late in the second quarter with an injury. Jordan Gehrke threw for 113 yards, one touchdown and one interception in his absence. Nelson Spruce finished with 111 receiving yards
and a touchdown.
Washington 45, No. 20
Washington State 10: Myles Gaskin rushed for 138 yards and two touchdowns, Sidney Jones, Darren Gardenhire and Azeem Victor all returned turnovers for touchdowns in the second half and Washington became bowl eligible with a win over No. 20 Washington State on Friday.
The Huskies (6-6, 4-5 Pac-12) took all debate out of their postseason status by stemming the best passing game in the country and taking advantage of seven turnovers by the Cougars, the most by Washington State since 2009 against Hawaii.
Peyton Bender made his first college start for Washington State because of an injury to Luke Falk and looked the part of an inexperienced freshman. Bender threw for 288 yards, but the Cougars (8-4, 6-3) failed to take advantage of three good scoring opportunities in the first half.
Bender started after Falk suffered an apparent concussion last week against Colorado.
No. 17 Oregon 52, Oregon State
42: Vernon Adams threw for 366 yards and three touchdowns and No. 17 Oregon extended its winning streak to six games and closed out the regular season with a victory Friday over the rival Oregon State Beavers in the 119th Civil War game.
Royce Freeman ran for 167 yards and two touchdowns for the Ducks (9-3, 7-2 Pac-12), who will now wait to see how the postseason bowl picture shakes out. Stanford will represent the Pac-12 North in the conference championship game.
Bralon Addison caught eight passes for 106 yards and scored four touchdowns for Oregon, including a 13-yard TD run.
It was the ninth straight loss for the Beavers (2-10, 0-9), the most since 1995 when they lost 10 in a row. Oregon State did not win a conference game for the first time since 1997.