San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
UCLA’s signature win comes in rout of USC
Dorian Thompson-Robinson romped through the Coliseum end zone during the second quarter and looked up to see a young fan in USC gear holding out a UCLA hat and a pen. On a Saturday when the Bruins quarterback seized just about every opportunity, he celebrated his touchdown with an impromptu autograph.
“When you see a kid just handing you a hat and a pen, you’ve just got to,” ThompsonRobinson said. “Second nature is to just grab it. I was glad to make that kid’s day.”
Now that’s a signature win for the fourth-year quarterback and his Bruins, who are emphatically on top again in Los Angeles’ crosstown showdown. Thompson-Robinson passed for 349 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for two more scores, and UCLA reclaimed the Victory Bell with a 62-33 victory over USC. Kazmeir Allen made two TD catches and returned a kickoff 100 yards for another score in the highest-scoring performance ever by the Bruins (7-4, 5-3 Pac-12) in 91 editions of the city rivalry game.
Kyle Philips also caught two TD passes as UCLA beat the Trojans for the first time since 2018 and won at the Coliseum for just the second time since 1997. The Bruins’ 62 points tied the most allowed in USC’s storied football history.
“It means everything,” Thompson-Robinson said. “They had our tails the last two times we played, and to really hang it up on them this time and get that win out on their turf means something special.” The Bruins romped with a wealth of big offensive plays — including 11 that went more than 20 yards, a record under coach Chip Kelly — mostly created by Thompson-Robinson,
UCLA running back Kazmeir Allen is hoisted by lineman Paul Grattan after one of his three touchdowns against USC.
who beat the Trojans as a starter for the first time in his four-year UCLA career with an afternoon of brilliance. Thompson-Robinson capped the victory with another cathartic moment on his second TD run with 3:47 to play. He gracefully hurdled a USC tackler on the way in, much to his teammates’ delight.
Thompson-Robinson rebounded from throwing interceptions on his first two passes to go 16 for 22. He has just five 300-yard passing games in his up-and-down career, but three were against USC.
Although he regretted his unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for his unplanned autograph session, ThompsonRobinson epitomized this celebratory afternoon for a program that’s finally seeing some modest fruits from its highprofile investment in Kelly nearly four years ago. UCLA is headed to its first bowl game since 2017, and this decisive victory will carry weight among alumni and in recruiting.
Jaxson Dart passed for 325 yards with two interceptions in the freshman’s debut start for USC (4-6, 3-5), which has lost four of five in the final weeks of interim coach Donte Williams’ tenure.
Vavae Malepeai rushed for a career-best three touchdowns and Gary Bryant Jr. had nine catches for 161 yards and a score, but USC’s defense yielded 609 total yards in the Trojans’ fourth loss in their last five games at the Coliseum.
Jack Lamb returned a fumble 88 yards for a touchdown, one of four turnovers created by the Buffaloes (4-7, 3-5), and the defense sealed the game with a fourth-down stop. The Buffaloes intercepted two passes by Dylan Morris and forced two fumbles. The Huskies (4-7, 3-5) outgained Colorado 426-183, converted 2 of 14 third-down opportunities and dominated time of possession. Washington is assured of its first losing season since 2009.