The 79th edition of the USC-UCLA rivalry took awhile to get exciting.
But once it did -- whoa nelly, this one will be remembered for a long time.
The game went from ho-hum to hog-wild in the span of minutes at the end of the fourth quarter. It all started when the Trojans, up 21-7, regained possession of the ball at the Bruin 47-yard line with 54 seconds remaining. Hoping to run out the clock in two plays, USC coaches called for Matt Barkley to take a knee. He did so, but then UCLA, down two touchdowns with less than a minute remaining, immediately and inexplicably called timeout.
Play-caller Jeremy Bates, who had already taken off his headset assuming the game would be over in a matter of seconds, turned to Coach Carroll and, with a smile, asked, "Can we?"
Carroll, who later called Bates and himself "two of the most competitive people you've ever seen," happily consented, and a play-action pass was signaled in to Barkley. The quarterback launched a perfect 48-yard bomb to Damian Williams in the end zone to give the Trojans a three-score lead and set off a riotous celebration on the USC sideline. Once the extra point was nailed, the knife had been dug into the UCLA wound, the fork had been stuck into the Bruins and the coffin had been sealed shut.
The Trojans' party continued on along the sideline, as players hopped around chanting the White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" song. The USC party reached a boiling point, though, when the players turned away from themselves and toward the UCLA sideline, creating a scene that closely mirrored what happened during the 2008 rivalry matchup at the Rose Bowl, when both teams marched out toward midfield threatening a fight after the Trojans celebrated on their sideline.
Referees and coaches were able to keep the players at bay, but the chaos definitely turned a workmanlike win into a memorable night.
From that point on, coaches were adamant with the team about maintaining composure during the final seconds of the game. Carroll called the players together to remind them that fighting would result in a suspension by the Pac-10, so everyone had to be responsible for one another and keep teammates out of trouble.
"Be smart," Carroll said.
Offensive line coach Pat Ruel had some words of his own to share with the team: "Don't do anything stupid. Represent this university with class."
Coaches also restricted players from participating in the usual handshakes with the opponent after the game, instead funneling the Trojans to the east end zone for the traditional post-victory fight song with the band.
Once in the locker room, Carroll was both remorseful and excited for what transpired in the game's final minute, especially regarding the touchdown pass following the UCLA timeout.
"In the heat of a competitive moment like that, sometimes you don't think as clearly," Carroll told his team. "But it was a hell of an executed play from start to finish.
"And you're either competing or you're not."
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