UCLA Meets Crosstown Rival USC at Rose Bowl Saturday

THE MATCHUP
The UCLA football team (4-6, 3-5 Big Ten) hosts crosstown rival USC (5-5, 3-5 Big Ten) in the Battle for LA at Rose Bowl Stadium, starting this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. PT. The first-ever Big Ten Conference meeting between the two long-time rivals will be televised on NBC. The UCLA Sports Network will broadcast the contest, which will also be aired over SiriusXM.

SERIES HISTORY
The Bruins and Trojans have split the past 12 meetings. Saturday will mark the 94th edition of the rivalry (USC’s wins in the 2004 and 2005 seasons were vacated due to NCAA penalty and are not counted in the series record of 34-50-7). Last year, UCLA prevailed over USC at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum by a score of 38-20, marking the first time winning back-to-back road meetings since taking four straight from 1991-97. The teams have met at least once each year since 1936. The first game in the series was played in 1929. UCLA leads in games played at the Rose Bowl by an 11-9 count. The last time a home team won in the rivalry was in 2018 when the Bruins defeated the Trojans at the Rose Bowl, 34-27, behind a memorable 289-yard, two-TD rushing performance by UCLA ball carrier Joshua Kelley.

LAST TIME OUT
UCLA is coming off a 31-19 setback at Washington last Friday. Quarterback Ethan Garbers completed 27 of his season-high 44 passing attempts for 267 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Linebacker Carson Schwesinger eclipsed the 100-tackle mark this season with a career-high 17 stops to bring his total to 109.

WELCOME TO THE FOS ERA
It is a year of change for UCLA football, as head coach DeShaun Foster took the reins at his alma mater Feb. 12, 2024. A member of the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame for his prowess in the Bruin offensive backfield from 1998-2001, Foster spent seven seasons in the National Football League. He piled up more that 4,500 total yards and 16 touchdowns, including a 33-yard scoring dash in Super Bowl XXXVIII as a member of the Carolina Panthers. Foster spent the previous 11 seasons — including 10 at UCLA — in the collegiate coaching ranks before being promoted from associate head coach and running backs coach.

AT A GLANCE
• LB Carson Schwesinger, a semifinalist for the Butkus Award and the Burlsworth Trophy, is the Big Ten Conference leader in total tackles (109), total tackles per game (10.9), solo tackles (69), solo tackles per game (6.9) and double-digit tackle performances (seven). Nationally, he ranks first in solo tackles and solo tackles per game and is fourth in total tackles.
• Schwesinger led the Bruins with a career-high 17 tackles at Washington (Nov. 15), which were the most by a Bruin since Jayon Brown in 2016 (19 versus Colorado on Nov. 3, 2016).
• Schwesinger eclipsed 100 tackles for the season at Washington (109), becoming the first Bruin to accomplish that feat since S Adarius Pickett in 2018 (123) and first UCLA linebacker since Kenny Young in 2017 (110). Schwesinger saw his streak of six straight double-digit tackle performances come to an end against Iowa (Nov. 8). That streak is good for the longest by a Bruin defender since Eric Kendricks in 2014, who went on to win the Butkus Award that season. Schwesinger has led UCLA in tackles in eight of 10 games in 2024.
• Schwesinger was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after notching the first two interceptions of his career in UCLA’s 20-17 win over Iowa.
• UCLA’s rushing defense ranks seventh in the nation with 100.6 yards allowed on the ground per game. Last year, the Bruins finished second in the nation in rushing defense, giving up 80.8 rushing yards per game to opponents.
• RB T.J. Harden became the first Bruin this year to top the 100-yard rushing mark, toting the ball for 125 yards on 20 carries against Iowa. It was his fourth career game with 100-plus rushing yards.
• QB Ethan Garbers threw for two touchdowns and no interceptions on 27-of-44 passing at Washington last week. He’s now thrown a touchdown pass in five straight games and multiple touchdown passes in four consecutive contests, both the longest streaks of his career. His 10 TDs since Oct. 19 are his most in a four-game span in his college career. The last Bruin QB with four straight multi-TD-pass games was Dorian Thompson-Robinson in 2022 (12 TDs in four games from Sept. 17-Oct. 8).
• WR Kwazi Gilmer was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week after having the most impactful game of his freshman campaign thus far at Nebraska (Nov. 2). The Sierra Canyon School product posted a season-high 88 receiving yards while reeling in his first career TD reception on a 48-yard grab.
• Garbers added a career-long 57-yard rush at Nebraska. Garbers has the Bruins’ two-longest runs by any player this season (57 yards, 49 yards). It was also the longest run by a UCLA QB since Dorian Thompson-Robinson had a 68-yard gain at home against Bowling Green on Sept. 3, 2022.
• Garbers was awarded UCLA’s first-ever Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week award after leading the Bruins to their first conference win in a 35-32 decision at Rutgers (Oct. 19). Garbers recorded the best statistical game of his career, setting single-game career highs in passing yards (383), passing touchdowns (four) and completion percentage (32-38, 84%). He also completed the longest pass of his career (67 yards) and made the then-longest rush of his career (49 yards), both for touchdowns.

UCLA OFFICIALLY JOINS THE BIG TEN CONFERENCE
UCLA officially joined the Big Ten Conference Aug. 2, ushering in a new era in the Bruins’ storied and illustrious athletic tradition. UCLA, along with previous conference foes Oregon, USC and Washington, have moved to an 18-team Big Ten Conference with a footprint spanning from the Pacific to the Atlantic.

UCLA’s approaching membership in the Big Ten Conference was initially announced more than two years ago, on June 30, 2022.

“The day has finally come,” said Martin Jarmond, The Alice and Nahum Lainer Family Director of Athletics. “After two years of planning and preparation, UCLA is proud and excited to join the Big Ten Conference. I am grateful for the energy and effort that has been put into shaping this pivotal move by our hard-working staff members, as well as our coaches and student-athletes. The investments we have made into our programs and student-athletes over the past 24 months have set us up to continue to compete at the elite level that defines UCLA Athletics.”

TICKETS TO UCLA HOME GAMES AT THE ROSE BOWL
Various ticket packages, including season, mini-plan and single-game tickets, for the Bruins’ inaugural Big Ten season are now available. Fans can click HERE or contact UCLA Athletics Sales and Service at (310) 206-5991 or via email at tickets@athletics.ucla.edu for more information on personalized ticket options.

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