Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Soprano's50% off! $25 for $50 worth of Food & Drink or for purchase of $50 Gift Certificate at Soprano's Italian Restaurant!

By JANIS CARR

LOS ANGELES ? After stumbling to a 1-4 start, UCLA took steps Monday to right its season with a 62-39 victory against Pepperdine in front of a sparse crowd at the L.A. Sports Arena.

The nonconference victory ? the Bruins' first against a Division I opponent ? won't fix all the Bruins' problems, but the lopsided game served as a reminder of how good the team can be when everything works smoothly.

Article Tab: image1-UCLA gets it right against Pepperdine

"Getting a win was very important," Coach Ben Howland said. "We were dying to get a win. We have to play with that kind of desire every time to be successful."

The early going has been rough for the Bruins, who lost their first two games ? to Loyola Marymount then to Middle Tennessee State. They then went to the Maui Invitational, where they won just one of three games.

But they seemed to put all that behind them Monday and focus their energies on Pepperdine (3-3).

UCLA, picked to finish first in the Pac-12, went on a 20-2 run in the first half, smothered the Waves at the other end and built a 26-9 lead late in the first half. The Bruins led, 28-11, at halftime.

The Waves pulled to 12 points back in the second half but couldn't get any closer as the Bruins pulled away in the final 10 minutes.

"We're on the path to being a very good team," UCLA's David Wear said.

Lazeric Jones led the Bruins with 14 points, while David Wear and Norman Powell each contributed 10 points. Travis Wear pulled down 10 rebounds despite losing two teeth in a collision.

Reeves Nelson picked up two fouls in two minutes during the first half and returned to the bench, where he started the game.

On Sunday, Howland said the troubled forward would not start "any time soon" because of his attitude and disciplinary issues.

Nelson missed the team bus to Los Angeles International Airport for the flight to Hawaii, and then he missed a players banquet that preceded UCLA's opener of the Maui Invitational. As punishment, Howland sat Nelson for the first half of that game. He came off the bench in the other two games in Hawaii.

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Surreal scene greets Neuheisel on day of firing

Soprano's50% off! $25 for $50 worth of Food & Drink or for purchase of $50 Gift Certificate at Soprano's Italian Restaurant!

LOS ANGELES ? Rick Neuheisel arrived for work on the UCLA campus Monday morning to find a group of protesters' tents propped up beneath his second floor office of the Morgan Center.

The UCLA athletic department office complex was surrounded by security guards and barricades because of concerns about protesters storming the building to disrupt a board of regents conference call. The building's conference room was the police command center.

It was in the midst of this surreal setting that Neuheisel walked into UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero's office. Less than 24 hours earlier, Neuheisel insisted UCLA had "moved the needle" enough during his tenure to stay on the job for the 2012 season. Guerrero didn't agree, firing Neuheisel after he had four seasons at his alma mater to try to deliver on his promise to return UCLA to national prominence.

Neuheisel will coach the Bruins in the Pac-12 championship game at Oregon on Friday night. UCLA offensive coordinator Mike Johnson would serve as an interim coach should the Bruins play in a bowl.

"This has kind of hit me between the eyes here a little bit," Neuheisel said of Guerrero's decision.

Maybe it shouldn't have. Guerrero weighed firing Neuheisel after the season since a bench-clearing brawl marred a prime time television 48-12 loss at Arizona on Oct. 20, but Guerrero held off making a final decision.

"I wanted to give Rick the opportunity to see if he could turn this around," Guerrero said.

But shortly after returning home late Saturday night following USC's 50-0 romp against the Bruins, Guerrero decided he had seen enough.

"The bottom line is the last two years of his tenure here we're very similar to the first two years and that just wasn't moving the needle enough," Guerrero said.

Two days after a 50-0 loss to USC, Neuheisel was gone.

"I thanked Dan for the opportunity," Neuheisel said. "I don't need reasons and all that kind of stuff. Certainly when you're the UCLA coach, you'd like to play better against USC. I know that. We had our chances, but when you lose in the fashion we did, that's a difficult pill to swallow."

Guerrero informed Bruin players via Twitter around 9:45 a.m. Monday and then met with 30 to 40 players in person at 11 a.m.

"How many of you came to UCLA to go 6-6?" Guerrero asked the players.

"Not one of them raised their hands," he said.

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Vincent Bonsignore: Mike Leach should be UCLA's next football coach

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Curtis McNeal highlight reel from 2011.

UCLA Coach Rick Neuheisel is a class act in face of firing

#) 1 Because if we don't get him, guess what? He'll go to ASU or Wazzu and drop half-a-hundred

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5 observations on USC's finale, season and future

Updated: Incredible Professionalism From Neuheisel, Reminder on Our Coaching Criteria

Matt Barkley Named Pac-12 POY

Normally stoic Kiffin emotional about USC's finish

By MICHAEL LEV / THE REGISTER

USC's resounding 50-0 victory over rival UCLA in the season finale Saturday night didn't clinch a berth in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

But the 2011 Trojans secured a spot in Lane Kiffin's heart.

USC coach Lane Kiffin hugs quarterback Matt Barkley near the end of the Trojans' 50-0 victory over UCLA on Saturday night.

ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE REGISTER

The second-year coach was unusually emotional while discussing his team after the triumph that capped a 10-2 season and lifted USC into a tie for ninth in the latest AP Top 25.

The following afternoon, his feelings for a squad that overcame NCAA sanctions hadn't changed. Kiffin was especially appreciative of the way the Trojans finished off the Bruins.

"It's the last memory our fans will have of this unique group of guys," Kiffin said Sunday, "guys who had a chance to leave the program, like others did, but they stayed.

"To lead the team through these dark clouds and come out of it like this, put us back in the top 10, it's very special."

Skeptics wondered where USC would find motivation without a bowl berth in play for the second consecutive season. Junior quarterback Matt Barkley said there was plenty at stake.

"Oh, man, we were playing for a lot," Barkley said. "Playing for each other. ... Playing for this university. Playing for the history of this program. Playing for personal pride."

The Trojans also badly wanted to beat the Bruins, especially after word got around Heritage Hall that UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said his program had "closed the gap" on USC.

"They were really insulted by that," Kiffin said. "I didn't care, but they took it very personal. It was almost like they were playing against him."

NOTES

Kiffin said several players will require offseason surgeries, including star receiver Robert Woods (ankle) and promising tailback Amir Carlisle (knee). ...

Kiffin said senior cornerback T.J. Bryant, who did not play this season, is on track to graduate and transfer. ... Kiffin confirmed, as first reported by the Register, that tailback Dillon Baxter is no longer with the program. ... Kiffin said he hoped to bring in 5-6 midyear enrollees come January.

Contact the writer: mlev@ocregister.com

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The Matt Barkley Watch gets going

The USC quarterback says he has not made up his mind on next spring's draft.

By MICHAEL LEV

If he wasn't the last player out of USC's locker room late Saturday night ? or was it early Sunday morning? ? Matt Barkley certainly was among the last.

He paused briefly to do a TV interview before making his way up the tunnel and out of the Coliseum to greet his family.

USC quarterback Matt Barkley leads the Trojans' marching band from atop a ladder after defeating UCLA, 50-0.

A handful of reporters trailed along, one of them asking whether Barkley had a time frame in mind for his Big Decision.

"No. No clue," the grinning junior quarterback said. "One day at a time, right?"

And so the Matt Barkley Watch began.

Barkley has about seven weeks, until mid-January, to decide whether to enter the 2012 NFL draft or return for his senior season at USC. Coach Lane Kiffin, for one, doesn't expect Barkley to return.

"I'm probably not supposed to say this, but unless he just wants to do it to be a special Trojan, he ain't coming back," Kiffin said. "Who's playing better than that in the country? If you're an NFL team ... how do you not draft that kid?

"He's every bit ready to go to the NFL. It's just going to be a decision: Does he want to do something that's really unique? And he might be the kid to do that. ...."

Kiffin praised Barkley as a player and a person. His achievements as the former are obvious: With six more touchdown passes in Saturday night's 50-0 shellacking of UCLA, Barkley eclipsed Matt Leinart's school- and conference-record total of 38. Barkley reached 39 in one fewer game.

As for the latter, Kiffin expressed his sincerest gratitude and respect for the way Barkley handled himself through a coaching change, NCAA sanctions and other adversity. For a time he served as the spokesman for USC football despite, as Kiffin put it, having many of his football-related dreams taken away.

"I look up to Matt Barkley," Kiffin said. "There aren't many 39-year-olds that can do that, let alone 19-year-olds. He's just unbelievable, and it obviously goes back to his awesome parents."

Barkley's parents, Les and Bev, were out there waiting for him Saturday night. Asked whether he'd push his eldest son one way or another, Les Barkley said: "It's his decision."

Matt Barkley was in no position to say anything definitive about it so soon after the game.

"I don't know what I'm doing," he said. "This night is too special to take away from (it) and what we've done this year.

"I'm really going to enjoy the night. We worked hard for this, and I think we deserve to celebrate a little bit."

Barkley reveled in the afterglow of USC's big victory. After conducting the band, which has become an almost weekly ritual, Barkley made his way across the field toward the tunnel. Reporters and photographers surrounded him, getting closer than the Bruins defense did most of the night. Barkley rewarded the fans who stuck around and chanted his name by Lambeau-leaping into their arms. He then jogged up the ramp toward the USC locker room, making the fight-on "V" sign with both hands.

One couldn't help but wonder whether he was waving goodbye.

Contact the writer: mlev@ocregister.com

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Monday, November 28, 2011

USC, Lane Kiffin are feeling a 2002 vibe, and that's a good thing

After wrapping up a 10-2 season with a 50-0 rout of UCLA, the Trojans can see similarities to their 2002 team, which went 11-2 to spark a four-year run that included two national titles.

Trojans Cach Lane Kiffin beaming before the start of Saturday's victory over the Bruins at the Coliseum. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea / US Presswire / November 26, 2011)

By Gary Klein

It feels an awful lot like 2002.

That's the vibe USC Coach Lane Kiffin picked up on as his team finished a 10-2 season.

The 2002 Trojans featured a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback in Carson Palmer and an emerging star receiver in Mike Williams. Tailback Justin Fargas provided an aggressive midseason surge and the defense got progressively better as the season wore on.

The 2011 Trojans of quarterback Matt Barkley, receiver Marqise Lee, tailback Curtis McNeal and a young defense did the same.

"They're just really a special group that came together," Kiffin said Sunday, less than 24 hours after the Trojans' season-ending 50-0 victory over UCLA.

Because of NCAA sanctions, USC won't play in a bowl game, but the Trojans might be positioned to begin a run similar to the one that launched in 2002.

After capping that season with an Orange Bowl victory, USC won the 2003 Associated Press national title, the 2004 Bowl Championship Series title and advanced to the BCS title game after the 2005 season.

And the Trojans won those national championships without Palmer, who gave way to Matt Leinart after moving to the NFL after his final year of collegiate eligibility.

Barkley, of course, may not be back for his senior season.

"I'm going to definitely be in his ear until he decides," sophomore receiver Robert Woods said after Saturday's game.

"I haven't started yet," Lee added, "but I [will]."

USC on Sunday moved up one spot to No. 9 in the Associated Press media poll. The Trojans could climb higher as conference championship games and the bowl season unfold.

Regardless, the future looks bright for the Trojans despite three years of recruiting restrictions that start with the signing class of 2012.

Kiffin is already looking forward to next season ? and he did not waste any time firing motivational shots to his players.

On Sunday, he said Woods ? a Biletnikoff Award finalist and newly minted Pac-12 Conference record-holder for catches in a season ? was only the second-best Trojans receiver.

Woods, who has nursed an ankle injury since last spring, and tailback Amir Carlisle are among players who will have surgery before spring practice.

The Trojans are expected to add five or six players in January and trim several upperclassmen from the roster. Senior cornerback T.J. Bryant, for example, is scheduled to graduate and will probably transfer to a Football Championship Subdivision school where he could play without sitting out, Kiffin said.

Because of sanctions, the Trojans can sign a maximum of 15 players in February and cannot have more than 75 scholarship players on the roster next season, 10 fewer than the NCAA standard.

Roster maneuvering is expected to continue through the spring and summer after players such as Barkley, offensive tackle Matt Kalil, safety T.J. McDonald and defensive end Nick Perry decide whether to turn pro or return for a final college season.

Coaches will be highly selective in offering scholarships and will expect contributions next season from many of the players who redshirted in 2011, Kiffin said. Restocking and strengthening the offensive and defensive lines will be a priority.

For each of his first two seasons, Kiffin was able to use the bowl ban to foster an us-against-them mentality. But he said Sunday that the Trojans went from "the most disliked program in America" to one that got "a lot of the country to fall in love with them."

Now, with the bowl ban over, and USC back in the top 10, he will spend the next few months coming up with new buttons to push.

In the meantime, the overriding priority is recruiting.

"Make sure that we're still putting a fence around California," Kiffin said of the Trojans' mission, "and dominating the recruiting trail."

gary.klein@latimes.com

twitter.com/latimesklein

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No really. I hear it all the time from Bruin fans and alleged claims from the administration.

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1) Dirk Koetter; and 2) Dan Hawkins. I have great respect for Chris Peterson and what he has

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5 observations on UCLA in wake of 50-0 loss to USC

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Barkley's Decision...

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T.J. Simers: For Rick Neuheisel and UCLA, time to wave white flag

The Matt Barkley Watch gets going

The USC quarterback says he has not made up his mind on next spring's draft.

By MICHAEL LEV

If he wasn't the last player out of USC's locker room late Saturday night ? or was it early Sunday morning? ? Matt Barkley certainly was among the last.

He paused briefly to do a TV interview before making his way up the tunnel and out of the Coliseum to greet his family.

USC quarterback Matt Barkley leads the Trojans' marching band from atop a ladder after defeating UCLA, 50-0.

A handful of reporters trailed along, one of them asking whether Barkley had a time frame in mind for his Big Decision.

"No. No clue," the grinning junior quarterback said. "One day at a time, right?"

And so the Matt Barkley Watch began.

Barkley has about seven weeks, until mid-January, to decide whether to enter the 2012 NFL draft or return for his senior season at USC. Coach Lane Kiffin, for one, doesn't expect Barkley to return.

"He's every bit ready to go to the NFL. It's just going to be a decision: Does he want to do something that's really unique? And he might be the kid to do that. ...."

"I look up to Matt Barkley," Kiffin said. "There aren't many 39-year-olds that can do that, let alone 19-year-olds. He's just unbelievable, and it obviously goes back to his awesome parents."

Barkley's parents, Les and Bev, were out there waiting for him Saturday night. Asked whether he'd push his eldest son one way or another, Les Barkley said: "It's his decision."

Matt Barkley was in no position to say anything definitive about it so soon after the game.

"I don't know what I'm doing," he said. "This night is too special to take away from (it) and what we've done this year.

"I'm really going to enjoy the night. We worked hard for this, and I think we deserve to celebrate a little bit."

One couldn't help but wonder whether he was waving goodbye.

Contact the writer: mlev@ocregister.com

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Sunday, November 27, 2011

State of UCLA football program intolerable

We both have 2 losses and we beat them HEAD to HEAD on THEIR home turf and yet we're still

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Rick Neuheisel expected to be fired after playoff game

The UCLA coach will meet with Athletic Director Dan Guerrero after the game Friday at Oregon. Observers close to the program say Neuheisel's chances of staying are bleak.

UCLA Coach Rick Neuheisel talks to quarterback Kevin Prince after the Bruins failed to score against USC on a fourth-down play in the fourth quarter Saturday night at the Coliseum. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times / )

By Chris Foster

Going to the Rose Bowl now might not even save Rick Neuheisel's job at UCLA.
Dan Guerrero, the Bruins' athletic director, will sit down with UCLA's football coach after the season is over to discuss the future. That could be as soon as next weekend, after the Bruins play Oregon in the Pac-12 championship game.
Neuheisel's chances of retaining his job are bleak, according to influential people close to the program who did not want to be identified publicly because the decision was not final.
UCLA was routed by USC, 50-0, Saturday at the Coliseum, evidence that the Trojans' monopoly on Los Angeles-area college football is as strong as ever. And the Bruins will be lopsided underdogs against Oregon on Friday night at Eugene.
UCLA will play as the South Division representative in the title game only because USC, which has a two-game edge over the Bruins in the standings, is banned from postseason play.
"We will do a valid assessment when we're done strapping on the uniform," Guerrero said Saturday night at the Coliseum.
As to whether getting to the Rose Bowl would be enough to save Neuheisel's job, Guerrero said, "That we're preparing to play for the Rose Bowl should be exciting to all Bruin fans."
Asked whether he would bring Neuheisel back if the Bruins reached the Rose Bowl game, Guerrero ended the interview. A person with knowledge of the situation said UCLA would have to win the Pac-12 title in order for the coach to have any chance of retaining his job. And that was before the Bruins' lopsided loss to USC.
Neuheisel has a 21-28 record in four seasons. The Bruins have a 3-25 record against teams that finished with a winning record in those four years.
Frustration among leading boosters reached a peak after a 48-12 loss to Arizona in October. The game was marred by a bench-clearing brawl.
In a message to season ticket-holders and donors on the day of that game, Guerrero said, "Returning to a bowl is just one of several steps we need to take to get this program to the level we all desire."

He did not elaborate, but his concern about dwindling attendance is believed to be a factor. UCLA attendance has fallen every season since 2007.

"We have had many bright spots and have played inconsistently as well," Guerrero said. "We'll wait until the end of the season and decide where to go from there."

When Neuheisel was asked what it would take for him to keep his job, he said, "I have no idea. All I'm trying to do is my best."

In the meantime, he remains in limbo.

"The players are fighting tooth and nail for him right now," UCLA receiver Taylor Embree said.

Neuheisel said this week that he had "closed the gap" on USC in four years. That was not apparent Saturday, as the Trojans beat Neuheisel's Bruins for the fourth consecutive season.

UCLA had no answer for USC quarterback Matt Barkley or wide receivers Robert Woods and Marqise Lee. The Bruins were also turned away on two first-half scoring opportunities, getting stuffed on a fourth-down run at the USC two and later when a Kevin Prince pass was intercepted in the end zone.

The game lived down to UCLA safety Tony Dye's greatest fears.

Asked this week about the possibility of leaving UCLA without a victory over USC, Dye said, "That would be something personally damaging to me."

The Bruins could lose bowl eligibility by losing in the conference title game. UCLA would be left with 6-7 record and have to petition the NCAA leadership council for a waiver to regain eligibility.

Under NCAA rules, the conference would have to fill all its bowl commitments before a waiver would be granted. The Pac-12 has seven bowl spots and only seven eligible teams because USC is in the last year of a bowl ban.

chris.foster@latimes.com

twitter.com/cfosterlatimes

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USC has one last shot to bowl observers over

USC game plan passes UCLA by

BREAKING NEWS: UCLA sources say Neuheisel to be relieved of duties after Pac-12 title game

State of UCLA football program intolerable

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Azusa Pacific loses final NAIA game, falling to Carroll in playoffs

Defending NAIA national champion Carroll College of Montana rallies for a 17-14 quarterfinal victory over Azusa Pacific, which is moving up to NCAA Division II level next season.

Staff and wire reports

Before, it only seemed like Azusa Pacific might never beat Montana's Carroll College in football.

Now it's official.

In its last NAIA game before moving to the NCAA Division II level, Azusa Pacific dropped a 17-14 decision to Carroll in a playoff quarterfinal Saturday in Helena, Mont.

The Cougars led the defending national champions until late in the game, but Carroll produced a clock-eating, game-winning 18-play, 78-yard drive that chewed up 8 minutes 25 seconds and ended in a one-yard touchdown run by Chance Demarais with 1:51 left in the game.

Joe Dunning intercepted a John van den Raadt pass to seal the win.

Second-ranked Carroll (12-1) improved to 7-0 in its series against Azusa Pacific. The Saints also ended the Cougars' 2010 season in the first round of the playoffs.

Eighth-ranked Azusa Pacific finished 9-3.

Demarais, who entered the game leading the NAIA in rushing with 1,502 yards, ran for 128 yards in 30 carries.

Azusa Pacific outgained Carroll, 336-276, running for 233 of those yards.

The Cougars rushed for 125 yards in the first quarter alone, and touchdown runs of five yards by Johnell Murphy and three yards by Terrel Watson gave them the early lead.

But three turnovers and two missed field goals assured that the Cougars wouldn't score. Murphy finished with 128 yards rushing and Watson ran for 71 yards.

Staff writer Mike Hiserman wrote this story from Los Angeles.

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USC Trojans -- UCLA Bruins rivalry is beyond compare - ESPN Los Angeles

Trojan tailgate: Taking a look back

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Trojan tailgate: Taking a look back

Any good movies you guys recommend so I can avoid watching the game today. I will be hiding out

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A freakish Friday lifts UCLA into Pac-12 title game

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UCLA-USC preview: Rick Neuheisel's last stand?

The embattled Bruins coach might not get another shot to beat the Trojans. If he pulls it off, he?ll finally have the result to back up words that otherwise ring hollow.

Rick Neuheisel has talked a big game since becoming UCLA's coach. Can he finally win one against cross-town rival USC?

PAUL RODRIGUEZ, THE REGISTER

By MICHAEL LEV AND ADAM MAYA

LOS ANGELES ? The first shot came in the form of a newspaper ad, featuring a pointing Rick Neuheisel beneath this now-infamous sentence: "The football monopoly in Los Angeles is officially over."

About a year and a half later, shortly after Lane Kiffin replaced Pete Carroll, Neuheisel spoke at halftime of a UCLA-USC basketball game. "If you've paid attention to anything that's gone on in college football this week," Neuheisel said, "you can see the landscape has slightly shifted."

Finally, this week, in advance of the regular-season football finale between the Bruins and Trojans, the ever-optimistic Neuehisel was at it again, declaring that his program has "closed the gap" on cross-town rival USC.

But has it? Has anything changed? Talent? Recruiting? Perception? Results?

By any objective measure, the monopoly is not close to being over, the landscape hasn't shifted and the gap remains wide.

Almost four years into Neueheisel's tenure, and two into USC's NCAA probation, the Bruins are fighting for their coach's job while the Trojans are seeking a 10-victory season. USC has won the past four meetings by an average of 18 points and is favored by 15 to make it five in a row.

But Neuheisel has one more lifeline. He really can change everything by beating the Trojans on Saturday night.

A victory would bump UCLA's record to 7-5, 6-3 in the Pac-12 Conference. The Bruins would win the Pac-12 South Division without any ifs, ands, buts or asterisks.

"The fact we're going to get to a bowl game this year is certainly an indication of progress," Neuheisel said. "If we can beat our rival, that would be great evidence of progress."

The odds say it's improbable. History says it's possible.

THE GHOSTS OF 2006

The last time they beat the Trojans ? on Dec. 2, 2006 -- the Bruins were 6-5 and heavy underdogs. USC was playing for a shot at the national championship. UCLA prevailed, 13-9.

Kiffin was there as USC's offensive coordinator. Looking back on the upset this week, Kiffin remembered it as "a horrible day." But as demoralizing as it was then, it serves as a lesson to a young team now.

"It's about preparation," Kiffin said. "If you don't prepare really well ... you can lose any game, no matter what, at any level. It's not about the talent, it's how you play that day.

"When you add a rivalry game to it, it really doesn't matter; spreads don't mean anything. If you go over years and years of rivalry games, you can throw the spreads out the window."

The Trojans don't have nearly as much at stake this time ? they're ineligible for postseason play ? but the game does mean something to them. Reaching 10 victories would be a significant achievement for a program that was supposed to crumble beneath the weight of sanctions delivered in June 2010.

Kiffin wasn't surprised that USC upset Oregon last week. But ascending to the top 10 less than two years into his tenure amid what quarterback Matt Barkley described as "all the junk that has been going on around here"? Yeah, not even the cocksure Kiffin saw that coming.

'THEY HATE US, WE HATE THEM'

As gratifying as it would be to finish 10-2, the Trojans would feel even worse about the alternative. That's their incentive.

Motivation is everywhere for the Bruins, especially seniors who face the possibility of never beating USC in their careers.

"This is the game I wanted to play in when I chose this school," senior safety Tony Dye said. "I want this win bad. I need this win."

Senior receiver Taylor Embree said he's already anticipating the blare of USC's fight song and hasn't gotten over what happened the last time UCLA visited the Coliseum.

"You hear that song, you want to go play, you get (ticked) off," Embree said. "I still remember the grin Matt Barkley had on his face when they threw the deep ball on us last time we were at the Coliseum.

"They hate us, we hate them."

Embree is referring to Barkley's 48-yard touchdown pass with less than a minute to play and USC leading, 21-7, in the 2009 meeting. The play was Carroll's reaction to Neuheisel calling a timeout after the Trojans had taken a knee. The two teams had a brief faceoff at midfield, and a fight nearly broke out.

Senior tailback Derrick Coleman said he is encouraging his teammates not to get caught up in the emotion this rivalry stirs up.

"This is an opportunity to shock the world, to show we can beat the Trojans, they're not dominant," Coleman said. "They always overlook us. But we've been the underdog most of the season. Everybody's overlooked us.

"I tell everybody, this is just another opponent standing in the way of what we're trying to achieve."

UCLA is one upset victory over its biggest rival from playing in the first Pac-12 Championship Game.

"It's our job," Barkley said, "not to let that happen."

Contact the writer: mlev@ocregister.com

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A UCLA Football Chronicle: The Path to Our Lost Decade of Mediocrity

Bruin tailgate: Taking a look back

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Bruin tailgate: Taking a look back

Friday, November 25, 2011

UCLA to play in Pac-12 title game

UCLA continues awful start with 79-63 loss to Michigan

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LAHAINA, Hawaii ? Zack Novak scored a career-high 22 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. added 20 and No. 15 Michigan rolled over UCLA, 79-63, on Wednesday for third place in the Maui Invitational.

Michigan (5-1) played well at both ends to build a modest lead in the first half and ran away with it in the second. The Wolverines made 15 of 23 shots in the second half and hit 62 percent overall to bounce back from a tough loss to No. 6 Duke in the semifinals.

UCLA forward Reeves Nelson puts up a shot over Michigan forward Jon Horford in the first half of a game Wednesday in Lahaina, Hawaii.

EUGENE TANNER, AP

Jon Horford scored all 12 of his points in the first half for Michigan.

UCLA (1-4) came to Maui with two embarrassing losses and headed back home with two tough ones to continue one of its worst starts in years.

Travis Wear had 16 points, Joshua Smith and Jerime Anderson 12 each and UCLA shot just 4 of 17 from 3-point range.

The Wolverines and Bruins each followed encouraging wins with disappointing losses in Maui.

Michigan handled No. 8 Memphis' pressure in the opener, playing with poise down the stretch in a 73-61 win.

The Wolverines struggled early against Duke in the semifinals to fall behind by 16 and tried to fight back by hitting 11 of their first 12 shots to get within five. Michigan couldn't slow down Duke's offensive show, though, allowing the Blue Devils to hit 11 3-pointers and shoot 56 percent in the seven-point loss.

The Bruins opened the season with two embarrassing losses and avoided another in the opener by turning a two-point halftime lead against Division II Chaminade into a 92-60 rout.

UCLA staggered at the start of its game against No. 14 Kansas in the semfinals and fought its way back in the second half before fading down the stretch in a 72-56 loss.

The Bruins got off to another slow start against Michigan, missing six of their first eight shots and turning it over four times in the first 8 minutes to fall behind by seven.

It only got marginally better for UCLA the rest of the half.

The Bruins struggled against Michigan's patient offense, allowing the Wolverines to hit 14 of 24 shots.

UCLA also struggled shooting from the perimeter, hitting 4 of 11 from 3-point range to trail 38-31 at halftime. Horford made all five of his shots in the half.

Michigan didn't give the Bruins much a chance to try another comeback, dropping in 3-pointers, dunks and scoring on backdoor cuts to push the lead to double digits.

Hardaway had a highlight-reel play by going down the lane for a one-handed dunk ? and had a scowl for the crowd on his way back ? then hit a long 3-pointer that put the Wolverines up 63-47.

Michigan kept pushing, getting a layup from Hardaway on a nice rebound tip from Trey Burke, then a 3-pointer and a layup by Evan Smotrycz to go up 72-53 with 4 minutes left.

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SCOTT WOLF on COLLEGE FOOTBALL: For USC coach Kiffin, UCLA coach Neuheisel, winning might not be good enough

USC FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK: Kiffin extension not considered yet

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Incredibly cool video, but of course when UCLA has something that would be great to share...

Galippo, Trojans keep fire burning despite sanctions

By MARK WHICKER
COLUMNIST
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

mwhicker@ocregister.com

LOS ANGELES ? They could have been the Lost Battalion.

In June of 2010, the NCAA threw the book, plus several Kindles, at USC's football program: a two-year bowl ban and the loss of 30 scholarships,

USC linebacker Chris Galippo (54) stuck with the Trojans when he had the opportunity to leave for another program.

ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

In doing so, it invited its rising juniors and seniors to transfer elsewhere and play immediately.

You would have expected them to scatter like appleseeds, but only six did, although two incoming freshmen were released from their letters of intent.

You wouldn't have expected them to hunker down and get the USC program through this purgatory, and into championship-ready shape for 2012. Not this Now Generation; not the kids who live on 4G.

But here they are. If the Trojans beat UCLA on Saturday night they will finish 10-2. They have beaten Oregon and Notre Dame on the road. They would win the Pac-12 South if they were eligible.

"If you had told me we'd be 9-2, beat Oregon and Notre Dame on the road, I don't think I would have believed it," said linebacker Chris Galippo, one of the battalion.

There are 23 seniors and redshirt juniors who could say goodbye Saturday night. Nine play extensively.

Of USC's top 48, counting specialists, there are 37 who are eligible for 2012. Even if Matt Barkley and Matt Kalil aren't among them, the Trojans will be a candidate to make the BCS championship game. The effect of the missing scholarships probably won't become a burden until 2014.

The seniors, the ones who stayed, will miss their second consecutive bowl. They haven't seen much light, but they've passed the torch.

"I grew up with the Kalils, Ryan and Matt, since I was 9," Galippo said. "Matt and I followed Ryan around. Ryan went to Servite, came to USC, was the starting center and lost maybe three games in four years.

"My first two years we went 12-1 and 11-2 and had Rose Bowl victories. It became normal. My third year, it was almost like, hey, the Rose Bowl's so boring."

Then USC went, or was banished, to the Emerald Bowl.

"And we were saying how much we wished we were at the Rose Bowl," Galippo said, laughing.

"But at least last year I had the chance to hang out, go to the bowl parties. This year, obviously, it gives me a head start over the guys who have obligations through mid-January."

He's talking about preparations for the NFL combine and draft. He wasn't sanctioned from the pros, after all.

There were two reasons the probation wasn't all that traumatic, at least for Galippo.

"We had zero control over it," he said. "It was frustrating that we had absolutely nothing to do with those (probation-causing) situations, but it didn't matter what we thought. It almost put our mind at ease."

The other reason is that Galippo already had a dress rehearsal, at Servite. After his sophomore year, Troy Thomas replaced coach Larry Toner, and the school replaced its athletic director and president.

"At USC it was always the perfect transition," Galippo said. "Pete Carroll came in, started winning championships. There wasn't a lot of adversity."

In 2009, there was. The Trojans went 8-5. They weren't winning games during warmups anymore. Distractions became issues.

Then Carroll left, athletic director Mike Garrett was fired, and Lane Kiffin and Pat Haden replaced them.

"The program started to get complacent," Galippo admitted. "Over time, rules become rules and then become habits, and they don't have to be enforced. The atmosphere of the program starts running itself. It became lackadaisical in a lot of areas.

"Coach Lane and his staff weren't putting up with certain things in the disciplinary area. Then their recruits were so mature and tough. The catches and plays that Robert Woods and Marqise Lee make are not the things that impress me the most, it's the leadership and humility. If any guys on the team could take a practice off, it would be one of those guys, or Matt Barkley, but they don't."

Why did the Lost Battalion stick together? Galippo says transferring is more complicated than you think --- "You gotta learn a program, a new set of rules, sit out a year and usually move to another part of the country."

The Trojans who had NFL futures saw no reason to leave. That, when you boil it down, was more a motivation than trophies and "Fight On," although some schools have a mojo that can't be sanctioned away.

"I'll be emotional Saturday," said Chris Galippo, fifth-year senior, 23-year-old realist. "But I committed here when I was a sophomore at Servite. I feel like I've been here 10 years. I love this place, but I'm ready for the next chapter. Maybe come back on weekends and tailgate."

The sizzle remains, thanks to a battalion that wouldn't get lost.

Contact the writer: Mwhicker@OCRegister.com. Follow him on Twitter at MwhickerOCR

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