UCLA Defeats USC, 34-27, to Take Home Victory Bell
November 17, 2018 | Football
LOS ANGELES – Redshirt junior running back Joshua Kelley turned in the magnum opus of his breakout 2018 season in Saturday afternoon's rivalry game at the Rose Bowl, rushing for 289 yards and two touchdowns to lead the UCLA football team to a 34-27 win over USC.
It was the first win for the Bruins (3-8, 3-5 Pac-12 South) over the Trojans (5-6, 4-5) since the 2014 season.
Kelley's 289 rushing yards are the third-most in single-game program history and the most by a Bruin since Maurice Jones-Drew had a school-record 322 rushing yards in 2004. The UC Davis transfer also eclipsed the 1,000 yards rushing mark for the season, ending the day at 1,189. That mark is No. 11 all-time in UCLA history and the most since Paul Perkins had 1,343 in 2015.
Kelley was at the center of the biggest swing of the game for UCLA.
Trailing by six in the fourth quarter, Kelley broke through the line untouched and sprinted down the left side for a 55-yard touchdown that tied the game up and capped off a season-long 97-yard drive. Moments later, JJ Molson knocked down the extra point to make it 28-27 and give UCLA its first lead since the second quarter.
Have a game, Joshua Kelley! 55 yard TD to give the Bruins the lead.
— UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) November 17, 2018
UCLA 28, USC 27. 10:39 to go.
??: FOX #BeatSC | #GoBruins pic.twitter.com/RGTMnYfjIl
On the first play of USC's ensuing possession, freshman quarterback JT Daniels had a miscommunication with his receivers and threw an interception right into the arms of UCLA's Darnay Holmes at the Bruin 45. UCLA converted its next two possessions into field goals to make it a seven-point game, then saw its defense hold the Trojans off the board during their final drive to pull out the win.
Krys Barnes broke up a short-range Daniels pass on 4th-and-3 to seal the win for the Bruins.
"We've got to play to our strengths, and Josh [Kelley] is a strength for us right now," said UCLA head coach Chip Kelly. "We needed to run the ball, control it. They're just so explosive on the offensive side of the ball. We tried to keep them away from it a little bit. It's a great experience, and I'm just happy for the kids and what they have put in all year long to win this right now. This gives them an understanding of what we have asked them to do and it pays off. For a 24-hour span, we can feel OK about ourselves. And then we've got to get ready to play Stanford."
UCLA quarterback Wilton Speight ended the game with 166 yards on 13-22 passing. He threw for one touchdown, rushed for another, and had one interception. Theo Howard was the team's leader in pass-catching, making five grabs for 76 yards including a touchdown. Caleb Wilson added four receptions for 63 yards.
USC was led by Daniels, who had 337 yards on 20-34 passing. The Trojans narrowly missed out on having a pair of 100-yard receivers, as Michael Pittman had seven catches for 106 yards while Amon St. Brown had 98 yards receiving on six catches. Vavae Malepeai was the team's leading rusher with 77 yards.
UCLA built a 14-10 lead early in the first quarter after finding the end zone in each of the team's first two drives.
The Bruins' first scoring drive was highlighted by a pair of big throws from Speight. First, he evaded pressure and hit Caleb Wilson downfield for a 29-yard completion to convert on 3rd-and-8. The Bruins faced another third down situation in their next series, but Speight came up again by lofting a jump ball in the end zone to Theo Howard, who reeled it in for a 33-yard touchdown grab.
What a throw, what a catch! Wilton Speight ?? Theo Howard.
— UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) November 17, 2018
Bruins take the 7-3 lead with 7:53 to go in the 1st.
??: FOX #BeatSC | #GoBruins pic.twitter.com/7H0aGRykH8
UCLA's next possession saw Kelley take a handoff out of the shotgun and scurry down the left sideline for a career-long 61-yard gain, setting up a 1st-and-goal for the Bruins at the 8. Two plays later, Speight kept it and rushed into the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown run.
USC opened the second quarter by sacking Speight on third down, then blocked the ensuing punt deep in Bruin territory and ran it five yards into the end zone for a go-ahead touchdown that made it 17-14 for USC.
That three-point lead for the Trojans held up at the halftime whistle as the two teams traded touchdowns – Kelley briefly put the Bruins back up with a one-yard touchdown run before USC answered with a 45-yard touchdown pass to Velus Jones – before heading into their locker rooms.
USC kicked a field goal in the third quarter – the Bruins came up with a big defensive stop after the Trojans had first and goal at the UCLA 5 – to carve out a six-point lead, the largest of the day for the visitors.
UCLA concludes its season next Saturday, Nov. 24, by hosting Stanford at the Rose Bowl. The game, scheduled for a 12:00 p.m. kickoff, will be televised by the Pac-12 Network.