Happy Ending for USC

USC vs. UCLA: It was a pratfall classic.

Never mind that penalty flags littered the Coliseum field like fallen leaves, or that the Bruins and Trojans traded blunders instead of blows.

Never mind that officials admitted they made a mistake on the biggest call of the game, ruling Kareem Kelly’s fourth-quarter catch a USC touchdown even though his first foot came down out of bounds before his second foot landed in the end zone.

Never mind: The streak ended Saturday.

USC 17, UCLA 7.

With that, eight years of frustration for USC erupted into a raucous and briefly scary celebration on the field.

Chad Morton, the Trojan tailback who guaranteed a victory in August, left the field on the shoulders of fans.

“Being carried off the field, there’s no greater feeling,” Morton said. “You wouldn’t believe the amount of pressure that’s been placed on me since I made that guarantee. I haven’t slept all week. I’ve been pacing, and haven’t been able to eat. The team was so fired up, and they backed me up.”

Paul Hackett, the coach who endured such criticism for USC’s five-game losing streak this season, walked off clutching the game trophy like a sleeping toddler, with a police escort to protect him, for once, from congratulations and high-fiving fans.

“All right, Hackett! Thank you, Hackett!” some yelled.

A crowd of 91,384, desperate for some salve for two losing seasons, saw USC end an era of UCLA domination.

“Eight years is a long time,” Hackett said. “A lot of guys on this team were 10, 11, 12 years old the last time USC won.”

It was almost hard to remember the last time UCLA lost, nine years ago.

“I want to start by congratulating USC,” UCLA Coach Bob Toledo said. “They did a good job and won the game and stopped the streak. They came out and played better than us and won the game.

“Any time you lose, it’s painful. I tell our players all the time, sooner or later, someone’s going to get you.”

This time it was later, as in much.

The last time USC won, Johnnie Morton caught the winning touchdown pass from Todd Marinovich in 1990.

This time, his little brother Chad carried the ball on USC’s final play, rushing for the final two of his 143 yards as he became only the third USC tailback of the decade to rush for 1,000 yards in a season.

“If I ended up with 500 yards and we beat UCLA, that would have been great,” Morton said. “I just wanted to end the streak. Nothing is sweeter than beating UCLA and ending the streak.”

In the USC locker room, nobody was worried about style points.

“It’s about . . . time,” Athletic Director Mike Garrett said. “It was an ugly win, but I’ll take it.”

UCLA (4-7, 2-6 in Pacific 10), forced to start former fourth-string quarterback Ryan McCann after Cory Paus broke his collarbone last week, turned the ball over five times--three times on interceptions and twice on fumbles.

Trailing, 3-0, in the first half, UCLA threw interceptions on consecutive possessions.

Trailing, 17-7, after Kelly’s controversial touchdown in the fourth quarter, UCLA turned the ball over again and again.

USC’s Ifeanyi Ohalete forced DeShaun Foster to fumble and then recovered himself at the USC seven-yard line to thwart one drive.

Then, in the final five minutes, even though the Trojans couldn’t sustain a drive, the USC defense kept stopping UCLA’s comeback hopes cold.

David Gibson picked off a McCann pass with three minutes left, and then Zeke Moreno forced a fumble by Danny Farmer and recovered with 1:21 left.

“It wasn’t a smooth victory, that’s for sure,” Gibson said. “How many turnovers were there?”

Five for the Bruins, one by USC’s R. Jay Soward.

And one very big momentum change in a series that had been all UCLA.

“Right now, it makes up for everything,” Gibson said. “This team is due. We were due.”

UCLA led only briefly, after McCann ran for a six-yard touchdown in the second quarter on a drive keyed by his 37-yard third-down pass to Freddie Mitchell, taking the Bruins to the eight.

USC (5-6, 3-5) led at halftime, 10-7, after Sultan McCullough outran the Bruins for a 48-yard gain and set up a 22-yard pass from John Fox to Kelly for the touchdown.

Later came the drive that ended the streak.

Stalled at the 26, USC lined up for a 43-yard field-goal attempt and then pulled a play out of Toledo’s playbook, faking the attempt, and grabbing a first down when Fox, the holder, passed to fullback Jabari Jackson for 17 yards and a first down at the nine.

It wasn’t as simple as it might have seemed after that.

The Trojans stalled again, and kicked a 22-yard field goal.

But UCLA’s Ryan Roques was flagged for roughing the kicker--one of nine UCLA penalties compared to 16 for USC--and Hackett faced a decision.

Take the three points?

Or take the first down at the two?

Known for his conservative calls, Hackett made a bolder one, and took the points off the board.

A false start moved USC back again, but on second and five, Fox dropped back and found Kelly in the end zone on the sideline with Ricky Manning Jr. covering.

Kelly’s foot came down out of bounds, then his second foot came down in bounds.

Side judge Harvey Jones called it a touchdown.

Referee Jim Sprenger admitted after the game the call was wrong.

“That’s the way he saw it, and there’s nothing that can be done,” Sprenger said.

Kelly watched the replay.

“Once,” he said, smiling. “A touchdown’s a touchdown.”

A streak is a streak.

Even if it’s one game.

“I don’t think I’ve been in one as dramatic as that,” Hackett said, admitting it wasn’t a marvel of technically sound football.

“This is a monster, and I don’t care what you do, you better find a way to win this game,” he said.

They found one.

“We didn’t do anything all year,” lineman Travis Claridge said. “This saves our season.”

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USC-UCLA: THE RIVALRY BY THE NUMBERS

13-6-1

UCLA leads series in last 20 years

5

Longest winning streak (by USC) before UCLA’s eight 35-27-7

USC leads series

25

Years since ne of teams has been held to less than 10 points (UCLA lost, 34-9)

6

Turnovers in the game (5 by UCLA)

91,384

Saturday’s attendance, highest since 1994 (91,815)

51

Years since UCLA has lost six conference games in one season

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

USC-UCLA: THE RIVALRY BY THE NUMBERS

‘91

UCLA: 24

USC: 21

*

‘92

UCLA: 38

USC: 37

*

‘93

UCLA: 27

USC: 21

*

‘94

UCLA: 31

USC: 19

*

‘95

UCLA: 24

USC: 20

*

‘96

UCLA: 48

USC: 41

*

‘97

UCLA: 31

USC: 24

*

‘98

UCLA: 34

USC: 17

‘99

USC: 17

UCLA: 7