Greg Katz, Columnist, WeAreSC.com 8y

Giving thanks for USC against UCLA

LOS ANGELES -- The USC Trojans continue their Thanksgiving week preparations for crosstown rival UCLA Bruins, and all that’s on the line this Saturday afternoon in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (12:30 p.m. PT/ABC-ESPN2) is the Pac-12 South Division title and a trip to the Pac-12 Conference Championship Football Game on Dec. 5 in Santa Clara, Calif.

If the 85th renewal of the rivalry is anywhere near the previous tussles, Trojans fans will have a lot to be thankful for if the favored Trojans can claim their first trip to the Pac-12 title game.

So with the clocking ticking towards kickoff and this being Thanksgiving week, USC fans have time to reflect upon the past and be grateful to those Trojans heroes that have etched in their names in victorious or monumental moments against the despised Bruins.

It’s time to give thanks to…

1939: Bobby Roberson for knocking down UCLA’s Ned Matthews’ 4-yard pass in the end zone with less than five minutes remaining to protect the 0-0 tie for the Trojans, sending USC to the Rose Bowl. By the way, whatever happened to tie games?

1958: Luther Hayes for returning a kickoff 74 yards for a score and to Tom Maudin who ran in the two-point conversion with 6:50 to play to get the Trojans a 15-15 tie. Didn’t we just ask whatever happened to tie games?

1967: Tailback O.J. Simpson for his electrifying 64-yard touchdown run with 10:38 to go in the final quarter, and to 6-foot-8 defensive lineman Bill Hayhoe for blocking two Zenon Andrusyshyn field goal attempts and tipping one extra point to insure a 21-20 Trojans victory over the Bruins.

1969: Wide receiver Sam Dickerson for his still controversial 32-yard touchdown reception in the back right corner of the end zone from quarterback Jimmy Jones with 1:32 remaining to stun UCLA 14-12 and propel the Trojans into another Rose Bowl. Perhaps not even today’s instant replay could have brought greater clarity to “was he in or was he out?”

1977: Placekicker Frank Jordan for his 38-yard field goal with just two seconds to give the Men of Troy a pulsating 29-27 victory, thus knocking UCLA out of the Rose Bowl.

1981: Nose tackle George Achica for blocking a final-play, UCLA 46-yard field goal attempt by Bruins kicker Norm Johnson to “block” the Bruins from playing in the Rose Bowl. Did we mention the final score was a 22-21 Westwood nightmare?

1985: Quarterback Rodney Peete for scoring the winning points on a 1-yard sneak with 1:13 left to upend the Bruins 17-13.

1987: Receiver Erik Affholter for his legendary, juggling catch in the corner of the end zone for a 33-yard touchdown reception from Rodney Peete with 7:59 on the clock and helped usher the Trojans into the 1988 Rose Bowl with a 17-13 triumph. FYI, the UCLA quarterback was Hall of Famer Troy Aikman who never defeated the Trojans in his Bruins career.

1988: Receiver Erik Affholter, yet again, for hauling in a 29-yard game-winning touchdown catch from quarterback Rodney Peete and tightrope run down the sideline in the Coliseum for a fourth quarter, 31-22, victory over the Blue and Gold.

1989: The football gods for diverting UCLA placekicker Alfredo Velasco’s 54-yard attempt that hit the crossbar with two seconds remaining, insuring a 10-10 tie.

1990: Quarterback Todd Marinovich for his game-winning, 23-yard touchdown pass to receiver Johnnie Morton with 16 seconds left for a 45-42 Trojans win.

2000: Third-string placekicker David Bell, who was 0-3 in field goal attempts for the season, for connecting on a game-winning 36-yard field goal (only his second field goal in six career attempts) with nine seconds on the clock to achieve a 38-35 Cardinal and Gold victory.

2001-2009: Legendary Trojans coach Pete Carroll for defeating UCLA in 8 of 9 encounters with a majority of those victories against the Bruins not even being remotely close.

2011: Quarterback Matt Barkley for engineering a 50-0 rout of the Bruins in the Coliseum and throwing for 423 yards and six touchdowns.

2015: To be determined.

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