Inside Slant

The Sports Xchange

November 12, 2018 at 10:42 pm.

A difficult 2018 season for USC reaches a pivotal juncture on Saturday when the Trojans take their three-year winning streak over rival UCLA to the Rose Bowl.

USC (5-5, 4-4 Pac-12 Conference) saw a 14-game series streak snapped in last week’s loss to Cal. The Golden Bears capitalized on USC’s self-inflicted errors and rallied from a 14-0, halftime deficit for the their first win in the series since 2003.

Not only did the loss end USC’s dominance over Cal, as well as mark the team’s second consecutive home loss after winning the previous 19, but it dropped the Trojans to .500 and in danger of missing the postseason. They need a win in one of their last two, which includes a regular-season finale against undefeated Notre Dame.

That leaves UCLA (2-8, 2-5) as the more likely win — but hardly a gimme.

UCLA took Arizona State down to the wire in Tempe last week. Flashes of brilliance, but a lack of depth and experience necessary to sustain, continues to be the ongoing theme of UCLA’s 2018 season. Likewise, the loss to Cal encapsulated the recurring issues plaguing USC.

“It wasn’t one person who lost the game. It was a collective effort,” USC coach Clay Helton said.

Indeed, the Trojans’ missteps were abundant and spread across all three phases.

USC’s opening possession ended with a fake field goal, snuffed out behind the first-down marker. The Trojans also had an opportunity to extend their lead to three scores before halftime, but Cal defensive lineman Luc Bequette forced a fumble from USC wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown deep in Golden Bears territory.

Cal began its 15-0 second half run on a safety, scored off a botched snap. The USC coaching staff burned two timeouts early in the half, leaving it with no recourse as Cal bled the clock late in the fourth quarter — a problem made much worse when cornerback Iman Marshall was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct on a third-down stop.

“Sometimes you have a season that just doesn’t go your way,” said Helton, whose 3-0 record against UCLA faces a serious challenge this week. “I believe in his coaching staff, I believe in the leadership and in the players most of all I believe there are better days ahead.”

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