BRUINS BELIEVE THEY ARE PICK OF DESTINY VICTORY TODAY COULD JUMP-START PROGRAM.Byline: BRIAN DOHN Staff Writer Alterraun Verner figures he had to be watching the last time UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX beat USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. , because that's what he did as a kid. But ask for details, about anything singular memory from the Bruins' 34-17 win, and he draws a blank. Who can blame him? Verner, a freshman cornerback who will play a central role today against No. 2-ranked USC at the RoseBowl, was in fifth grade. Seven straight USC wins by a combined score of 276-128 has made this rivalry as one-sided as its ever been, even when the Bruins were winning eight straight before USC's current string. During the past seven years there were impassioned speeches by alumni, full classes experiencing the torment of graduating without ringing the Victory Bell, and a coaching change. With each USC win, the frustration and embarrassment seems to increase exponentially, like it did when the Trojans put a 66-19 beatdown on the Bruins last season. And so comes the latest installment, one in which the already-crowned Pacific-10 Conference The Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) is a college athletic conference which operates in the western United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I. Membership Full members champion Trojans (10-1, 7-1) already have one foot in Glendale, Ariz., home of the BCS (1) (The British Computer Society, Swindon, Wiltshire, England, www.bcs.org) The chartered body for information technology professionals in the U.K., founded in 1957. title game, against Ohio State. Few people give the Emerald Bowl-bound Bruins (6-5, 4-4) any chance of sending USC to its first defeat in the city championship this century, but Bruins junior cornerback Rodney Van has a different vision. ``Destiny,'' he said. ``That probably describes it best. It's going to get this program over the hump. This game, it's the world to us right now. We win this game, it disproves so much everybody said about us, it shows they are not the only team in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, and we're a force to contend with. ``Destiny describes it. It's something we're supposed to do.'' Playing in the Rose Bowl may help. Two of UCLA's three home losses during its longest losing streak to the Trojans were by less than a touchdown. Conversely, USC's four home wins are by an average of 27 points, and each was decided by double digits Double Digits was a pricing game on the American television game show, The Price Is Right. Played from April 20, 1973 through May 18, 1973's show, it was played for a car and used small prizes. . ``Part of being a Bruin is you don't lose to 'SC,'' UCLA cornerback Trey Brown said. ``That's how it is any time you step around on campus. You talk to the people in stands, you just don't do that. It's very frustrating. It makes you sick. It's been way too long.'' For the Bruins to win for the first time since 1998, it will take a near-perfect game. Since the Oct. 28 loss to Oregon State 33-31, USC rolled over Stanford, Oregon, California and Notre Dame Notre Dame IPA: [nɔtʁ dam] is French for Our Lady, referring to the Virgin Mary. In the United States of America, Notre Dame by a combined score of 144-43, and are past the midseason malaise that resulted in close wins against Washington State, Washington and Arizona State. Offensively, Trojans quarterback John David Booty John David Booty (born January 3, 1985, in Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S.) is the starting quarterback of the University of Southern California (USC) football team. He is called "John David", and sometimes referred to as J.D., because his father's name is John. is playing well. Receivers Dwayne Jarrett Dwayne Jarrett (born September 11, 1986 in New Brunswick, New Jersey) is an American football wide receiver in the NFL for the Carolina Panthers. Early years Jarrett attended New Brunswick High School in New Brunswick, New Jersey. and Steve Smith (18 combined touchdown catches) are tough for a secondary to handle. USC's defense, which is allowing 15 points a game, is better than any UCLA faced. ``Nobody is saying this is going to be an easy game to win. We know that,'' Bruins linebacker Christian Taylor Christian Taylor may refer to:
Bruins fourth-year coach Karl Dorrell Karl Dorrell (born December 18, 1963 in Alameda, California) is the first black head coach in the history of the UCLA Bruins college football team, a position he took on December 18, 2002. took what is a perceived gamble by announcing redshirt sophomore Patrick Cowan Patrick Edmund Cowan (born March 23, 1986 in Surrey, British Columbia) was the starting quarterback for the UCLA Bruins football team after starter Ben Olson was injured in the middle of the 2006 season. Cowan is a redshirt sophomore. will start at quarterback ahead of classmate Ben Olson For the American soccer player, see . Benjamen James Olson (born February 23, 1983 in Thousand Oaks, California) is a redshirt junior quarterback for the 2006 UCLA Bruins football team. , who has physically healed from a knee injury suffered Oct. 7, but did not make up the mental ground Dorrell desired. Cowan won his past two starts, but remains inconsistent. He completed 51.9 percent of his passes and has seven touchdowns and seven interceptions in six starts. ``Our offense is going to have to play their best game of the season,'' Dorrell said. ``Our defense is going to have to play as well as they have been playing the past two weeks --. So, there are a lot of challenges on our plate.'' Dorrell should know. He is 0-3 in his coaching career against the Trojans, and in 2003 and 2005 the Bruins trailed by 31 and 25 points, respectively, at the half. ``We know that there was one game that was a real game and the other two games weren't even close for us to make a dent, in terms of an impression in the city,'' Dorrell said. ``This is a game that we have to play well. We know that. Offensively, defensively, special teams -- we can't give up anything cheap. We need to play our best game of the season.'' brian.dohn@dailynews.com (818) 713-3607 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: The Bruins will walk onto the field today as underdogs. Not all of them are buying the USC hype. ``Part of being a Bruin is you don't lose to 'SC,'' UCLA cornerback Trey Brown said. Stephen Dunn/Getty Images |
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