Bruins Drop Crushing rivalry loss despite admirable effort

The UCLA Bruins (4-7) suffered a crushing loss at the Rose Bowl on Saturday night, falling 19-13 to archrival USC (6-5) in the Crosstown Cup. The Bruins failed to execute in the red zone and were unable to win as they suffered a disappointing home loss, their seventh of the season.

The Trojans scored 10 points in the final 8 minutes of the game to steal away what would have been a season-clinching victory for the Bruins. Field position was key all game as the Trojans received several short fields that helped them earn key points down the stretch.

The Bruins’ defense was solid in the first half, holding the Trojans to just nine points on three field goals. They allowed just one touchdown in the loss and played as hard as they could to hold off a strong Trojan offense. It marks the Trojans’ lowest point total since their Week 5 loss to Minnesota (17).

Bruins senior quarterback Ethan Garbers had a very good game, throwing for 265 yards and a touchdown. He completed 20 of 29 passes but was sacked three times with a pair coming in clutch moments when the Bruins needed a key play.

The biggest surprise for the Bruins was junior wide receiver J. Michael Sturdivant. He had played in just five games entering the rivalry and had 117 receiving yards on five catches. He made several sensational catches to put the Bruins in positions in which they failed to execute.

Surprisingly, the Bruins outscored their opponent as Trojans senior running back Woody Marks was limited to 76 rush yards on 18 carries. It was the lowest rushing total for Marks in the past seven games. Bruins junior running back TJ Harden had 98 rush yards with 37 receptions on three receptions.

The Bruins’ defense did what was needed to win the game, but the offense just couldn’t find a way to score enough. It didn’t give up a turnover all game, though it did turn the ball over on downs three times, including twice on its final two drives of the ballgame.

With the loss, the Bruins are eliminated from bowl eligibility and will look to finish the season strong next week at home against Fresno State (6-5). A very disappointing loss for a team that had huge momentum going into the game and early in the second half.

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