No. 16 USC needs win over UCLA for spot in Pac-12 title game
No. 16 USC (4-0, 4-0 Pac-12, No. 15 CFP) at UCLA (3-2, 3-2), Saturday at 7:30 p.m. EST (ABC).
Line: USC by 2 1/2.
Series record: USC leads 48-32-7.
WHAT'S AT STAKE?
Postseason implications are on the line for both teams. USC can wrap up a spot in the Pac-12 championship game with a win while UCLA, which has a winning record for the first time in Chip Kelly's tenure, could get itself into bowl consideration with a victory.
KEY MATCHUP
USC WR Amon-Ra St. Brown vs. UCLA DBs Quentin Lake and Stephan Blaylock. St. Brown tied a NCAA record with four first-quarter touchdowns against Washington State and has come up big during his career against the Bruins. The junior has 14 receptions for 226 yards and a touchdown in two games vs. UCLA. Lake had a key pass breakup in last week's win over Arizona State and Blaylock has picked off one pass this season.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
UCLA: RB Demetric Felton. The senior is third in the conference at 115.6 rushing yards per game and has gone over 100 yards in three of the past four games.
USC: QB Kedon Slovis. The sophomore leads the conference in completions (29.8 per game, also first nationally), completion percentage (72.1%) and passing yards per game (314.2). He set a school record with 515 yards in last year's game along with four touchdowns.
FACTS & FIGURES
The Bruins have an 11-7 edge in games played at the Rose Bowl. ... The last time an unranked UCLA squad beat a ranked USC team was 2006 at the Rose Bowl when the Bruins had a 13-9 victory over the No. 2 Trojans. ... UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson accounted for 241 scrimmage yards (192 passing, 49 rushing) last week. The junior, who missed two games due to COVID-19 contract tracing, passed for 367 yards and three touchdowns in last year's game against USC. ... The Bruins defense is eighth nationally in sacks (3.6 per game) and 16th in tackles for loss (7.8 per game). ... USC's Talanoa Hufanga has picked off a pass in three straight games.
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