College Football
Preview
UCLA at Southern California
When: 3:30 PM ET, Saturday, November 18, 2023
Where: United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles rivals UCLA and host Southern California meet Saturday in the 93rd installment of their annual series.

Both the Trojans (7-4, 5-3 Pac-12 Conference) and Bruins (6-4, 3-4) come into the matchup -- the last before each leaves the Pac-12 for the Big Ten Conference -- on losing streaks.

USC dropped its second consecutive game last Saturday, 36-27 at Oregon. The Trojans lost the previous week at home to undefeated Washington, 52-42.

"We've been ... right on the doorstep of getting it done, but haven't quite been able to get over the hump here in the second half of the season," USC coach Lincoln Riley said on his radio show Monday. "When you set out big goals and you go for it, every now and then, you're going to come up short."

USC is out of contention for the Pac-12 championship heading into its regular-season finale. Defense has plagued the Trojans throughout their turbulent 2023, with opponents scoring at least 34 points in each of the last seven games.

Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch was dismissed before last week's visit to Oregon, but USC still gave up passing touchdowns of 77 and 84 yards against the Ducks.

UCLA, meanwhile, has struggled on the other side of the ball in consecutive losses of 27-10 at Arizona on Nov. 4 and 17-7 at home last week to Arizona State.

The Bruins had three consecutive possessions deep in Arizona State territory end without producing any points.

Quarterback injuries have impacted UCLA offensively.

Dante Moore did not play against Arizona State, but Bruins coach Chip Kelly said on Monday he is practicing. The freshman is 91-for-75 on the season for 1,344 yards with 10 TDs but has been intercepted seven times.

Fellow Bruins QB Ethan Garbers is 64-for-94 for 786 yards with six touchdowns and three picks, while Collin Schlee has operated primarily as a ball-carrier when he has been under center.

"They all can throw the ball very well, so that's not a problem," UCLA wide receiver Logan Loya said. "Sure, maybe the timing's a little different, you can say the same thing for the quarterbacks about each receiver, too."

USC quarterback and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, meanwhile, is tied with Oregon's Bo Nix for the second-most passing touchdowns in the country this season with 29. Williams has also rushed for 11 scores.

--Field Level Media

Stats and Records
Team Comparison
  W‑L Strk PF PA Home Away Grass Turf Conf
UCLA 6-4 L2 26.4 16.4 4-1 2-3 5-2 0-0 3-4
Southern California 7-4 L2 43.8 34.6 4-2 3-2 6-2 0-0 5-3
Last Meeting
UCLA Southern California
Date Away Home Tot Rus Pas Tot Rus Pas
11/19/22 USC 48 UCLA 45 513 204 309 649 179 470
Player Stats
Previous Matchup
Passing Player COMP % YDS TD INT
UCLA D. Thompson-Robinson 60.5 309 4 3
Southern California C. Williams 74.4 470 2 1
Rushing Player CAR YDS AVG TD
UCLA Z. Charbonnet 19 95 5.0 0
Southern California A. Jones 21 120 5.7 2
Receiving Player REC YDS AVG TD
UCLA J. Bobo 4 76 19.0 0
Southern California J. Addison 11 178 16.2 1
Touchdowns Player TD
UCLA M. Ezeike 3
Southern California A. Jones 2
Season
Passing Player COMP % YDS TD INT
UCLA D. Moore 52.0 1344 10 7
Southern California C. Williams 67.9 3249 29 4
Rushing Player CAR YDS AVG TD
UCLA C. Steele 143 744 5.2 6
Southern California M. Lloyd 108 803 7.4 9
Receiving Player REC YDS AVG TD
UCLA L. Loya 40 502 12.6 4
Southern California T. Washington 47 915 19.5 6
Touchdowns Player TD
UCLA C. Steele 8
Southern California B. Rice 11
Quickchart Matchup
UCLA UCLA Off vs  Southern California Southern California Def
UCLA 431 yards
Southern California 446.5 yards
UCLA 5 yards/rush
Southern California 4.8 yards/rush
UCLA 7.5 yards/attempt
Southern California 8.1 yards/attempt
Southern California Southern California Off vs  UCLA UCLA Def
Southern California 475.8 yards
UCLA 289.9 yards
Southern California 5.2 yards/rush
UCLA 2.3 yards/rush
Southern California 9.3 yards/attempt
UCLA 6.2 yards/attempt