Instead of a win I went home and drowned my sorrows with some W-I-N-E (Cabernet Sauvignon). I saw at least a dozen people selling tickets outside the north side of the Coliseum half an hour before the start of Saturday’s game. I passed on a section 21 row 6 ticket on the 35-yard-line because it was too low and players on the sideline would block my view. I opted for a section 24 row 56 seat 114 ticket. It cost $60 for that 16-yard-line seat. I could have gotten in for less but I wanted a decent seat. Usually at the Coliseum I wind up around row 90 near the top. At row 56 I did not need my Zeiss binoculars when the ball was on the east side of the 50-yard-line. Wearing a UCLA cap and a blue jacket I stuck out like a sore thumb in the USC Alumni section. The three people to my left were wearing Trojan colors and caps but were clandestine UCLA fans. That explained how I was able to buy such a good ticket. Unofficially I was part of their group. I had no fear wearing a UCLA cap in the USC section because I had done it before at the Coliseum in 1969 and 2003. In 2003 the Trojans led 40-0 before UCLA first scored on a blocked PAT return. Did I take a lot of ribbing in that game!

When Malcolm Smith picked off a pass and returned it for a touchdown for the first score of the game I muttered that Kevin Prince was color blind. I recalled that Dennis Thurman had a fumble recovery return for a touchdown in a scoreless USC-UCLA game in 1976 and had a sinking feeling. I remember Gary Beban throwing an interception for a USC touchdown in the 1967 game (that was one year before the first Bruin-Trojan game I attended). Interceptions or fumbles returned for touchdowns are leading indicators of a loss for the victimized team. After this 28-7 win the Trojans are 10-4 in USC-UCLA games I have attended. 10-4 over and out I thought as I walked out the tunnel with 54 seconds left.

If the situation at the end of the game had been reversed (UCLA throwing the last minute td bomb after taking a kneel down) I would be blaming Rick Neuheusel. It is not a one way street. I remember Bruin foul-ups. James McAlister had a 1.6 GPA spelled out on the field by the Stanford band. A UCLA proctor allowed 35 erased corrections from wrong to right on a test (SAT?) McAlister took. The odds are astronomical that a person would make 35 corrections from wrong to right on a multiple choice test. Usually your first answer is most likely to be right. That professor never proctored another test at UCLA. Cade McNown and the Wheel Chair Bears (a half dozen other Bruin football players) used handicapped placards in order to use handicapped parking places on the Westwood campus. Trojan Anthony Davis was known for piling up dozens of parking tickets in his days as a USC tailback. McNown “wins” the illegal car parking contest because it was a team effort.

Staying automotive, DeShaun Foster was given a SUV to drive for two months. That less than $1,000 offense resulted in Foster’s suspension and ended his collegiate football career. Later on Reggie Bush’s parents would get the use of a large house for more than a year at reduced (or no) rent. That sweetheart deal was worth more than $70,000. No penalty for that has been assessed to Bush or USC. Is this commentary semi-balanced? No, there is no W-I-N-E for me tonight. I will pull my next cork an hour before the Oregon-Oregon State game on Thursday. Oregon is my second favorite college football team. Go Ducks!

Just to make this Angel relevant, I did see possible future Angel pitcher Jake Locker quarterback the Washington Huskies against UCLA last month. Washington lost 24-23 because their placekicker missed a field goal in the middle of the fourth quarter. Over the years the Huskies have lost many a game because of their special teams. The Huskies are 1-11 when I see them play. Their only win was a Warren Moon led 27-20 win over Michigan in the 1978 Rose Bowl.

My apologies for putting this football comment in a Gene Autry post. Hopefully Mr. Autry won’t mind. His KMPC radio station has broadcast hundreds of football games over the years.