obably more balance than theyve ever | Forum

PASADENA, Calif. Eddie George Titans Jersey . -- Southern California and UCLA have been on divergent trajectories for nearly two months, so nobody in the chilly Rose Bowl crowd was terribly surprised when the Trojans charged right on through their faltering rivals Saturday night.That didnt make the blowout victory any less sweet for USC, which coolly maintained its LA dominance for another year with a businesslike bashing of the Bruins.Sam Darnold passed for 267 yards and hit DeQuan Hampton for two touchdowns, leading No. 13 USC past UCLA 36-14 in the Los Angeles rivals 86th crosstown showdown.Ronald Jones II rushed for 121 yards and two TDs for the surging Trojans (8-3, 7-2 Pac-12, No. 15 AP), who won their seventh straight game after a dismal start to the season. USC claimed the Victory Bell for the second consecutive year, overcoming Darnolds two early interceptions and eventually taking apart UCLAs solid defense for 527 total yards.Any time you beat a rival team like this, its always fun, USC linebacker Michael Hutchings said. Winning like this, its great for our team morale.The Trojans experienced another victory several hours earlier when they huddled around laptops in the team hotel to watch Utahs loss to Oregon, which kept USC in the Pac-12 South race.A few hours after USC finishes the regular season next Saturday against Notre Dame, the Trojans would claim the division title if the Utes beat No. 12 Colorado, which lost at USC last month.We needed one of those teams to lose to stay alive, and Oregon came through for us, USC coach Clay Helton said. We still need a little help, but now weve set our mark at 7-2.Jordan Lasley caught two first-half touchdown passes from Mike Fafaul for UCLA (4-7, 2-6). After five losses in their last six games, the Bruins are assured their first losing season in coach Jim Moras half-decade in charge.Ten years after UCLA stunned USC 13-9 and knocked Pete Carrolls team out of the national title race, Heltons Trojans calmly beat their rivals for the 14th time in 18 meetings.With both teams wearing their home jerseys in Arroyo Seco, USC extended its longest overall winning streak since Carrolls last conference championship season in 2008.Helton also improved to 2-0 in the crosstown showdown: He got the permanent job last year two days after the Trojans 40-21 victory over the Bruins and Mora, who had won his first three against USC.It was just a really tough and humbling night, Mora said after honoring his seniors before the game. Regardless of how this year has gone, those young men have done some tremendous things here. This was the first game (all season) that weve kind of not been in. Thats disappointing.USC went through the UCLA defense for 326 yards in the first half, just 30 yards shy of the Bruins average yield for entire games this season. The Trojans eventually held the ball for 43:47 and ran 95 plays to UCLAs 51.Darnold provided his usual cocktail of brilliance and exciting flaws, throwing two interceptions in the first half amid a series of stunning athletic runs and throws. The redshirt freshman hasnt lost since his debut start at Utah in September, leading the Trojans back into contention with his freewheeling skills.But the Bruins held an early 14-7 lead. Lasley took a mid-range pass 56 yards for a score in the opening moments, and he beat Adoree Jackson in 1-on-1 coverage early in the second quarter, right after Fabian Moreau returned Darnolds first interception inside the USC 10.When we were down 14-7, it was the same atmosphere, Darnold said. Guys werent going to give up. Its really a shift in culture that you can sense now.TURNING POINTUSC faced a deficit after the first quarter for the first time since its winning streak began, but Jones fixed that with his second TD run, bursting around the end for a spectacular 60-yard score. Hampton then made his first career TD catch with an exceptional 31-yard grab by the seldom-used sophomore.THE TAKEAWAYUCLA: The Bruins have endured a miserable second half after quarterback Josh Rosens season-ending injuries, but the defense has fought in every game. The overmatched offense kept it close early, but a thorough offseason recalibration seems vital.USC: The Trojans just keep getting more dangerous, even if it might be too late to win the Pac-12 South. Along with Jones latest big game, Darnold and Hampton made key plays against a defense that had allowed only eight TD catches all season. And its no surprise that Darnold, the unflappable Orange County native, easily handled the road pressure in his first LA rivalry matchup.POLL IMPLICATIONSFew teams are rolling like the Trojans. USC is likely to remain the nations highest-ranked team with three lossesUP NEXTUCLA: A trip to Berkeley for a rather drab season finale against California.USC: The famed intersectional rivalry game with Notre Dame at the Coliseum on Saturday to wrap up the regular season. Kevin Byard Jersey .Y. - Free agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, fresh off winning the World Series with Boston, reached agreement with the rival New York Yankees on a seven-year contract worth about $153 million, a person familiar with the negotiations said Tuesday night. Nate Davis Womens Jersey . Despite dominating possession, Schalke needed an own goal from Nicolas Hoefler for the breakthrough a minute before the interval. The Freiburg midfielder misjudged Jefferson Farfans corner and bundled the ball into his own net. http:///...Casey-Womens-Jersey/ . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw figures top-ranked Connecticut will provide the best possible measuring stick for her second-ranked Fighting Irish.We need to see where we are. We havent really played a great game, McGraw said Tuesday.Voters in The Associated Press womens basketball poll moved the Huskies (7-0) ahead of Irish (8-0) on Monday, marking the first time in 11 years a team lost the top ranking without actually losing a game. The Irish say theyre not concerned.Rankings really dont matter, its really about the best team wins, Irish guard Marina Mabrey said.McGraw said two months ago that this season should be more open in womens basketball because the Huskies looked more vulnerable. UConn eked out a 78-76 win over Florida State to open the season, but since then have had little trouble.Notre Dame has outscored opponents 85.8 to 54 on average so far this season, while the Huskies have outscored opponents 81 to 56.9. The Huskies have the more impressive victories with four over Top 25 opponents, while the Irish have one.The Irish will have the crowd behind them Wednesday night, which UConn coach Geno Auriemma said will be a challenge.Were going to have to match that. Theyre deep, have a lot of players. Were not so (deep) right now, he said.Auriemma said he was looking forward to preparing his team to face the Irish. Corey Davis Womens Jersey. Thats still one of my favorite things to do, he said.The rivalry has grown into the best in womens college basketball, although its been a bit one-sided the past four seasons. The Huskies have won five straight, dating back to beating the Irish 83-65 in an NCAA Tournament semifinal in 2013. Before that, the Irish had won seven of eight.The difference this time around is the Huskies wont have Breanna Stewart, who led them to four consecutive national championships.They dont have a great player, McGraw said. They dont have that one player like Stewart that can just take over the entire game. I think they have balance -- probably more balance than theyve ever had. You have to guard everybody.McGraw contends the pressure is on the Huskies, who have won 82 straight.Theyve got to keep that going, with however many games theyve won in a row, McGraw said. Theyre No. 1 now, so its a little bit like it was in the past.McGraw said trying to regain the top ranking wont be a motivating factor for the Irish.I dont think were going out to prove a point in that way, McGraw said. But I think were certainly looking at it as a great test for us to see who is No. 1. ' ' '