The 8th-ranked Trojans (9-2, 6-2) conclude their regular season on Saturday at the Coliseum with their annual cross-town rivalry game against the UCLA Bruins (6-5, 5-3). USC is coming off its best performance of the season–a 20-point win over then No. 7 Arizona State–and is in position to advance to the Rose Bowl should the Trojans defeat the Bruins. However, UCLA is also in Rose Bowl contention, but would need an Arizona win over ASU in addition to a victory over USC in order to earn a trip to Pasadena on New Year’s Day.

Standing in the way of USC’s sixth-straight Pac-10 title is an underperforming, injury-plagued Bruin team that has struggled on offense throughout the season. Thanks to some of those injuries, the Bruins have used four different quarterbacks this season, although original starter Ben Olson was somewhat healthy enough to play in the second half of last-week’s UCLA victory over Oregon, and it is possible that injured second-stringer Patrick Cowan could also return for this week’s game. (A starter has not yet been named, and probably won’t be until gameday.) Injuries have also affected UCLA’s running game, but the team’s second-leading rusher, Chris Markey, was also able to return last week.

Last season, as some of you may recall, the Bruins stunned No. 2 USC at the Rose Bowl, 13-9, ending the Trojans’ national title hopes and their seven-game winning streak against UCLA. The Bruins held USC scoreless in the second half, and limited the Trojans to just 55 yards on the ground, with Cowan doing just enough on offense to give UCLA the scoring edge. In 2005, the last time the two teams met at the Coliseum, a 260-yard performance from Reggie Bush helped USC to one of its most lopsided victories in the series, 66-19.

Here is USC’s official injury report, as of Sunday evening:

• POSSIBLE: DT Fili Moala (concussion), LB Michael Morgan (ankle), TB Hershel Dennis (quad), OT Sam Baker (hamstring), LB Keith Rivers (ankle), FB-S Alfred Rowe (ankle), OL Thomas Herring (knee), DE Trey Henderson (knee).
• OUT: TB C.J. Gable (abdomen), WR Travon Patterson (foot), TB Broderick Green (foot), TE Jimmy Miller (back), LB Chris Galippo (back), S-CB Josh Pinkard (knee), CB Kevin Thomas (shoulder), WR Damian Williams (shoulder).

Saturday’s game begins at 1:30p and will be televised nationally by ABC. The Trojans are currently favored by 20 points.

More stats and articles for each team: TrojanUpdate’s Game Preview: USC-UCLA
Official game week press release (Official USC site)
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