USC’s offense didn’t always look pretty, and they managed to turn the ball over a few times, but the Trojans otherwise outplayed their crosstown rivals on Saturday afternoon at the Coliseum, 24-7, to bring their winning streak over the Bruins to one game and secure their place in the Rose Bowl on January 1st. The Trojans have now won six consecutive Pac-10 championships, a feat no other school has accomplished. You’ll have to go back to Pete Carroll’s first year as head coach (2001) to find a time when the Trojans didn’t play in a BCS bowl game at the conclusion of their season.

Game notes

• Coming into the game, UCLA’s offense wasn’t exactly its strong suit, but USC’s defensive unit left no doubt which side was in charge, limiting the Bruins to 167 total yards (just 11 on the ground) and 10 first downs. The Trojans prevented UCLA from converting on a single third down, forced four turnovers, and helped USC dominate the time of possession stat, 37:50 to 22:10.
• Senior CB Terrell Thomas had his hand in two of those turnovers, forcing a fumble and also diving for an interception.
• The Trojans used a balanced (if sometimes ineffective) offense, including a balanced rushing attack that included 90 yards and a touchdown from freshman Joe McKnight and 70 yards and a touchdown from Chauncey Washington in his final game at the Coliseum. It also finally occurred to USC’s coaching staff that Stafon Johnson was still on the roster; he was given 14 carries and turned those into 77 yards.
• QB John David Booty was not always sharp–especially on longer throws, which may have been affected by the swirling winds present throughout the game–but he managed to complete passes to seven different receivers, for 191 yards (though with one particularly bad interception).
• It did seem that there was such a mismatch on the other side of the ball (USC’s defense vs. UCLA’s offense) that the final score margin should have been much greater than it was. However, credit should be given to UCLA’s own defense, which managed to stall many of USC’s drives (including one crucial stop on 4th-and-one at UCLA’s 24) and kept the Bruins within striking range for much of the game, with the contest getting away from the Bruins only in the latter half of the fourth quarter.
• The Trojans had two turnovers on the evening, including yet another Joe McKnight fumble in addition to Booty’s interception.
• Although the Trojans were frequently penalized again on Saturday, with nine infractions for 85 yards, the Bruins were actually worse, incurring ten penalties.
• Is anyone else tired of seeing the Trojans run McKnight on a draw play for little gain when USC has a third-and-long?
• With the top two teams in the nation losing on Saturday, it looks like Ohio State will be playing in the national championship game–meaning that USC’s opponent in the Rose Bowl game will be a mystery until it is announced Sunday evening. Some possibilities include one-loss Kansas, two-loss Missouri, two-loss Illinois, and undefeated Hawaii. Or, if LSU jumps Georgia into the No. 2 position (which is certainly possible, since poll voters may prefer the team that actually won its conference), you could be watching USC-Georgia on New Year’s Day–perhaps the most intriguing potential matchup. The BCS Selection Show will be broadcast live on Fox at 5:00p PST Sunday.

Injury update

• LB Keith Rivers started but didn’t last the entire game, coming out when he re-injured his ankle. With a month before the Trojans’ next game, he should have plenty of time to rest and recover.

Coverage roundup

More articles and stats for each team: TrojanUpdate’s Game Recap: USC-UCLA

USC Rose Bowl-bound after taking down rival UCLA (AP via ESPN)
Trojans clinch Rose Bowl birth (LA Times)
USC: 6th Straight Pac-10 Championships/BCS (Scout, $)

We’ll have a bigger roundup of game coverage late tonight.