University of California Los Angeles - Bruin Life / Southern Campus Yearbook (Los Angeles, CA)

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ambushed It was seven years ago when the Victory Bell was last painted blue. Reggie Bush, USC ' s junior tailback and the rest of the Trojans made sure that the bell would remain red for yet another year. Bush, the eventual Heisman winner, dominated UCLA ' s lackluster defense en route to a demoralizing 66-19 drubbing in front of a sold-out crowd at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Bush carried the ball ' 24 times for a total of 260 yards and two touchdowns. After come-from-behind ictories against California, Stanford, Washington and Washington State, the nth-ranked Bruin team hoped to pull an upset against top-ranked ' SC. With a chance to topple ' SC ' s 33-game winning streak and squash their hopes of a National Championship game, UCLA had more tJian just pride at stake. Too bad UCLA couldn ' t step up on defense, mused Michael Yim, a second-year microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics student. But UCLA performed very well this year. UCLA was hoping for a repeat performance of last year, in which the Bruins ga e ' SC their money ' s worth. UCLA ended up losing that contest 29-24 amidst a controversial call negating an obvious SC fumble. Unfortunately for the Bruin faithful, UCLA was not able to compete with its cross-town nemesis in the 75th matchup between the two schools. by the trojans In the opening drive. Bush ' s 28-yard run on the second play from scrimmage gave UCLA a bitter taste of what was in store for them for the rest of the afternoon. The Trojans ended their first drive with a field goal. From that point forward, UCLA would not have gotten any closer. At least Bush will be in the NFL next year, said Hoa Pham, a second-year bioengineering student. Bush continued to make a case for himself for the Heisman trophy, racing through Bruin territory for 65 yards to start the second quarter. Meanwhile, the Bruin offense uncharacteristically stalled for much of the afternoon, twice getting deep in ' SC territory in the second quarter only to come up with two field goals. The second half was no different from the first. ' SC continued to pound the ball with Bush and LenDale White leading the charge, amassing 448 combined rushing yards. UCLA managed its first touchdown of the day on a 15-yard rush by junior tailback Maurice Drew with 3:45 remaining in the fourth quarter, prompting a mocking standing ovation from the ' SC crowd. Though ' SC extended its gridiron success over UCLA to seven games, ' SC itself had to endure an eight- game skid prior to their current winning streak. The series has been streaky as of late, but it certainly won ' t be long until we return that bell to its rightful color of blue and gold. | s ory by joint tang. bniins nnablp to pii11 off an u p se t Above: Members of the Bruin marching band, adorned in their finest performance uniforms, prepare to march through enemy territory at the Coliseum. Tailgaters were surprised to see the band perform so closely to the pre-game revelry, I Photographed by Jasmin Niku Wm J ' ' il i n 24 I e V e n t s

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From left to right: The Bruin Bear is sheltered the week before the game to prevent it from becoming vandalized by the mischievous hands of rival students. Spirited Bruins eagerly await the burning of the USC Pillar of Doom, The flames light the night sky above Wilson Plaza as thousands of Bruins and a full fire brigade look on. The Blue and Gold Week events pumped up many die-hard Bruins: not a speck of red was worn by students. | Photographed by Megan Millelt. lasmm Niku and Mtg.an Mii!.?n [The ' SC voodoo dolls] got everyone really excited about the upcoming ' SC game. - Susan Jrinh, psychology, 4th year different student groups. The spirited crowd cheered and did eight-claps as student organizations marched down the parade route. I had an awesome time with the ' SC voodoo dolls. It got everyone really excited about the upcoming ' SC game, said Susan Trinh, a fourth-year psychology student. After the parade, Bruins gathered at Wilson Plaza where there was a performance by the UCLA marching band and appearances by Coach Karl Dorrell and various football players. During the moti ational speeches, the crowd got restless as the anticipation of the burning of the USC pillar of doom heightened. When the time was right, the bonfire was ignited by the Westwood firefighters. The tTames quickh ' engulfed the pillar, which appropriately represented USC ' s season when its undefeated season came to a crashing end at the Rose Bowl by the hands of Texas, i slory by llutirli inai a uJ I ' rii young. Above: A powerful Brum pummels the symbolically red USC vehicle with a sledgehammer, a tradition enjoyed by Bruins during Blue and Gold Week. Many students stopped by to observe or to take part in the event in between classes, j Photographed by M.arc.:: r,-.:ref :

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' Too bad UCLA couldn ' t step up on defense. But UCLA performed very well this year. - Michael Vim, MIMC, 2nd year From top to bottom: Senior linebacker Spencer Havner. junior strong safety Eric McNeal and sophomore defensive end Bruce Davis anticipate tfie snap count by USC ' s senior quarterback, Matt Leinart. In front of the sold-out crowd at the Coliseum, the cheerleaders pump up the raucous blue fans amidst the overwhelming sea of red. Proudly sporting their respective sports teams ' paraphernalia, these Bruin and Trojan fans enjoy each other ' s company at a pre-game tailgating party. This famed rivalry reached an all-time high when these two schools clashed at the Coliseum. | Photographed by Jasmin Niku.