Tempers flare as USC defeats UCLA 28-7
His team on defense and trailing 21-7 with 44 seconds remaining, UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel called for a time out. Back on the field, USC quarterback Matt Barkley took the snap and connected with receiver Damian Williams for a 48-yard touchdown. The Bruins looked completely dumbfounded on the play, leaving Williams with plenty of room to make an easy grab. Of course, Neuheisel and his team didn’t seem too pleased.
The Trojans (8-3, 5-3 Pac-10) followed Williams’ dramatic score by jumping and yelling on their sideline before moving onto the field in unison. They appeared to be taunting the Bruins (6-6, 3-6), who then came across midfield to challenge them before coaches and officials kept them apart.
After the game, Neuheisel and USC coach Pete Carroll exchanged possibly the shortest handshake in the history of college football. The announcers on the Fox Sports telecast were trying to blow up the situation and I hope people don’t buy into it. Both coaches live to compete and this type of stuff is expected.
The bottom line is that Neuheisel called a meaningless timeout when his team was obviously beaten. Sensing Neuheisel intended to keep this game going, Pete Carroll went for a final score. I have no clue why the Bruins neglected to play defense on Williams’ touchdown. If Neuheisel did indeed call the timeout to discuss a defensive strategy, then his team failed to listen. On the other hand, if he just wanted to irritate the Coliseum (which is how it looked), then Carroll had every right to order a deep pass.
Posted in: College Football
Tags: 2009 College Football, 2009 College Football Week 13, College Football Week 13, College Football Week 13 Recaps, College Football Week 13 scoreboard, College Football Week 13 scores, Pete Carroll, Pete Carroll angers Rick Neuheisel, Pete Carroll Rick Neuheisel handshake, Rick Neuheisel, USC angers UCLA, USC UCLA college football rivalry, USC UCLA rivalry, USC vs. UCLA recap, USC vs. UCLA score
I just saw the video over at YouTube and I think USC showed less class than UCLA. It’s customary for a losing team to burn all their timeouts in the hopes that the team in the lead makes a bonehead play. Who knows, maybe the Trojans fumble the snap. There was enough time to score and try an onside kick, right?
Realistically, the timeout is unnecessary, but if he doesn’t burn all of his timeouts, then Neuheisel could be criticized for not doing everything to help his team win.
Regardless, Carroll (or his OC) made the decision to take the timeout personally and dial up a bomb. It’s his right to do so, but it’s a classless move. Then the entire team is jumping around on the sidelines like they just won the national championship. I guess this is the current state of USC football.
Pete Carroll is a freakin’ crybaby. Just a few weeks ago he got pissed at Jim Harbaugh for going for 2 in the 4th with a 4 td lead and asked him during the postgame handshake “what’s your deal?”. Apparently the failed NFL coach can dish it out but he certainly can’t take it. Carroll used to run up the score at every opportunity and it’s now coming back to bite him in the ass when he has a team that doesn’t quite measure up. Good for Neuheisel…no coach should leave 3 timeouts on the field in a loss. The way Carroll was jumping up and down after that TD, I thought he was going to put on his cheerleading skirt and grab some pompoms. Carroll should have shown more class than that.