Rubin Arias
As I walked into the Rose Bowl Saturday, it was going to be a great day.
The long-standing rivalry between USC and UCLA is one of the biggest stories in college football.
They are cross-town rivals who play for bragging rights every year, and I could just feel the excitement as I walked into the stadium.
Before the game started, people were tailgating and drinking on the golf course, getting ready for the big game to kickoff.
There was so much riding on this football game.
Could this win put UCLA back in the national spotlight?
Would USC be back in the national title game against Ohio State?
The game was as great as I could possibly imagine.
The emotion was exhilarating in the Rose Bowl and it was great day for college football.
As the game started everyone was on his or her feet, with the whole stadium filled to capacity with 90,622 screaming fans.
The student section had Bruins dressed in blue and gold while the Trojan fans in the north and south end zones wore their burgundy and gold.
The marching bands were playing their fight songs all throughout the game.
I was in my USC long sleeve shirt, so you can guess I was rooting for, but I have friends who are on both sides of the sidelines.
My friends include middle linebacker Oscar Lua for USC and Saul Rios is on the UCLA cheering squad.
The game was not going as I expected, because UCLA took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, but the Trojans responded in the second quarter and took a 9-7 lead going into halftime.
They had momentum and I thought it would continue in the second half, but the Bruins defense was stuffing the USC offense and could not move the ball at all.
The Trojans were down 13-9 going into the fourth quarter.
I felt that USC would find a way to win this pivotal game and they were driving late with a possible game-winning drive.
It was put to an end when the Bruins intercepted the Trojans third down pass.
There went USC’s chances hopes of another national title and the Bruins ended their seven-game losing-streak against the Trojans.
They wanted more than USC and they rose to the occasion.
I was disappointed because I thought I was going to see a Trojan coronation.
The Bruins will be in the Emerald Bowl against Florida State in San Francisco.
USC will play the Michigan Wolverines in the Rose Bowl, which is not bad at all.
I enjoyed the USC-UCLA game, even though the outcome was not what I expected.
The Trojans-Bruins rivalry is spectacular as any in college football.
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