 "Photo: Joel Zink | Daily Trojan")
It wasn't the championship USC fans had their sights set on at the beginning of the season.
But it was the title that USC coach Pete Carroll said he gave the most importance throughout the season.
No. 6 USC (10-2, 7-2 Pac-10) clinched a share of its sixth-consecutive conference championship, a Pac-10 first, with a 24-7 win Saturday over UCLA (6-6, 5-4) in front of 91,553 people at the Coliseum.
The victory earned the Trojans a spot in the Rose Bowl for the fourth time in five years, where No. 13
Illinois awaits.
USC's hopes for a conference and national title dwindled following an Oct. 27 loss to Oregon. But entering Saturday's game, the Trojans controlled their Pac-10 destiny.
"In the middle of the year, I don't think anyone thought we could be champions," Carroll said. "But those guys knew they could be, and they just did a marvelous job."
The Trojans reclaimed control of the Victory Bell after UCLA defeated USC last year, 13-9, to knock the Trojans out of the national championship game.
With their sights set squarely on the Pac-10 crown Saturday, the Trojans dismantled the Bruins.
The USC defense, which Carroll called his best ever during his time in Los Angeles, held UCLA to 168 total yards.
The Trojans made the Bruins' one-dimensional by holding them to 25 yards on 12 carries. After engineering UCLA's offense to a late win last year, quarterback Patrick Cowan had nowhere to run in his first game after returning from a collapsed lung.
USC forced four UCLA turnovers, after the Bruins entered the game tied for fewest turnovers in the Pac-10.
"To play against a good team like USC, you can't afford mistakes," UCLA coach Karl Dorrell said. "We had too many turnovers, and against a team like this, it's catastrophic."
Carroll singled out linebacker Rey Maualuga as having his "best performance during his time here." Maualuga led the team with eight tackles.
The Bruins' lone score came toward the end of the first half when Dominique Johnson made a one-handed catch in the back corner of the end zone to pull UCLA within 10 points.
John David Booty tossed a 12-yard touchdown to Fred Davis at the beginning of the fourth quarter to put the game out of the Bruins' reach.
Playing his last game at the Coliseum, Booty threw for 206 yards on 21 of 36 passing.
USC's running backs aided Booty's aerial effort with 231 yards on the ground. Joe McKnight led all rushers with 89 yards and one touchdown.
Despite gaining 437 total yards against UCLA, the Trojans struggled early to capitalize on their long drives.
"We put ourselves in some tough situations and didn't execute at times," Booty said.
USC's seniors tried to keep their emotions in check despite a pregame ceremony honoring them.
Although the seniors discussed it throughout the week leading up to the game, staying levelheaded was more difficult than expected.
"When I ran down the tunnel, I thought I would keep it together," said defensive end Lawrence Jackson, one of five senior starters on USC's defense. "But actually seeing it, it kind of hit me, and I knew I had to soak it all in."
With USC slotted at No. 8 in the Bowl Championship Series rankings entering Saturday's game, the Trojans had too much ground to make up in too little time to be a part of the national title race.
But having a Pac-10 title on the line kept the Trojans from a letdown similar to last year's season-ending loss to their crosstown rival.
"We don't have control over that other stuff, but what we do have control of is the Pac-10," Carroll said. "Whenever we can, we want to win this thing and go to the Rose Bowl."
