Friday, November 20, 1998
Little in life matters more than beating ‘SC team again
FOOTBALL: Tickets scarce to witness transformation of Rosebaowl
into battleground
By Jeff Kmiotek
Daily Bruin Staff
"Beating ‘SC is not a matter of life and death. It’s more
important than that," said Red Sanders, UCLA head coach
(1949-1957)
It’s UCLA-USC, and it’s more than just a game. It’s a showdown
of pride, respect and honor. It’s a battle of total passion and
pure intensity. It’s a war.
"It’s beyond football. It’s just two teams that dislike each
other," said freshman DeShaun Foster.
"It’s about who’s the king for the year, so it’s a big deal,"
said senior Andy Meyers.
"It’s even bigger than families. You have married people – one
went to UCLA and one went to USC – and this means a lot to them,"
said senior Shawn Stuart.
This year, the rivalry is elevating to new heights. UCLA is
shooting for its 20th straight win and a national championship.
USC, fighting for a respectable bowl berth, has not beaten the
Bruins since "Home Alone" was in theaters and M.C. Hammer was
cool.
The match-ups and statistics clearly favor UCLA, but in this
series, just one thing is certain. You can only predict that it
will be unpredictable and expect the unexpected.
When these two teams clash, anything and everything can
happen.
"You couldn’t ask for a better rivalry," said UCLA coach Bob
Toledo. "Both teams take great pride in trying to win that football
game."
Added USC coach Paul Hackett, "You don’t have to say much about
this game. Our players know their players. They’ve grown up
together. They understand the rivalry. (UCLA) is further than us,
but in a game like this we might get lucky. You never know."
With so much at stake, a win can make a season while a loss can
break it. This game is clearly Los Angeles’ most anticipated
sporting spectacle of the year. Everybody wants to witness the
Bruins battle the Trojans, but not everybody can get their hands on
a ticket.
More than 92,000 fanatics will be rocking the Rose Bowl this
Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately, that leaves over 3.5 million Los
Angelenos without tickets to the biggest sporting event this city
has seen all year.
As expected, there is an enormous demand for this game.
"I think people have been waiting a whole year for this game,
since the last one," said Stuart.
A representative for Tyson Tickets on Wilshire said they have
been getting 60 to 100 calls per hour asking about the inter-city
rivalry.
"In my 14 years in this business, this is the biggest UCLA game
I’ve seen," said the representative.
Ticket prices at other agencies range from about $150 for an end
zone seat to about $550 for a seat inside the 40-yard lines.
Scalper’s prices are expected to exceed $1,000 on the day of the
game. Even though the face value of these tickets is $42, they are
still a hot commodity.
"If you’re going on a first date with a girl and you say, ‘I got
us tickets for the USC-UCLA game, I don’t know if she’d be
impressed or not, but she should be," said junior Ryan Roques.
For those who can’t afford tickets, the game will broadcast on
ABC.
"This is the game we circled on the calendar at the beginning of
the year," said ABC sports anchor Bill Weir. "If it’s not the
highest rated event, we’ll be very disappointed."
NBC sports anchor Fred Roggin, who has covered Los Angeles
sports for over 18 years, cannot remember a UCLA-USC game with more
importance than this one.
"This game is even bigger than Dennis Rodman’s marriage to
Carmen Electra," he said. "Even if there were a full slate of NBA
games and L.A. had a football team, this game would overshadow
everything."
With the NBA lockout and lack of an NFL team, Los Angeles is
looking forward to this game more than ever. The city is buzzing.
Sports fans or not, people are intrigued by the many possibilities
that may occur when these schools collide. All but one of UCLA’s
seven straight wins have come by a touchdown or less, and the
underdog has covered the spread in all seven games.
"We don’t approach them as just another game," said senior Cade
McNown. "It’s a different game emotionally. Every time guys make
plays, especially on defense, we go crazy. It’s the biggest game of
the year."
The rivalry also brings many personal connections to the field.
Toledo and Hackett were both on the USC coaching staff from 1976 to
1978. UCLA’s Ryan Nece is the son of ex-Trojan Ronnie Lott, and
Danny Farmer’s uncle was a USC fullback.
Also, freshmen DeShaun Foster and Carson Palmer were rivals in
high school, and they squared off in the Division V high school
championship.
And since the two schools are so close in proximity, many Bruins
and Trojans know each other, and most of them were recruited by
both schools.
"They’re teammates in high school. Guys have lived together.
Guys see each other all the time out on the streets. They socialize
at times," said Toledo.
But that doesn’t mean they like each other.
"It’s a healthy hate," said McNown.
Added sophomore Tony White, "I don’t hate anybody, but you kind
of take a disliking to people."
The Bruins will certainly be fired up for their foes. Cade and
the gang will lay everything out against the Trojans. Nothing that
has happened before the game, and nothing that will happen after
the game will matter.
Because the only thing that matters is beating USC.
"I haven’t seen what it’s like to lose to USC and I don’t want
to see what it’s like to lose," said McNown.
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