After four consecutive losses – amassing a -129 point differential down the stretch – UCLA football (3-8, 3-5 Big Ten) will take on No. 19 USC (8-3, 6-2) Saturday evening at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Prior to kickoff, Daily Bruin Sports editor Connor Dullinger sat down with Daily Trojan Sports editor Sean Campbell to discuss this year’s showdown.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Sean Campbell: What would you say the identity of the team is right now, given all of the changes in coaching?
CD: Everything about UCLA’s football season this year has not been about football. It’s been about the Rose Bowl. It’s been about the changing of the guard – Martin Jarmond, who the next coach is going to be. Almost all of the players on the roster were recruited to be there by former head coach DeShaun Foster, and they always speak highly of him. Since interim head coach Tim Skipper took over the program, at first it was everyone looking down at UCLA. Then UCLA went on that three-game winning streak where people were even saying it could be a ranked team if it beat Indiana. And as quickly as they rose, they quickly fell back to reality. There are a lot of question marks with the entire program. It is in almost disarray.
SC: What does redshirt sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava bring to UCLA, and what can we expect to see from him?
CD: In a team that’s full of dysfunction, Iamaleava is a bright spot. He gets a lot of unnecessary criticism. I think his biggest attribute is his arm. He has incredible arm talent. He has the deep ball. We haven’t seen it a lot this year, but he can throw the deep ball. He has shown inconsistency with accuracy and timing at times. However, another huge thing is his legs. You saw it against Penn State: three touchdowns, over 100 yards. You saw it against Nebraska: 86 yards. He is tall and thin, but he is not afraid of contact. He is not afraid to scramble. He will get first downs on third-and-mediums and third-and-longs. UCLA’s offensive line is abysmal, and that’s partly why these aren’t designed quarterback runs. When he runs for 50-plus yards, UCLA usually has a chance to win. And I think what makes him really special is that he loves contact. He’s a winner. And I think at times, UCLA’s offensive weapons have struggled to help him and have struggled to get open. But I think he will give the USC defense a challenge Saturday.
SC: What do you see as the biggest gaps right now, and also, what are some other strengths besides Iamaleava?
CD: The pitfalls of this team are 100% that the trenches, offensive line and defensive line are tragic. I’d say the offensive line is probably the weakest part of the team. They let opposing defenses penetrate and get pressure on Iamaleava. That’s why he’s scrambling. That’s why he’s getting sacked so much. That’s why he’s getting injured. Even our running game has really struggled to gain explosive yards, but they’ve also struggled to be consistent. Defensive lines like Indiana and Ohio State are getting through, past the line of scrimmage and hitting them before they even get a chance to gain speed and run downhill, and it’s really hurting them. Somehow the defensive line might be worse. It ranks dead last, No. 134, in the FBS in sacks. They have seven sacks on the year so far, and they went three straight weeks without a sack. They struggle to get to the quarterback, and that just means more time in the pocket. Jayden Maiava should have the ability to take a nap in the pocket. Those are without a doubt the two biggest weak points on the roster. I think the secondary has also shown flashes of being good. Rodrick Pleasant, Scooter Jackson, Cole Martin and Andre Jordan Jr. have shown sometimes they can be a little handsy and draw flags, but at the same time, they have been sticky and have held opposing offenses and have limited opposing elite alpha wide receiver ones.
SC: Makai Lemon is probably the biggest name at USC, and you mentioned how the defense has been able to contain a couple of these top receivers. How do you see them matching up against a guy like Lemon, who’s pretty consistently getting 100-150 yards every game?
CD: Lemon will go for 100-plus yards Saturday. He’s going to be one of the first receivers off the board in the 2026 NFL Draft. He’s fantastic in the slot with the yards after catch. UCLA can’t tackle to save its life. I think he’s going to break tackles. He can easily have a career day against UCLA. Maiava will have time in the pocket. Lemon will be open in the middle of the field. If he were an outside receiver, I’d say Pleasant or Jackson could take him, and maybe he wouldn’t have a great day. Him being in the slot, I think he’s going to thrive. If he gets a middle linebacker in coverage, Martin or Key Lawrence, he has the speed, the hands and the spatial awareness to really take advantage of that UCLA defense.
SC: Is there a sense of pressure – whether it’s in the fan base or on this team – to finish the season strong, just because there has been so much focus on everything else?
CD: UCLA football is on the biggest hot seat I’ve ever seen in my life. Jarmond is on a hot seat. People thought it was bad with Chip Kelly in his final years with Ethan Garbers. And even with Foster last year, UCLA thought that was bad. This is somehow 10 times worse. You have the buying out of Foster’s contract. You have the whole lawsuit and controversy with the Rose Bowl, going away from one of the most historic football stadiums. UCLA football is losing its identity. It’s losing its brand. It’s losing its foothold in Southern California football, and it’s all because of how this program has been run. Jarmond needs to figure out what to do and his next decision – whether it’s hiring the head coach, hiring the defensive and offensive coordinator, what happens with fan attendance or what happens with the Rose Bowl, he needs to hit an A-plus on every single one. Otherwise, this program will fall further and further and further into the depths of the Big Ten and into the depths of mediocrity. Everything you’ve seen, these 11 games of the season, it will get even worse. I don’t want to think that’s possible, but I really do. A victory against USC means a lot. It means a lot for hope and for the program. I think no one has hope. It’s desolate and dismal right now, and I think a win could provide hope.
CD: What are your overall thoughts on how the Trojans have done this year and their outlook in these final weeks of the collegiate season?
SC: It’s hard to talk about this year without talking about last year. Last year was defined by last-minute losses, poor play calls, bad clock management and an innate ability to not win games that should have been won. This year, the talent is better. Lemon is one of the best receivers in college football, if not the best. Maiava is very impressive as a quarterback. There are a lot of standouts on both offense and defense, more so than last year. But when you’re looking at the season, you see a team that’s become able to handle the business in these close games. Obviously, the loss to Illinois was killer. USC is probably a top-25 program most years, at least in the range. But it was pretty clear in the Notre Dame game who was the better team. I don’t think there was a doubt that Notre Dame was a better team.
CD: What do you think are the keys to the game for the Trojans to beat the Bruins?
SC: The game cannot start slow like it has the last couple of games. Maiava has had slow starts at least the last two or three games, the defense has given up a combined six points or so in the second half of three games combined and they still surrendered, double-digits. The defense is young and still learning. A lot of the best players on the defense are still in their early years, and defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn is doing good work. But I think starting fast will be absolutely critical in this case. I imagine head coach Lincoln Riley, unless things start going south really fast, is going to be really trying to get his injured guys back and get them some reps. Seeing how Waymond Jordan and King Miller are able to balance off each other will be critical. Getting the offensive line back healthy will also be crucial. There’s maybe been one or two games where the starting offensive line group has not changed for USC. They need to be as healthy as they possibly can. And I think those are definitely going to be two of the keys. One, getting back injured people. Two, starting fast. And three, knowing that UCLA is not the best sacking defense. Being able to get the ball in Lemon’s hands in space is critical. Ja’Kobi Lane is one of the best pass catchers I’ve ever seen, but Lemon, when he’s in space, is deadly. And if he has more time to get open, I think he could really thrive in this UCLA matchup, especially because Maiava, while he hasn’t shown the legs as much this season, definitely has the legs.
CD: What is more contentious, the USC vs. UCLA rivalry or the USC vs. Notre Dame rivalry?
SC: It depends on which part of the fan base you’re looking at. For students, I would say UCLA absolutely is the bigger, more contentious rivalry, mostly because of the proximity of the schools. A lot of people may have friends or family who went to UCLA. UCLA is a lot more top-of-mind for most people, even though in some ways, the football rivalry is less like the Notre Dame rivalry. For alumni, and definitely a lot of people from the outside perspective, the Notre Dame rivalry is potentially bigger. The turnout of USC fans in South Bend, Indiana, is immense to a lot of degrees. So I think sometimes, from an outside perspective, the Notre Dame rivalry looks a little bigger, because sometimes there’s more stakes. Sometimes the history is there. But I will say, as a student, UCLA is more top-of-mind for most people.
CD: When the UCLA vs. USC game rolls around each year, is there a sense on campus or among the team or among students that if USC loses to UCLA, it’s an embarrassment, and not only because of the rivalry, but because USC football as a program, brand and culture is just so different from UCLA?
SC: Especially recently, that has been the case. It’s obviously a lot more complicated because of Thanksgiving break, so there’s going to be fewer students leading up to the game. I imagine the buzz is going to be a little bit down, which is unfortunate. Obviously, the stakes are different, so it’s a little bit apples to oranges, but it’s mostly a fair comparison. When both of the programs are in the upper echelon, it sucks to lose. Don’t get me wrong, it sucks to lose to your rival every time. No one wants to do it. But if it’s, ‘Wow, this was a great game, and we did our best,’ it’s different. Like the loss to Notre Dame sucks because people were mad about the play calls, not because we’re embarrassed to lose to them – because they’re such a good program, and they have quality wins. They have quality players. It was clear they were a legit team. In this situation, if USC loses to UCLA on Saturday, it’s embarrassing.
CD: What’s your score prediction for the game?
SC: I’m going to say 38-17. That’s my prediction.
CD: I’m going to say USC 34-24.
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