Deshaun Foster ready to usher in new chapter of USC-UCLA rivalry

LOS ANGELES -- As UCLA prepares to play its cross-town Los Angeles neighbor known as "The Other School" according to Bruins coach Deshaun Foster, he relishes the opportunity to lead UCLA to a victory over USC on Saturday at the Rose Bowl.

In an era of college football where traditions have started to fade away, the annual matchup "Battle of Los Angeles" between UCLA and USC remains one of the sport's best rivalries. 

Saturday will be the first time the two schools have met each other as Big Ten foes as both schools are in the midst of their inaugural year in the conference.

It will also be the first time Foster leads the Bruins out as head coach of the football program after spending time over the last 26 years as a four-year starting running back for the Bruins, to a six-year career in the NFL and eventually coming back to his alma mater as an assistant coach amongst two different coaching staffs. Foster is ready to usher in his era as head coach in the UCLA vs USC rivalry.

"I’ve been a part of it as a recruit, as an assistant coach, and now as a head coach," Foster said after meeting with the media Wednesday afternoon. "I know the importance of it. I just wanna get it across to our guys."

Throughout the history of the rivalry, USC has had the all-time lead with a series record of 50-34-7. But that's not to say UCLA hasn't had its moments where they've gotten the better of the Trojans and their season.

Who could forget moments like in 2006 when the Bruins defeated the Trojans 13-9 and ruined their aspirations of reaching the National Championship for the fourth consecutive season. The rivalry has also seen other classic moments like in 1996 when UCLA won 48-41 in two rounds of overtime which was also the first time the two teams played a game past four quarters of regulation.

Two years after the teams met in overtime for the first time, it was time for Foster to leave his mark on the rivalry as a freshman.

In that game, Foster had a four-touchdown performance, including a 65-yard run to put the Bruins ahead 21-10. Foster would finish the game with 109 yards on the ground and the Bruins would win the game with a final score of 34-17.

As Foster met with reporters on Wednesday afternoon, he shared that he tries to stay away from telling stories about himself as a player, he wanted to highlight some memorable moments he's been a part of as a coach including a 289-yard rushing performance by Joshua Kelly in 2018, Anthony Barr's iconic sack on Matt Barkley in 2012 that would later feature an iconic photo of Johnathan Franklin known as the "Throat Slash".

As the Bruins are getting prepared for Saturday, players have had plenty of reminders of how important the rivalry against USC is as Foster noted that Barr and former running back Skip Hicks have came out to practice throughout the week to speak to them about their experiences and their own stories. 

"We’re getting a lot of alumni coming back wanting to tell their stories. Tell them how much this game means to them." Foster said.

Josh Carlin has been on the Bruins' offensive line for the last six years and has nearly seen it all when it comes to the UCLA vs USC. This will be the first time in his career that his head coach has played in the game as a former player.

"Having a guy that's been in that game. I mean it's huge. He understands the rivalry. He's had a lot of success in the rivalry," Carlin said. "I was with him for five years before and our relationship has always been really strong and so just having that guy there, it's been awesome. It's huge."

"Every single year I mean it's special. You always talk about it years before and I mean even in the offseason I'm always like 'I just can't wait for the SC game' so no it doesn't get less exciting every year that I play."

As Carlin will play in the game against the Bruins bitter rival, he shared some stories about how he has told some of the younger players on the team to avoid saying USC's name and refer to them as "The other school". He also noted that he has told teammates to not wear red during the week.

While the two schools sit approximately 13 miles away from each other UCLA vs USC hits much closer to home. It's a game that will feature football players who grew up in Southern California dreaming of playing for either USC or UCLA but had to make a decision on which one to play for or maybe had the opportunity to only attend one.

California has had a rich tradition in sending high school football players to the next level to play College Football and at the professional level. As of right now, California has a total of 151 players in the NFL, the second most in the country. 247 high school recruits are coming out of California this year.

The Battle of Los Angeles traditionally features players that have gone against each other from the lowest level of football in Pop Warner to summer camps and local high schools. Their is an anticipation that on Saturday, 700 recruits will be in the stands at the Rose Bowl.

“There is so many avenues of playing ball now that these guys have crossed paths. So these guys just wanna walk around LA with your chest up.” pic.twitter.com/pAGYkDWuZV

Bruins quarterback Ethan Garbers is all too familiar with the rivalry growing up in Newport Beach and attending high school at Corona Del Mar to already being a part of this game three times. Twice as a backup and once as a starter.

In 2021, Garbers witnessed an iconic Bruins performance when Dorian Thompson-Robinson had a five-touchdown performance leading the Bruins to a 62-33 victory.

Last season, it was time for Garbers to make his mark on the rivalry.

Coming into that game, Garbers counterpart across the sideline was the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and future number-one pick in the NFL Draft, Caleb Williams.

Williams threw the ball for 384 yards in that game but had one touchdown. Garbers was able to keep pace with Williams and lead the Bruins to a 38-20 victory that featured him having three touchdown passes for 155 yards.

With Garbers set to play in this game for the second straight season, he said having the confidence, experience, and knowing what it takes will be his biggest takeaway from last year into now.

"Every time we play the team across town it's personal for everyone on the team," Garbers said. "It's a huge week for us and we're just excited to go out there and play."

Coming out of high school, Garbers was considered a four-star recruit and had plenty of offers at schools like Georgia, Colorado, Washington, and UCLA but not USC.

"I grew up going to games there," Garbers said. "I'm excited to get the first won in the Rose Bowl."