UCLA has been dominated by USC in the crosstown rivalry for the last decade, so the Bruins were justifiably fired up after beating the Trojans in the Coliseum 35-14 on Saturday. The win marked UCLA’s first win at the Coliseum since 1997; it was the first time the Bruins have won back-to-back games against USC since 1997-1998; and the 21-point win against USC was the program’s largest margin of victory at the Coliseum. They had plenty of reasons to celebrate, but the Bruins disrespected the Trojans in their celebration.
First up, as reporter Beto Duran showed, UCLA players spiked flags into the ground at midfield of their rival’s stadium:
Better pic of #UCLA flags on #USC field with scoreboard showing 35-14 in background pic.twitter.com/FNjfeH5ajc
— Beto Duran (@DuranSports) December 1, 2013
Keep in mind that UCLA made a specific threat to USC last year that if their drum major planted a sword in the logo midfield at the Rose Bowl, they would prevent them from marching at halftime.
Then outside the locker room, Jim Mora yelled “we own this town” while addressing his players:
That was supposedly said not too far from USC players.
Mora was more diplomatic in his postgame news conference, saying that UCLA only owned the town temporarily until the next meeting between the teams, but you better believe USC will hear about his comments.
As if driving the stakes into midfield and saying “we own this town” weren’t enough, Mora also called USC “Southern Cal,” which is a name they notoriously despise.
Mora has referred to USC as “Southern Cal” in the past, so maybe it was habitual rather than intentional, but it still comes off as a slight.
UCLA certainly earned the right to celebrate after beating USC, but just remember that the more you celebrate and rub in a win against your rival, the more they will remember it the next year, and the harder you’re making it on yourself to win again the following season.
