USC vs. UCLA: The Best Little Rivalry in Town: A Game-By-Game History of America's Greatest Football Rivalry

by Jody Brown

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0880110694
• ISBN13: 9780880110693
• Release Date: January 1982
• Publisher: Leisure Press
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.

Customer Reviews

TROJANS ARE ALL-TIME BEST IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL HISTORY

The 2004 college football season has come to an end with Pete Carroll's University of Southern California Trojans having completed the most perfect season in collegiate football history. There have been many "perfect" teams; that is, teams that went undefeated and untied en route to a consensus National Championship. USC itself has enjoyed their fair share of these kinds of wire-to-wire perfect seasons. But the stars have never been aligned for any team quite like the 2004 Trojans. First of all, they are the sixth team to be ranked number one in the nation from the pre-season polls through the bowl games. USC is the only team to do it twice. The 1972 Trojans, considered by many to be the greatest team of all time, accomplished the feat. But SC was also ranked number one from the end of the 2003 regular season through the bowls, and carried that right through 2004 without interruption. The 2004 Trojans also boast the Heisman Trophy winner, two-time junior All-American quarterback Matt Leinart. His teammate, All-American sophomore running back Reggie Bush, was a New York finalist for the award. USC won a repeat National Championship, a feat rarely done. They are in the middle of a 22-game winning streak. They beat Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl, a game that was previewed as the greatest game in college football history. The 1944-45 Army Cadets featured a similar winning streak and two Heisman winners, Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis. There are other teams that compare, but nobody has done it quite the way Carroll's team is doing it. A few came close. The 1983 Nebraska Cornhuskers featured an undefeated regular season that included winners of the Heisman and Outland Trophies. They lost to Miami in the Orange Bowl. The 2003 Oklahoma Sooners looked to be on a similar path, but their Heisman winner, Jason White, faltered in the Big 12 championship game as well as the Orange Bowl. In light of USC's recent dominance, it is worth considering their place in history. Not just the current Trojans, but USC's football program going back to the beginning of the 20th Century. It is time to take the mantel of "greatest program in the history of college football" away from the struggling Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and lay it squarely with the deserving new champions from USC. Furthermore, USC continues to lay claim to the greatest historical athletic program in college history, as well. The two-time defending National Champions are a dynasty. If Leinart returns for his senior year in 2005, they will be better than they were this season. Leinart will be a senior, the Heisman favorite (as he was all of this year), and a three-time All-American. He will walk away from his career with more honors than any player ever; three National Championships (?), two Heismans (?), the Johnny Unitas Award, the Walter Camp Award, the Maxwell Trophy, the Davey O'Brien Award, et al. He will probably be the number one pick in the NFL draft. The 2003-04 Trojans are very possibly the

Touchdowns and Book markers

This book is obviously a must for the die-hard SC-Ucla fan, and is a good read. The stats, and other lists are a real plus. What keeps this from being a five-star recommendation, however, is the writing itself. The book seems poorly edited, if edited at all. First, it is laden with typos. This of course can be overlooked by us because the fan knows what was intended in the words. But it can be annoying when the reader wants to relish seeing the actual stat or name, etc., in print. Second, Brown's use of either outdated or downright strange terms does, after a few chapters, become annoying. He seems almost to refuse to use modern terms like touchdown, pass, and goal line. Instead he repeatedly calls them "markers" "pitches" and "double stripes," to give a few examples. Drives are "endeavors," "journeys," or "efforts." I realize the need to avoid redundancy, but Brown has gone a little too far. This may seem trivial to the prospective reader, but after reading half of the book, the strange jargon and vernacular becomes irritating. Realize also that the book ends with the 1981 game. Brown and the editors also did not think about the longevity of the book. (Ex: "Prothro now lives in Lakewood, Ohio") It's a four star book nevertheless, and as said, a must in the library of every real USC-UCLA fan.

A virtual encyclopedia on Bruins-Trojans football history

Gets you into the game. Gives you the facts surrounding the annual clash. Every Bruin and Trojan fan needs this in his library (especially when your buddy from the other school pays a visit).