In anticipation of USC's rivalry game with the UCLA Bruins, TrojanSports.com joined forces with BruinSportsReport.com publisher Edward Lewis to offer up predictions for Saturday's game.
Ronald Jones II – 200 rushing yards
Edward Lewis: Over. Perhaps even way over depending on how smart USC is with its gameplan and how they use him in the event of a blowout. UCLA's run defense is putrid, and RoJo is by far the best back they've seen this year. Anything less than 200 would honestly be shocking to me.
Chris Swanson: Over. UCLA's rush defense is terrible and I don't expect the Bruins to have any chance when it comes to slowing Jones.
Sam Darnold – 250 passing yards
Lewis: Under. Teams beat UCLA by throwing the ball 20 times or less and running it 30 times or more. Given how good SC's rushing attack is, I would imagine the Trojans follow the same formula and Darnold only needs around 185 in this one.
Swanson: Over. The run game will open up the deep pass. USC will push for those plays and for points against a helpless rival.
USC – 50 points
Lewis: Over. This is the first tough one for me on here, but I think Josh Rosen is so good he'll keep this game within arm's reach for so long that USC will have to keep scoring.
Swanson: Over. USC has been on the verge of breaking 50 a couple of times this season and I see it happening against UCLA. The Bruins have a good passing game and a terrible defense. That's a perfect combination for a high scoring game. They'll score enough to force USC to keep scoring.
USC – 350 rushing yards
Lewis: Over. Again, the gameplan should be to turn and hand it off to Ronald Jones and Stephen Carr 60 times while only throwing it around 15-20. Given the way USC has run the ball this year and the way UCLA can't stop anybody, I'd expect it to be around 350-400 rushing yards by the game's end.
Swanson: Under. I expect USC's passing game to keep this number under 350 yards.
UCLA – 30 points
Lewis: Under. I'm not sure UCLA will have the ball enough to score 31 or more. The game should be a shorter one considering what I'd expect USC to be able to do on the ground.
Swanson: Under but not by much. I expect the Bruins to score more than 24 points in this game.
Rosen – 350 passing yards
Lewis: Under. Like the above answer, it'd take a lot of possessions I think for Rosen to get to this number. I'd imagine he ends with around 315, though.
Swanson: Over. He's special and USC's secondary can surrender big pass plays. I expect Rosen to throw a bunch, score touchdowns and get his yards. It just won't be not be enough to keep this game competitive.
Rosen – 1.5 interceptions
Lewis: Under. Rosen's actually been very good about turnovers this season, with most of his recent picks coming because of drops or tips. UCLA is probably going to lose this game, but I wouldn't bank on Rosen's interceptions being the reason why.
Swanson: Over. As I said in the last question, I expect Rosen to throw the ball a lot. That leads to turnovers. With the pressure USC's front seven should be able to create, and with the type of athletes USC has in its back 8, I believe Rosen will throw a couple of picks.
UCLA – 100 rushing yards
Lewis: Over. UCLA has actually had a good running attack this year. I don't think the Bruins' offense will struggle Saturday, at least in terms of moving the football.
Swanson: Under for the same reasons I don't expect UCLA to stop USC from running the ball. The Bruins are bad at this part of the game and the Trojans are too talented. If UCLA does break 100 on the ground, I don't think it'll be by much and I think it will be aided by one big run.
Attendance – 90,000
Lewis: Under. USC's already won the Pac-12 South and UCLA isn't playing for anything meaningful other than pride. This feels more like a "let's BBQ at my place and watch the game on my TV" than the "we have to be there!" type of game.
Swanson: Over. USC is going to play for the Pac-12 title in a couple of weeks, it's the last game of the season and this looks like a potential bloodbath against a hated rival. Those factors will attract a solid showing of Trojan fans. And despite UCLA's struggles, they have enough loyal fans to cover the difference and make this a sell out.
Score prediction
Lewis: USC 52, UCLA 28
Swanson: I think USC will run all over UCLA. I don't think the Bruins have a prayer to stop the USC run game. That's going to be enough to secure a USC victory. Even if UCLA does manage to make USC throw the ball, I'm not sure the Bruins are going to stop that either. Darnold is too good and his receivers have blossomed at the right time for this game. I just don't see UCLA slowing down USC at all. That being said, I think UCLA can take advantage of the USC secondary. That makes me think UCLA can score on the Trojans. I'm just not sure it will happen because USC has a solid defense. I see USC overwhelming UCLA with the run early and that leading to a balanced and explosive attack. I think USC scores at will and UCLA has its moments on offense as well, just far less of them. USC 52, UCLA 28.
Ronald Jones II – 200 rushing yards
Edward Lewis: Over. Perhaps even way over depending on how smart USC is with its gameplan and how they use him in the event of a blowout. UCLA's run defense is putrid, and RoJo is by far the best back they've seen this year. Anything less than 200 would honestly be shocking to me.
Chris Swanson: Over. UCLA's rush defense is terrible and I don't expect the Bruins to have any chance when it comes to slowing Jones.
Sam Darnold – 250 passing yards
Lewis: Under. Teams beat UCLA by throwing the ball 20 times or less and running it 30 times or more. Given how good SC's rushing attack is, I would imagine the Trojans follow the same formula and Darnold only needs around 185 in this one.
Swanson: Over. The run game will open up the deep pass. USC will push for those plays and for points against a helpless rival.
USC – 50 points
Lewis: Over. This is the first tough one for me on here, but I think Josh Rosen is so good he'll keep this game within arm's reach for so long that USC will have to keep scoring.
Swanson: Over. USC has been on the verge of breaking 50 a couple of times this season and I see it happening against UCLA. The Bruins have a good passing game and a terrible defense. That's a perfect combination for a high scoring game. They'll score enough to force USC to keep scoring.
USC – 350 rushing yards
Lewis: Over. Again, the gameplan should be to turn and hand it off to Ronald Jones and Stephen Carr 60 times while only throwing it around 15-20. Given the way USC has run the ball this year and the way UCLA can't stop anybody, I'd expect it to be around 350-400 rushing yards by the game's end.
Swanson: Under. I expect USC's passing game to keep this number under 350 yards.
UCLA – 30 points
Lewis: Under. I'm not sure UCLA will have the ball enough to score 31 or more. The game should be a shorter one considering what I'd expect USC to be able to do on the ground.
Swanson: Under but not by much. I expect the Bruins to score more than 24 points in this game.
Rosen – 350 passing yards
Lewis: Under. Like the above answer, it'd take a lot of possessions I think for Rosen to get to this number. I'd imagine he ends with around 315, though.
Swanson: Over. He's special and USC's secondary can surrender big pass plays. I expect Rosen to throw a bunch, score touchdowns and get his yards. It just won't be not be enough to keep this game competitive.
Rosen – 1.5 interceptions
Lewis: Under. Rosen's actually been very good about turnovers this season, with most of his recent picks coming because of drops or tips. UCLA is probably going to lose this game, but I wouldn't bank on Rosen's interceptions being the reason why.
Swanson: Over. As I said in the last question, I expect Rosen to throw the ball a lot. That leads to turnovers. With the pressure USC's front seven should be able to create, and with the type of athletes USC has in its back 8, I believe Rosen will throw a couple of picks.
UCLA – 100 rushing yards
Lewis: Over. UCLA has actually had a good running attack this year. I don't think the Bruins' offense will struggle Saturday, at least in terms of moving the football.
Swanson: Under for the same reasons I don't expect UCLA to stop USC from running the ball. The Bruins are bad at this part of the game and the Trojans are too talented. If UCLA does break 100 on the ground, I don't think it'll be by much and I think it will be aided by one big run.
Attendance – 90,000
Lewis: Under. USC's already won the Pac-12 South and UCLA isn't playing for anything meaningful other than pride. This feels more like a "let's BBQ at my place and watch the game on my TV" than the "we have to be there!" type of game.
Swanson: Over. USC is going to play for the Pac-12 title in a couple of weeks, it's the last game of the season and this looks like a potential bloodbath against a hated rival. Those factors will attract a solid showing of Trojan fans. And despite UCLA's struggles, they have enough loyal fans to cover the difference and make this a sell out.
Score prediction
Lewis: USC 52, UCLA 28
Swanson: I think USC will run all over UCLA. I don't think the Bruins have a prayer to stop the USC run game. That's going to be enough to secure a USC victory. Even if UCLA does manage to make USC throw the ball, I'm not sure the Bruins are going to stop that either. Darnold is too good and his receivers have blossomed at the right time for this game. I just don't see UCLA slowing down USC at all. That being said, I think UCLA can take advantage of the USC secondary. That makes me think UCLA can score on the Trojans. I'm just not sure it will happen because USC has a solid defense. I see USC overwhelming UCLA with the run early and that leading to a balanced and explosive attack. I think USC scores at will and UCLA has its moments on offense as well, just far less of them. USC 52, UCLA 28.
