USC @ UCLA preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 30, 2013 ) UCLA 35, Southern California 14

The path hasn’t been as smooth as expected, but No. 12 UCLA controls its own destiny heading into Saturday’s Pac-12 South showdown against visiting USC. The Bruins rebounded from back-to-back losses against Utah and Oregon with four straight wins and can secure a spot in the Pac-12 championship game by defeating No. 24 USC and Stanford. UCLA has won the last two meetings against USC, which can clinch the division with a win over the Bruins and one Arizona State loss in its final two games.

The crosstown rivalry game features two of the top quarterbacks in the league in UCLA’s Brett Hundley and USC’s Cody Kessler, who is connecting on 70 percent of his passes while throwing 29 touchdowns and just three interceptions. The Trojans’ stellar defensive line needs to pressure Hundley, who threw for 302 yards and accounted for four TDs in last week’s 44-30 win over Washington. After allowing 23 sacks in their first five games, the Bruins have permitted eight in their past five contests.

TV: 8 ET, ABC. LINE: UCLA -3.

ABOUT NO. 24 USC (7-3, 6-2 Pac-12): Kessler has one of the best targets in the country in wide receiver Nelson Agholor, who was named Pac-12 offensive player of the week after catching a career-best 16 passes for 216 yards with two touchdowns in a 38-30 win over California. USC is averaging a Pac-12-high 9.2 penalties and saw three touchdowns called back against the Golden Bears. Versatile safety Su'a Cravens has 14 tackles for loss to lead the Trojans, who rank second in the Pac-12 in scoring defense (23.3 points per game).

ABOUT NO. 12 UCLA (8-2, 5-2): Hundley has sparked the Bruins’ surge with five rushing scores in the last five games, while wide receiver Jordan Payton has a team-high 58 receptions and seven touchdowns. Running back Paul Perkins averages a league-high 6.2 yards per carry and ranks second behind USC’s Javorius Allen with an average of 117.2 yards on the ground. Linebacker Eric Kendricks has eight double-digit tackle games this season to lead the defense, which held Arizona to seven points two weeks ago.

EXTRA POINTS

1. UCLA is 21-3 under coach Jim Mora when scoring first and 23-0 when leading at halftime.

2. USC has outscored opponents 129-22 in the first quarter this season.

3. The Bruins rank first in the nation in red zone scoring percentage at 97.4

PREDICTION: UCLA 27, USC 24