The city derby never lacked fireworks, and this year was no exception. This game was about much more than just the two teams' season rankings or a spot in the Rose Bowl. It was about a decade's worth of bad blood between the two teams.
Last year, the Bruins had a chance at a comeback, but under Kevin Craft's leadership, they still lost to the Trojans with a score of 28-7, which made USC even more arrogant. This year was no different.
Several weeks ago, the two teams' supporters had started clashing, and the tension had been building up. It reached a peak right before the game started. It was unclear who started it, but it resulted in a brawl involving nearly 200 people. Two people even stabbed each other, causing a lot of bloodshed. The arrival of police cars and ambulances added an intense edge to this year's city derby.
The referee blew his whistle, and the annual showdown between the rivals began.
Right from the start, the Trojans, led by quarterback Matt Barkley, launched a fierce offensive attack that left the Bruins gasping for air. In the first three quarters, the Trojans scored two passing touchdowns and two running touchdowns. Their powerful offense was like a storm, leaving the Bruins' defense, which had done a great job this year, powerless.
In contrast, the Bruins' offense struggled. Kevin Prince's passing was a mess. His short, medium, and long passes all failed, giving the wide receivers and tight ends almost no opportunities. They only scored one touchdown in the first quarter thanks to a miraculous run by running back Marcus Lynch.
At the end of the third quarter, the Trojans were leading the Bruins with a score of 28-7, taking a three-touchdown lead into the final quarter.
The crowd's reaction was split. For USC, it was another night of celebration. They were joyfully, wildly, and wildly celebrating their team's excellent performance, and they did everything they could to mock their rivals' struggles. For UCLA, it was an absolute disaster. A few fans, frustrated by the team's poor performance, started leaving the stadium halfway through the third quarter.
Ironically, the game was being played at the Bruins' home stadium.
The UCLA Bruins' home stadium was the famous Rose Bowl. In 1994, it witnessed Roberto Baggio's disappointed look after a missed penalty. In 1999, it saw the Chinese women's soccer team's heartbreaking loss to the US women's team, taking home second place.
The stadium could hold 100,000 people and was one of the top stadiums in the world. As the home of the UCLA Bruins, it had witnessed many classic football games. The stadium's name was the Rose Bowl, and the Pac-12's highest honor was also called the Rose Bowl. This showed the long and storied history of UCLA in the conference.
But tonight, the Rose Bowl, at 100% capacity, was once again about to witness a humiliating loss for the Bruins. The two-thirds of the stadium filled with Bruins fans were now silent and dejected, watching as the one-third of the stadium filled with their rivals cheered and sang loudly. It was a torment, worse than hell.
Losing the game wasn't the end of the world because Bruins supporters would never give up. What was scary was that they couldn't see any fight, hope, or spirit in this Bruins team, and there was nothing to motivate the fans to keep going.
The Bruins had a full 15-minute quarter left to play, but there were no cheers, no shouts, and no chants in the Rose Bowl. The silence was like a zombie's lack of a soul. This was the real end of the world. They had forgotten the last time they saw the pride of a powerhouse team in the Bruins.
The whistle blew for the fourth quarter, but Bruins supporters couldn't tell if this was another start of being stuck in a rut or the continuation of an endless dark world.
Kevin Prince led the offense onto the field again. On the first down, they ran for two yards. On the second down, before he could throw, an opposing player sacked him. The starting position of the offense was moved from the 22-yard line to the 15-yard line, which meant they needed to gain 15 yards on third down.
Things weren't just not improving, they were getting worse. It was a disastrous sight.
Just when everyone thought it couldn't get any worse, it did. After the defensive player celebrated the sack, Kevin didn't get up. He was on the ground, holding his calf and screaming in pain, and the referee had to stop the game.
Instantly, all the Bruins players on the sideline stood up, anxiously watching the situation on the field. Lu Ke was no exception. He wasn't friends with Kevin, but he wasn't an enemy either. More importantly, he was a member of the Bruins, even if he was just a substitute. This was his team, and the Trojans on the other side of the field were his enemies!
Rick Neuheisel slammed his playbook to the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a water cooler and, in a fit of rage, kicked it away. But even that couldn't calm his anger and frustration, and it certainly couldn't solve the problem at hand. He turned to his colleagues. "Call Darius over."
But as he said it, Rick shook his head. He hesitated for a moment. "What do you guys think?"
Darius was only a freshman, and his skills and talent weren't particularly outstanding, and his tactical awareness was average. Lu Ke was a senior, but he had never played in a real game and had worked his way up from the practice squad. He wasn't exactly ready for the job either.
By all accounts, Darius was the number two quarterback, and Lu Ke was the number three. It should have been the number two quarterback's turn to play. But the problem was that the two quarterbacks were equally matched, leaving the Bruins in a difficult situation with no one to turn to.
Chuck, the defensive coach, hesitated for a moment before making his choice. "Darius."
Norm, the offensive coach, responded surprisingly quickly. "Lu Ke."
It was one vote each. Rick then looked at Anthony, who was standing nearby. As the assistant coach, Anthony had a thorough understanding of the entire team, and in some ways, it was more comprehensive and in-depth than Chuck's and Norm's. He thought for a moment. After recalling the past five months, he had to admit that the first person who came to his mind was, "Lu Ke."
Lu Ke might not have been a talented quarterback, but his dedication, hard work, and persistence had left a deep impression on him, not just in the past five months but also during his year on the practice squad. More importantly, Lu Ke was an intelligent quarterback with the demeanor of a true leader, a quality that even Kevin Craft didn't possess.
Anthony wasn't sure what this abstract quality could bring, but he was willing to take a chance. So, he nodded again to confirm, "Yes, Lu Ke."
Rick didn't say anything, his eyes anxiously watching as Kevin Prince was carried off on a stretcher. He was holding his right knee in pain, and it was clear he wouldn't be able to play for a while. Even though his performance all season had been a struggle and his performance tonight was a disaster, this was an accurate reflection of the Bruins' current predicament.
So, Darius or Lu Ke?
"Call Lu over." Since they were already at rock bottom, they might as well take a chance. At the very least, Lu Ke's ability to adapt on the field was what they needed. Rick made his decision without hesitation.
Anthony immediately ran over, shouting, "Lu, hurry! Hurry!"
Lu Ke looked at Kevin being carried off on the stretcher and then looked up at the Rose Bowl. More people were starting to leave. A sad and angry atmosphere filled the stadium, surging under the night sky. The offensive players on the field were at a loss. They didn't even know if they should continue playing.
Someone suddenly bumped into Lu Ke's shoulder. He turned around, and before he could see who it was, he saw Anthony running toward him. "Quick, put on your helmet! Where's your helmet?" Without waiting for Lu Ke to react, Anthony looked around, grabbed a helmet from the bench, and shoved it into Lu Ke's arms. He then pulled Lu Ke along. "Go, get ready to play!"
"What?" Lu Ke thought he had misheard.
He had been hoping for the day he could play, but the four-month season seemed to be ending, and he still hadn't gotten a chance. Before the roster was announced each week, he had hoped to leapfrog Darius and Kevin and become the starting quarterback. He was disappointed every week, but he would compose himself, sit in the player's lounge, watch every game up close, and learn from his observations of the opponents.
There was so much to learn that time seemed to lose its meaning. But deep down, he still hoped.
"Get ready to play!" Anthony repeated, confirming Lu Ke's guess. He then went to Rick and Norm. Rick quickly said, "Third down. Just go up there and deal with it for now. Not losing the ball is a victory." There were only 40 seconds between each play, and with Kevin's injury, he didn't have enough time to discuss a play. He could only deal with the third down for now and then plan things out after the punt.
Rick patted Lu Ke on the shoulder and pushed him. Lu Ke, in a daze, stumbled onto the field.
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