MD - Chapter 268: Crosstown rivalryMarch 9
The scoreboard still shone brightly high above the stadium.
USC Trojans 50 — UCLA Bruins 0
In the stands, large sections dressed in blue and gold sat in silence. The roar that had accompanied the start of the game had faded long ago.
But the most uncomfortable silence wasn't in the stands.
It was inside one of the VIP suites at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Even though UCLA was playing as the visiting team, the program always had suites assigned for administration, major donors, and university figures.
The suite was spacious and elegant.
An enclosed space with huge windows looking directly out onto the illuminated field. Inside there were leather sofas, high tables with drinks and food, televisions broadcasting the game, and a bar along one side.
Normally places like this were filled with conversation, laughter, and analysis of the game.
Tonight, at the end of the game, they were not. The atmosphere was quiet and tense.
Inside that suite stood Dan Guerrero, UCLA's athletic director.
Guerrero wasn't just another administrator. As athletic director he was responsible for the entire athletic department of the university, overseeing dozens of sports programs, managing multimillion-dollar budgets, and making critical decisions such as hiring or firing head coaches.
He was one of the most influential figures in college athletics.
But that night he wasn't alone.
There were four other men in the suite. Three of them were boosters.
In the world of college sports, a booster is a major donor to the athletic program. People who contribute millions of dollars to the university to fund facilities, improve the program, and support recruiting.
In return they receive benefits such as VIP suites at stadiums, access to private events with the team, meetings with coaches, trips with the team to major bowl games, among others.
And although officially they don't make decisions, their influence is enormous.
When a program loses too much, boosters often pressure for major changes: firing coaches, hiring more prestigious names, improving facilities, or investing more in recruiting.
Among the men present in the suite was Casey Wasserman.
Grandson of the legendary entertainment magnate Lew Wasserman, he was the CEO of Wasserman Media Group, one of the most important sports and marketing agencies in the world.
He was also a UCLA alumnus and one of the major donors to the athletic program.
All of them were looking out at the field through the glass.
Dan stood with his arms crossed, staring through the window. His expression hardened, his brow slightly furrowed.
The team's situation before this game hadn't been particularly good.
UCLA's overall record was 6–5. Nothing impressive.
In the Pac-12, their conference record was 5–3.
Now, after the loss against USC, the team stood at 6–6 overall and 5–4 in conference play.
Under normal circumstances, that would have meant finishing second in the Pac-12 South division and being out of the conference championship race.
But technically, they would still play in that game.
UCLA had finished second in the division. The first was USC.
However, USC was under NCAA sanctions and was not allowed to participate in bowl games or championship games.
That meant that, officially, UCLA would represent the Pac-12 South Division.
And their opponent had already been determined the previous week: the Oregon Ducks.
A dominant team this season, and for several years now.
Dan Guerrero looked at the field in silence, 'Is this better or worse?' he thought.
Facing Oregon, a team that seemed almost unbeatable, in these circumstances was almost like voluntarily placing your head under the guillotine.
"You know…" said one of the boosters, Michael Harrington, an important real estate businessman who had been donating to the program for years, "I knew we'd been playing poorly. Many of our wins were close or pretty inconsistent, but I didn't expect a beating of this magnitude."
UCLA had gone years without dominating the rivalry against USC.
But this was something else.
No one expected one of the worst results in the history of the rivalry. Possibly among the three most lopsided ever. They would have to check the record books.
USC had dominated the game from start to finish.
Casey Wasserman stood up from his seat. He had a glass of alcohol in his hand. He took a few steps until he stood beside the large window.
He stopped next to Dan, looking at the scoreboard that still glowed above the stadium.
50 – 0
Wasserman took a small sip before speaking, "Dan, this can't keep going like this," he finally said.
Michael also stood up and joined them, looking through the glass toward a specific section of the stands, "If we want to have any chance with Andrew Pritchett-Tucker, we need to fix this."
Dan and Wasserman both turned to look toward the same section Michael was watching.
Before kickoff, Andrew's face had appeared on one of the giant screens inside the Memorial Coliseum. The stadium had introduced him as the number one prospect in the country, widely considered the greatest high school football player ever.
The reception hadn't exactly been warm. After all, they were in the home of the USC Trojans.
Andrew hadn't taken an official visit to USC. They weren't on his list of options. On the other hand, he had visited UCLA, which made it fairly clear where many of his interests were leaning.
Part of the crowd had booed him.
From the visiting section, UCLA fans had tried to respond with applause and cheers, attempting to make themselves heard in the middle of the Coliseum's sea of red.
"What do you mean by fix this?" Wasserman asked, frowning. "These things don't get fixed overnight."
"I know," Michael replied. "I'm talking about Neuheisel. He's been here four years and all we've had are inconsistent seasons."
It was true.
Rick Neuheisel's tenure had never truly taken off.
Dan nodded slowly.
One of the staff members accompanying him, an athletic department assistant named Kaplan, spoke carefully.
"I understand the point, but announcing something now could make things worse. We have the Pac-12 Championship in a week against Oregon. If we fire Neuheisel before that game, we'd be sending him out to coach while already fired. That would only make everything look even more disastrous."
For a few seconds, no one said anything.
Then another of the boosters, a man named Callahan, who had remained silent the entire time, suddenly stood up from his seat.
Unlike the others, his patience seemed to have run out a while ago.
"So what?" he said, his voice full of irritation. "We're just going to sit here and watch the best prospect in history decide to go to another program because he thinks nothing here is ever going to change?"
No one answered.
Callahan didn't even give them time to.
"Four years," he continued, shaking his head. "Four years and we're still in exactly the same place. If we don't show we're willing to change something, we're going to lose him. And I'll have to rethink a few things if that happens."
He finished his drink in one gulp, set the glass down on the table with a sharp thud, and walked toward the suite's exit.
"I hope you make a decision," he said before leaving. "And quickly."
The door closed behind him.
Wasserman and Michael didn't take much longer to leave either.
They did so more diplomatically, without Callahan's abruptness, but the message was essentially the same.
When the door closed again, silence returned to the room.
Dan let out a long sigh.
For a few seconds he remained looking out at the field, now increasingly empty as players began heading toward the tunnels.
Then he turned to the athletic department assistant.
"Let's go," he finally said.
There were a few things to take care of before leaving the stadium.
They left the suite and took the interior corridor of the stadium.
First they would have to go down to the UCLA locker room, greet the team, speak briefly with the staff, and follow the usual post-game protocol.
After that, Dan didn't go home.
Despite it being Saturday night, he went straight to his office. There was too much to do over the next two days.
They would be crucial days.
The first thing he did was call Andrew's parents.
Fortunately, UCLA had a good relationship with them and direct contact. They answered quickly.
The one who picked up was Mitchell, the lawyer. Dan didn't waste time beating around the bush.
He spoke in a serious tone, fitting for the situation.
Without beating around the bush, he told him directly that UCLA would be making major changes in the coming days. He didn't use the word firing, but he made it fairly clear that the program would be heading in a new direction. He also assured him that UCLA remained fully committed to Andrew.
"We know Andrew is focused on the state final next Friday," he said. "We don't want to distract him. But I would really appreciate it if, when the time comes for him to make his decision, he could first see who UCLA's new head coach will be."
That was all.
After that, he hung up.
Dan sighed. He would never normally do something like that for a recruit.
Not hint, however indirectly, at the firing of a coach who was still officially in his position. Nor imply, almost ask, that a prospect delay his decision until he could see who the next head coach would be.
By Monday the news would probably be official anyway. He was merely moving things forward by a couple of days.
But still.
It wasn't something people usually did.
However, in this case, it was worth it.
It would be rather depressing if Andrew simply ruled out UCLA because of the current situation and chose one of his other options instead.
That would be a rather mediocre way to lose a battle like this.
Dan placed his hands on the desk and stared at some papers, lost in thought.
The UCLA Bruins athletic program, in general terms, was one of the most successful in the country.
UCLA dominated in several sports.
Especially men's basketball, as well as softball, volleyball, swimming, and water polo, where they had accumulated numerous NCAA championships.
But the problem had always been the same.
Football.
UCLA's football program had spent decades with the reputation of being a team with enormous potential, but inconsistent.
And almost always living in the shadow of USC Trojans football.
The irony was that, despite all of that, football was still the sport that generated the most money, attracted the most media attention, and the one the boosters most wanted to see dominate.
Which was why it had become the athletic department's greatest frustration.
Dan, as athletic director, wanted to build a legacy that would be remembered for decades. But because of football, that legacy now felt incomplete.
Yes, there were many NCAA championships in other sports.
But until football made the leap, that wouldn't change.
That was why Dan was willing to do whatever was necessary to change that story.
'Back to work, the night is still young,' Dan thought.
…
The historic blowout in the Los Angeles rivalry game was already national news. And it came with an extra detail that drew even more attention: Andrew Pritchett-Tucker had been present in the stadium.
His college decision was one of the most closely followed stories in football.
The news didn't take long to appear.
In fact, it started circulating that very same night.
11:04 p.m. — November 26, 2011 | Football
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Matt Barkley threw for 423 yards and six touchdowns in what may have been his farewell at the Coliseum, while Robert Woods set the conference record for receptions in a single season by catching 12 passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns, as the top-ten ranked USC Trojans closed out their resurgent season with a 50–0 demolition of the UCLA Bruins football team.
USC finished 10–2, a record that likely would have placed them in the conversation for the nation's major bowl games if not for NCAA sanctions.
The Trojans won seven of their last eight games, culminating in this emphatic victory over their city rivals.
Meanwhile, UCLA finished 6–6 (5–4). The Bruins will represent the Pac-12 South Division and face the Oregon Ducks football team in the conference championship next week, despite finishing two games behind USC in the division standings.
Earlier in the week, UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel had commented that he felt the Bruins had closed the gap with the Trojans.
The final score suggested otherwise.
Although UCLA will play for the Pac-12 title, many observers believe Neuheisel's job is in jeopardy after a fourth inconsistent season.
With the Coliseum crowd repeatedly chanting "One more year!", Barkley shined in what could have been his final game with USC. He completed 35 of 42 passes and set a new Pac-12 record with his 39th touchdown pass, connecting with Woods on a 41-yard touchdown that surpassed the mark previously set by Matt Leinart.
Barkley and offensive tackle Matt Kalil are widely considered near-certain first-round selections in the upcoming NFL Draft, although both said after the game that they had not yet made a final decision about returning for their senior season.
A return could allow them to compete for a national championship with a team many project as one of the most talented in the country next year.
The victory also carried a particular echo within the context of national recruiting.
Among the more than 90,000 spectators in attendance at the Coliseum was Andrew Pritchett-Tucker, the most followed high school quarterback in the country. His presence did not go unnoticed by fans or analysts, especially considering that his college decision is expected in the coming days.
USC is not among his known official visits, leading many to wonder whether, after witnessing such a dominant performance at the Coliseum, it might make him reconsider not including USC among his official visits despite the institution's well-known attempts to bring him in.
Still, most analysts agreed that Andrew's presence at the stadium seemed to reflect more the magnitude of the Los Angeles rivalry game than any change in his decision-making process.
…
There was also a lot of activity on Twitter that night.
A fan account, @STrojansEmpire1986, posted a tweet that quickly began circulating.
The tweet was accompanied by a photo. The image showed Matt Barkley at midfield of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. He was wearing the red USC Trojans football uniform, the number 7 shining under the stadium lights.
He was smiling widely.
In one hand he held the traditional Trojans sword, raised high, while with the other he made a victory sign with two fingers.
Behind him, the stands were a sea of red and gold. Thousands of fans were celebrating, some with their arms raised, others recording with their phones while the stadium still vibrated after the victory.
@STrojansEmpire1986 — 11:34 PM · Dec 3, 2011
THE KING OF THE CITY.
Matt Barkley delivers a historic night at the Coliseum.
6 touchdowns! Without a doubt one of his best games.
Another chapter of dominance in the Los Angeles rivalry: 50 — 0
USC has won 13 of the last 14 meetings against UCLA Bruins football.
If Barkley doesn't finish Top 3 in the Heisman, it's a robbery.
The Coliseum made it clear tonight:
"ONE MORE YEAR!"
💬 Replies
@Fightn_SC:
423 yards and 6 TD in the rivalry game and there are still people saying he isn't one of the best QBs in the country.
@75ligter:
I'm extremely proud of this team. What total focus they showed on the field against a completely overmatched UCLA! It was like watching a lion pounce on a pack of poodles.
@tewmen1:
Next season the sanctions are finally over. Finally! We've got a real shot at competing for the national title.
@MODblogger:
"UCLA has a football team?" Classic.
@zava55:
At UCLA's campus they should sell shirts that say:
"UCLA: I just go here for my education. Please don't ask about the football team."
@warplanner7528:
That white uniform UCLA wore today? Supposedly it was a special rivalry uniform. Ironically they ended up dressed in white like a sign of surrender. Doubt we'll see that one again.
@jimstreut:
The last two years with USC were frustrating because of the sanctions, but this team and next year give me hope again :)
Please stay one more year, Barkley.
@Darkimir (replying to @jimstreut):
Yeah, it could be a great year… if Andrew doesn't end up at UCLA.
Pray, my friend.
@USCTrojansFan420:
Yeah, the gap surely has closed, right Rick?? FIGHT ON!
@NcFolau:
BARKLEY..ONE MORE YEAR..PLS..
@TheKSmode:
The "one more year" chant was for Barkley and Neuheisel.
…
Another tweet that became quite famous came with an attached photo from the stands of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
In the image, Andrew can be seen sitting in a section of the stadium, wearing a dark jacket and a low cap, surrounded by a few friends and family members.
The lights from the field partially illuminated his face as he watched the game with an expression that looked more analytical than that of a fan of any particular team.
@CFBSpotlight — 11:53 PM · Dec 3, 2011
Andrew Pritchett-Tucker watching the Los Angeles rivalry tonight 👀
The no.1 prospect in the country witnessing USC 50 – 0 UCLA from the stands.
The Mater Dei quarterback's college decision is expected soon.
Do you think this result will influence his decision?
💬 Replies
@BruinNation24:
Great, just what we needed him to see. 50–0. Perfect.
@Erik02:
Don't tell me we just lost Andrew because of this…
@Sulimanmanzz:
If the administration makes changes quickly there's still time.
@winmag211 (replying to @Sulimanmanzz):
True. If they announce a new head coach in the next few days this could change things. Sometimes a crisis also opens the door to a new era.
@Thomastrojansdynasty:
Andrew watching live who's in charge in Los Angeles.
@75joeb:
Imagine thinking UCLA can compete with this 💀
@Mrdevilman:
If I were Andrew, after seeing this I'd be reconsidering everything.
@mrpk:
Andrew watching how an elite college QB plays.
@jessyk (replying to @mrpk):
You say that like Barkley is better than Andrew…
@mrpk (replying to @jessyk):
He is. Barkley has been playing in college for three years and this season he's performing at an extremely high level.
Andrew might be the best in high school, but it's still high school. Don't start worshipping him yet, he could end up being another Clausen.
@Andrewfanpage1 (replying to @mrpk):
Some quick facts:
Matt Barkley at Mater Dei Monarchs football:
– 4-year starter
– 0 section titles
Andrew Pritchett-Tucker at Mater Dei:
– Arrived as a transfer
– 2 years
– 2 section titles
– 1 state championship
– another state final on the way
@Sebbygun (replying to @Andrewfanpage1):
Don't forget this:
Barkley junior year: 35 TD
Andrew junior year: 72 TD
Respect to Barkley, but the numbers speak for themselves.
@mrpk (replying to @Andrewfanpage1):
College ≠ high school.
When he gets to the NCAA, then we'll talk.
@Irene1996 (replying to @mrpk):
Andrew isn't just the top prospect, he has almost six million YouTube subscribers and nationally televised games since he was sixteen. The pressure he already handles is bigger than what many college players face.
@Sanelli:
I'm with @mrpk. College is a completely different level from high school. No matter how much pressure or visibility he has, the competitive jump is enormous.
If Andrew chooses UCLA with the program in its current situation and Matt Barkley stays one more year at USC, it seems pretty clear to me, we'll probably see another Trojan blowout over the Bruins.
@ChandlerBing (replying to @Sanelli):
"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." — Luke 14:11
So relax, when Jesus Christ arrives in college, we'll see who ends up exalted on the scoreboard.
Amen.
@Sanelli (replying to @ChandlerBing):
Ok… that response I did not expect.
@RoseAT:
"Jesus Christ of football" is still the best nickname they've given him.
…
User @mrpk never replied again. Within just a few minutes, the thread had already accumulated hundreds of replies, arguments, and quote tweets.
And that was only one of many debates that exploded that night.
The Los Angeles rivalry game had sparked conversation everywhere.
On television, for example, the game occupied a large portion of the late-night analysis on College Football Final, ESPN's program dedicated to recaps and analysis of college football that airs every Saturday night during the NCAA Division I season. For many fans, it's the show that officially closes the college football day.
There they reviewed the game's highlights, the dominance of the Trojans, the spectacular performance by Matt Barkley, and also the increasingly fragile situation surrounding head coach Rick Neuheisel.
Some analysts were especially harsh, pointing out that after four inconsistent seasons and a 50–0 loss in the rivalry game, the conclusion for everyone should be obvious: a firing.
At the local level, programs like Fox Sports West Sports Report also dedicated long segments to the game. They once again showed the most important plays, analyzed the rivalry between both programs, and even included quick interviews with fans leaving the stadium.
Andrew's name appeared several times on those shows.
Although not as the main topic.
While all of that was happening on television and across the internet, Andrew wasn't paying much attention.
It was Saturday night. And after the game, back at his house, it was boys' night.
Steve, Leonard, and Howard were there, and tonight's plan was simple:
Video games.
More specifically, a LAN party.
Each of them had brought their computer, monitor, and accessories, carrying them up the stairs to Andrew's room to set up what looked like a small improvised cyber café. It wasn't the first time they had done it; by now they had the ritual pretty well perfected.
As they walked in with their PCs and began setting them down in place, Andrew was right behind them when he heard Mitchell's voice from downstairs.
"Andrew! Come here for a moment, it's important!"
The shout traveled up the staircase.
Andrew paused for a second.
"Coming!" he replied.
Then he looked at his friends, who had already started plugging in cables.
"Go ahead and start setting everything up," he said, pointing at the computer towers. "I'll be right back."