USC-UCLA live blog: First quarter
1:45 p.m.: Somehow, ABC almost misses the opening kickoff, still in a car commercial as UCLA kicks it away to start -- and with it, of course, a penalty called on USC for holding (B. Cushing) on the return (although the ABC graphic says "false start on USC). Instead of first and 10 from the 26, it's back at the 16. Keep track of the penalties on the Trojans, among the worst in the nation in this category ...
=UCLA alumn Rob Reiner does the intros for the Bruins ... that's the best they could do? Nice effort, Meathead. Rodney Peete did it for USC appearing as if it was his first time in front of a camera ...
=ABC analyst and former UCLA quarterback David Norrie makes his first comment about Karl Dorrell's coaching job status: "The stakes are high ... all the money's out on the table ... you could find yourself coaching in the Rose Bowl (or) you could find yourself without a job. What a team to line up against with your job on the line."
=There's no reason each team can't wear its dark home jerseys for this game. Again, I thought that was resolved coming into this game, whomever was going to take the 15-yard penalty and we'd move past it. Apparently, the Coliseum issues were too much for one brain to wrap around this week for the Trojans...
=First big stop by UCLA: Holding Chauncey Washington to a one-yard loss on a 4th and 1 inside the 25. Didn't want the three points? Deja vu? That's what the Bruins did to the Trojans a year ago on their first drive -- stopped them on a fourth-and-short play.
=Two turnovers already for the Bruins in less than seven minutes ... not a solid gameplan.
=Set up by 27-yard pass to Havili after the Markey fumble (above) and recovery, McKnight runs it in for a 7-0 USC lead (7:34 left in the first quarter).
=Next Norrie quote on Dorrell: "I'm not sure whether a win or loss is black or white in determining whether Dorrell stays or goes. But definitely the performance of the Bruins in this game, win or lose, is going to greatly determine whether he will coach (there) again next season."
=Another Norrie window of TV time to talk about Dorrell: "I'm sure it's been a tough 3-4 weeks, a lot of heat ... he faced the heat a year ago down the stretch but the win at the end of 2006 took a lot of pressure off him. But for Karl, I think he knows as well as alot of other people know, this game really determines his future, the way that UCLA plays throughout."
(Can he lose this game and still have a job, asks Terry Gannon)
"There's a chance that could happen, yes," said Norrie.
(As USC moves in for another offensive march, Gannon continues: Is there any way Dorrell's out of a job if he wins this game and beats USC two years in a row?)
"You can't make decisions for Dan Guerrero, the athletic director, but I think it would be pretty tough to fire a coach coming off a USC win let alone an appearance in the Rose Bowl ..."
=USC can make it a two-score game, but missed 40 yard field goal shows why USC went for it on fourth down earlier. Still 7-0 with 4:42 left in the first quarter.
=3:13 mark: "Who has the whistle in the stands would you please refrain from blowing that whistle, you're interrupting the game on the field of play," says the referee after a stoppage of play. "David, I told you stop bringing your whistle to games," Gannon tells Norrie.
It reminds Norrie of when his parents would yell at him for playing his Led Zepplin music too loud.
All it does is seem to provoke as many people in the stands as possible to start whistling...
End first quarter: USC 7, UCLA 0