Quarterback Brett Hundley insisted he was still undecided about whether or not he will declare for the 2014 NFL draft, but wasn’t at all uncertain about UCLA’s place in Los Angeles.
“This win really validated what we did last year and what we’re doing this year. The one thing that’s funny to me — I never thought of this as a battle. I thought of this more as a takeover.
“UCLA runs L.A. Let’s have some fun saying it, because we’ve got another year to say it.”
UCLA coach Jim Mora talks about his team’s huge win over USC, and makes a pitch for quarterback Brett Hundley to stay another year.
Huddled outside the visitor’s locker room at the Coliseum, UCLA head coach Jim Mora declared to his Bruins: “WE OWN THIS TOWN.”
For rivalry week, the Los Angeles Daily News published a number of features covering both sides. My biggest piece ran on Thanksgiving, looking at former UCLA linebacker Patrick Larimore and how he has dealt with his post-concussion symptoms since retiring from football:
Nearly four months have elapsed since his PR rep first reached out by email. Mismatching schedules delayed the interview, but so too did a bad stretch of post-concussion symptoms.
Asked if he’s feeling OK right now, Larimore smiles a little.
“What do you mean by OK?”
Although his health is a constant work-in-progress, the Bruins’ former defensive MVP has busied himself with creating MyHeadHurts.co, a shared space for brain injury victims of all kinds.
Some of the other stories we ran this week …
— An amusing rundown of the pros and cons of USC hiring Ed Orgeron as its full-time coach.
— USC quarterback Cody Kessler tries not to take anything for granted.
— UCLA tight end/receiver Thomas Duarte is proud of his Japanese/Mexican heritage.
— Lakers guards Jordan Farmar and Nick Young are great friends despite going to rival schools.
— A brief overview of the UCLA-USC rivalry and its most memorable moments, plus things to do before and after the game.