This was a voice long muffled.
UCLA's defense took the field with 40 seconds left. A victory over USC was in hand. The echo throughout the Rose Bowl was "U … C … L … A," a fan chant often left in cold storage against the Trojans for more than a decade.
"That gave me goose bumps," linebacker Eric Kendricks said. "I started smiling."
There was a lot for the Bruins to grin about after a 38-28 victory Saturday.
UCLA (9-2 overall, 6-2 in Pac-12) clinched the Pac-12 South Division championship and will play in the conference title game Nov. 30 for a spot in the Rose Bowl.
USC's five-game winning streak in the series came to an end.
The Trojans (7-4, 5-4) were left to line up for bowl games with one of those long names — the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, perhaps?
All that was made possible by the UCLA's defense. From the first play to the last moment, the Bruins proved a match for USC's Matt Barkley, Marqise Lee and Co.
Aaron Hester intercepted a Barkley pass on the first play, setting up the first touchdown. At game's end, Hester twirled and hopped to the student section — part Baryshnikov, part Easter Bunny — to celebrate only the second victory over the Trojans in the last 14 seasons. He stopped short of diving into the crowd, as other Bruins did.
"Too dangerous," Hester said. "I'm just so happy."
The Trojans were considered national championship contenders when the season began, but now they still must face Notre Dame, then await a lower-tier bowl bid.
Coach Lane Kiffin was unsure what caused the fall.
"I don't know that exactly," he said. "I think the No. 1 glaring thing in our losses is turnovers."
UCLA forced three turnovers and blocked two kicks Saturday — a punt and a field goal.
Whether the Bruins were the better team, Kiffin said, "I can't argue that."
It wasn't open for debate, as UCLA is in the Pac-12 title game for the second consecutive season. And with Stanford's upset of Oregon, the Bruins can determine whom they play for the title.
If the Bruins defeat Stanford, and Oregon defeats Oregon State, UCLA would face Oregon.
If the Bruins lose to Stanford, they play ... Stanford.
It doesn't matter to them.
"We wanted show the nation and world that we deserved to be in the Pac-12 championship game," UCLA defensive end Datone Jones said.
UCLA ends USC winning streak, 38-28
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UCLA ends USC winning streak, 38-28
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UCLA ends USC winning streak, 38-28
