One year ago, UCLA and USC faced off in the 83rd edition of their storied rivalry, and the Brett Hundley-led Bruins beat the Trojans by three touchdowns in the Rose Bowl. This year, with both teams improved and a shot at the Pac-12 Championship Game on the line, it was shaping up to be one of the best matchups of the weekend in college football. Instead, this became another one-sided affair, again in the Bruins' favor.

The night did not start out well for Brett Hundley and the UCLA Bruins. On his first pass of the game, Hundley was intercepted by Anthony Sarao and it was returned for a touchdown. After that play, Hundley would complete his next eight passes, two of which went for touchdowns. Despite top-tier pass rushers, the Trojans were not able to get to Brett Hundley through much of the first half (nor the whole game for that matter), giving him time to find open receivers and shred the USC defense.

After the interception it was all UCLA, and USC just could not keep up with the Bruins. The Trojans would score once more in the first half, on a 2 yard touchdown reception by running back Justin Davis to cap off a 46 yard drive and to tie the score at 14. That was as close as USC would get the rest of the night.

The Bruins would score twice more before halftime, on a field goal by Ka'imi Fairbairn and on Brett Hundley's third touchdown pass, making the halftime score 24-14 in favor of the team in powder blue. The Bruins scored twice more in the third quarter to put the game away for good. Paul Perkins added a touchdown on to solidify a very good game for him on the ground, and Brett Hundley ran straight up the gut untouched from 15 yards out for his 8th rushing touchdown of the season.

The Trojans would add on a touchdown (with a failed two-point conversion) in the fourth quarter but it was too little too late, as UCLA held on to win by a score of 38-20, their third straight win over their rivals from the city of angels.

It was not the strongest game of Cody Kessler's season, as he completed 22/34 passes for 214 yards with one touchdown and one interception, giving him a passer efficiency rating for the game of 121.4, well below his season mark of 169.0. Javorius "Buck" Allen led the Trojans in rushing with 60 yards on 14 carries. He also led the team in receptions with seven. Juju Smith led the team in receiving yards with 79.

Brett Hundley played one of his best games of the season on Saturday night, in no small part due to the help of his offensive line, which played well against a good front seven. Hundley went 22/31 for 326 yards and three touchdowns, along with the one interception.

Paul Perkins was the team's rushing leader, netting 93 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. Devin Fuller was UCLA's leading receiver despite not having a single catch in the second half (he finished with five receptions for 63 yards).

This has not been the season that USC expected coming into this year. Cody Kessler has clearly improved and the team as a whole has, and there are many early-round NFL Draft prospects on their roster, but the Trojans have not been able to become an elite team this season.

It is promising, however, to have already seen improvement over last year (as a whole) under first-year coach Steve Sarkisian. While they won't be going to the Pac-12 Championship Game nor a major bowl game, USC can still wrap up their regular season very nicely next week, when they host Notre Dame.

For UCLA, this win puts them one win away from a berth in the Pac-12 Championship Game, something that seemed like somewhat of a long shot just a few weeks ago. The Bruins are playing their best football of the season, which bodes well headed into their final game and possible conference title game.

Issues still persist for UCLA, as they lost their best cover corner and return man, Ishmael Adams, in the second half due to injury, and his health will play a major role in his team's success. There are still question marks surrounding the offensive line as well, as though their solid play against USC was a good sign for UCLA. They can clinch the Pac-12 South with a win next week when they host the Stanford Cardinal.