The USC Trojans close out their season on Saturday night with a battle against the crosstown rival UCLA Bruins and the right to host the Victory Bell for one more year. USC has won their last four games against UCLA and 11 of the last 12 meetings. There are several statistical milestones within reach on Saturday.
A win by the Trojans would give them their 25th season of 10 wins or more in school history, including the eighth such season in the last 10 years.
Quarterback Matt Barkley has already eclipsed 3,000 yards on the season, the eighth such season in Trojans history. He needs five touchdowns to tie Matt Leinart's school record of 38 touchdowns in one season, set in 2003, but it is important to note that Leinart set his record in 13 games, while Barkley only gets to play in 12 games this year. Barkley needs 36 completions to tie Carson Palmer's single-season record of 309, set in 2002 (in 13 games). Barkley set a USC single-game record earlier this season with 34 completions against Minnesota.
Tailback Curtis McNeal needs 119 yards rushing to have the 27th 1,000-yard season in USC school history, and the first since Joe McKnight ran for 1,014 yards in 2009. McNeal has averaged 6.62 yards per carry this season, which would be the second-highest average among 1,000-yard rushers, trailing only Reggie Bush, who rushed for an unreal 8.70 yards per carry in 2005 (that same year, LenDale White also rushed for 1,302 yards and averaged 6.61 yards per carry; yeah, that team was pretty good).
Wide receiver Robert Woods needs a measly four catches to break Keyshawn Johnson's school record of 102 receptions, set in 1995. Woods is also three touchdowns shy of the single-season record of 16, set by Mike Williams in 2002 and Dwayne Jarrett in 2005.
Wide receiver Marqise Lee needs 81 receiving yards to have the 14th 1,000-yard season in school history. Should Lee eclipse 81 yards, something he has done in five of his last seven games, he would join Woods as the fourth pair of USC teammates to have 1,000 yards receiving in the same season.
Woods and Lee need six catches combined to set a new school record for catches by teammates in one season, surpassing Keary Colbert and Mike Williams in 2003. Woods and Lee also need 230 yards combined to surpass Colbert and Williams for most combined receiving yards in one season, and need three touchdowns to match them, four to set a new school record.
Saturday night's 7 p.m. PST game will be televised by Prime Ticket. For more UCLA football news and analysis, be sure to read Bruins Nation. For USC football information, be sure to read Conquest Chronicles.