LOS ANGELES — Modern-day problems require modern-day solutions. College football is comfortably in its transfer-portal era, and UCLA is a prime example of what that may look like in rivalry week.
Much like installing an offense or a defense – which interim coach Tim Skipper did during the 2025 season, as coaching changes introduced new schemes on both sides of the ball – the Bruins had to install a rivalry into their roster ahead of Saturday’s Victory Bell battle with No. 19 USC (8-3, 6-2 Big Ten).
Skipper played an Anthony Barr voiceover video on Sunday for the full roster, which includes at least 57 new players to the rivalry, to help explain the nuts and bolts of UCLA-USC for a crowd that may be primarily filled with Southern California natives, but may not have experienced the intensity of the fight for Los Angeles in person.
“I wanted to make sure everybody knew how significant this game was and how both teams wear their own colors for the game and you get to paint the Victory Bell and all of that stuff,” Skipper said.
On Wednesday, Skipper brought in former All-American linebacker Eric Kendricks (who also signed with the San Francisco 49ers practice squad on Wednesday), as well as UCLA radio sideline reporter and former UCLA quarterback Wayne Cook to inspire the team with speeches on the grass of Spaulding Field at the Wasserman Football Center.
“Focus on the right now,” Kendricks, an 11-year NFL veteran, said on a video posted on social media. “We’re out on this field, we’re on the grass, we’re with our brothers. We bleed together. We share this passion for football together.”
He continued: “Don’t overlook that, ’cause this time goes by so fast.”
UCLA (3-8, 3-5) has one player who has played on the other side of the rivalry, a more common sight in recent years. Redshirt senior offensive lineman Courtland Ford played for the Trojans across town from 2020 to 2022. In 2021, his lineman teammate, redshirt senior Garrett DiGiorgio, got to experience what it was like to defeat USC at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
DiGiorgio has seen the Victory Bell in blue twice and has seen it spray-painted with new coats of red. Taking back ownership of the rivalry’s trophy keepsake is motivation enough for the longest-tenured starter on the Bruins.
‘We want to paint it blue,” he said. “We want to get it back. We want to ring it after the game. They planted flags on our field last year. I don’t know if we’re going to reciprocate that energy ’cause I don’t know if that’s going to start anything, but we’re definitely looking forward to getting that bell back.”
USC, however, returns familiar faces to the rivalry. D’Anton Lynn, once UCLA’s $1 million dollar man as their first nine-figure coordinator, is in his second year calling defensive plays across town – and a Trojan team captain is safety Kamari Ramsey.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Trojans boast playmakers who the Bruins will attempt to slow down. Primarily, wide receivers Makai Lemon (1,124 receiving yards) and Ja’Kobi Lane (693 receiving yards) will be the targets that UCLA’s pass defense – 28th in passing yards allowed, the team’s best defensive statistic – will defend.
Redshirt sophomore Isaiah Chisom is up for the challenge in his first UCLA-USC matchup and hopes to end the season on a relative high.
“The focus is on us,” Chisom said. “Really just honing in on the details, like it’s just small stuff that in the other games, if we do this better, there’s no explosive plays.”
Chisom continued: “Beating SC would undo every wrong that has happened this season.”
When USC has the ball
Trojans’ quarterback Jayden Maiava’s performance in 2025 could have Lincoln Riley wondering about the possibilities of a year ago, if he had moved on from Miller Moss behind center sooner. Maiava will likely target Lemon and Lane first, but walk-on-turned important tailback King Miller will get some serious run on the ground – in all likelihood – with UCLA’s aversion to stopping tailbacks.
When UCLA has the ball
“We’ll expect some similar stuff,” center Sam Yoon said. “They have a couple wrinkles, as well, but we’re just gonna prepare for it as we would any other opponent.”
Offensive playcaller Jerry Neuheisel served on a staff with Lynn. Now, it’s up to the former Bruins’ quarterback to put together a performance on the sidelines – whether it’s Nico Iamaleava or Luke Duncan behind center – to make Saturday a game to remember, instead of a second loss in a row in the rivalry.