UCLA 66 | Arizona 10

By Steve Finley, Special to the BVN

Pasadena – Right now there is a new sheriff in town. It’s the UCLA football team. The 7-2 Bruins have a better record than the pre-season No. 1 USC Trojans who have fallen to 6-3. The Bruins are 4-2 in the South Division of the Pac-12 Conference while USC is 4-3. If both teams win their games this weekend, they are headed for a winner take all southern division show down on November 17 at the Rose Bowl. Before that happens the Bruins must beat Washington State on the road and USC must beat Arizona State at home on Saturday.

“We just have to stay consistent,” said UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley. “If we do that the sky is the limit for this team. We have high expectations for this team on offense, defense and special teams. We expect everyone to do things the right way. We will make mistakes but if we stay consistent we will be alright.”

Not only is it surprising that UCLA has a better record than USC, it’s also shocking that head coach Jim Mora and his assistants are winning with the same players Rick Neuheisel had last season. But we also need to note that Neuheisel did not have Hundley last season. Neuheisel recruited Hundley two years ago and because of injuries he did not play last year. Hundley is currently one of the best quarterbacks in the nation and is the main reason UCLA is having a breakout season. “There’s no magic to it,” said Mora after the victory over Arizona. “It’s about doing what you have to do play after play.”

Doing what you have to do play after play is what running back Johnathan Franklin has done the past four years. On Saturday he broke Gaston Green’s career rushing record of 3,731 yards. Franklin finished the night with 162-yards and two touchdowns. Franklin, who continues to be humble, gives the credit to his teammates.

“The offensive line and the receivers have done a great job all season,” said Franklin. “They block and open up the big holes and I run through the holes.” Franklin’s unassuming nature has made an impression on Mora. “He’s an inspiration to me, his teammates and everyone who has watched him play,” said Mora.

Another surprise on Saturday was the play of the UCLA defense. They held Arizona’s high powered offense to 10 points. “It was a great experience,” said UCLA cornerback Sheldon Price. “We had the new uniforms on and the crowd (81,673) was amazing. We went back to basics and everyone was on top of their game. We did what we are capable of doing. We just have to keep it going.”

Steve Finley is a former Daily Bruin Editor and alum. Steve can be reached at sfinley50@aol.com

By Gary Montgomery, BVN Sports

LOS ANGELES – Robert Woods and Matt Barkley have record days as the Trojans keep pace with the Oregon schools in the Pac-12.

In a game USC was expected to win big, the Trojans continue to rack up mistakes on the field and now lead the conference in penalties. USC had seven for 75 yards on the day. The team is young at many positions, which may account for the frequency of yellow flags.

The powerful offense was more than adequate to mask the penalties, but could prove costly against teams like Oregon and Notre Dame ahead.

The Barkley and Woods show exposed Colorado’s inability to cover elite speed and accurate passing.

The Trojans scored three touchdowns in the first eight minutes as the Buffalos were truly outmatched.

Barkley, who played only three quarters, had a near perfect day. He was 19 of 20 for 298 yards and a record six touchdowns. Four of those tosses went to junior Robert Woods who has distinguished himself as the top receiver in the conference.

Barkley elected to bypass the NFL draft and remain in Los Angeles, despite the harshness of the NCAA sanctions handed down on USC. He passed Matt Leinart as the all time team and conference leader in touchdowns thrown. With his six touchdowns against Colorado, Barkley now has a lofty 102.

Despite the mistakes, USC lurks at number eleven on the list of national rankings. Many insiders believe they are much better than that and could move up dramatically with a strong November. They draw Oregon, Arizona State and Notre Dame next month.

For coach Kiffen, the challenge may be in keeping his other high profile athletes interested, while Barkley and Woods play catch. Marqise Lee had six nice catches of his own for 103 yards and one touchdown.

A second quarter injury to offensive tackle Aundray Walker is a concern. Walker left the game on a cart after incurring an upper body injury. The Trojans (6-1) will travel to play Arizona in Tucson on Saturday.

Defending Champion Douse Sparks Title Hopes

By Robert Attical and Gary Montgomery
BVN Staff

Staples Center - Sparks General Manager, Penny Toller won’t agree right now but by all measures her 2012 squad had a successful campaign. Tempered by the immediate pain of playoff elimination she would likely disagree with this assertion.

After finishing in near the bottom last season and sitting out the 2012 playoff, Toller did what she has became known for─ going out and finding more building blocks for her team.

Toller struck gold, hiring first time head coach Carol Ross from the Atlanta Dream. Upon arrival, Ross immediately installed a new defensive attitude to a team that was 15-19 and gave up over 80 points per game to opponents a year ago.

At the center of it all she drafted Stanford senior sensation Nneka Oguwmike to anchor the defense and take some of the work load away from Candace which showed up big time in her season numbers.

Parker averaged just over 17-points per game and finished second in MVP balloting behind Connecticut’s Tina Charles.

Still hurting from their 80-79 loss to the Lynx, a visibly upset Parker left the court with her jersey pulled over her face. LA lost the first game of the series in Minnesota by 16 points but seemed to have control of this one deep into the fourth quarter until a barrage of 3 pointers from Maya Moore brought the Lynx storming back.

When the pain resides, the Sparks will realize that the series was lost two days earlier when a veteran Seattle Storm team came within one shot of upsetting the defending champions -- the one break LA needed.

If Seattle could have pulled off the upset, LA would have owned home court advantage for the Western Conference Finals something the Sparks could have desperately used.

Although Candace is in her 5th season as a professional and DeLisha Milton-Jones is 38 years old the Sparks are a relatively inexperienced team but with championship talent. The Sparks owned Seattle this season, beating the Storm all five times the teams met this season and could have easily made it seven.

Parker played all 40 minutes ─ scored 33 points and pulled down 15 rebounds giving just about as much as any player could be expected to give. But in the final minutes LA needed Candace on more time but couldn’t get her the ball for the final shot.

With 1:31 remaining Parker hit a two-point basket to put LA ahead 79-77 ignited the crowd and seemingly sealed the win. But the Lynx’s Monica Wright came right back with a 3-point basket after LA missed a defensive assignment. The two teams then exchanged empty possessions until Khristi Toliver grabbed a defensive rebound with 0.6 seconds left and quickly called time out.

The Sparks setup a play for Candace but botched the execution leaving Alana Beard to take a desperation jumper that feel short and ended LA’s season.

The Lynx will move on to the WNBA Finals in pursuit of their second straight title against either Indiana or Connecticut.

G. Montgomery can be reached at sports@blackvoicenews.com

2013 “You Write the Rules” World Tour brings unprecedented fan participation to Citizens Business Bank Arena

PHOENIX – Known as innovators of the game of basketball for decades, the world famous Harlem Globetrotters are again introducing something unparalleled in the history of sports and family entertainment, taking kid participation and fun to a whole new level when the Globetrotters come to Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario on Monday, Feb. 18, 2013, at 2:00 p.m.

For the first time ever, during the Globetrotters’ 2013 “You Write the Rules” World Tour, your family’s smiles will begin before you even get to the show. Fans will decide the rules for the game that could affect the final outcome. This could be anything from playing with two basketballs at once, to getting double the points for each basket made.

Go online with your kids to www.harlemglobetrotters.com to vote for which ground-breaking rule you want to see implemented in the game. Then, get your tickets, and see the winning rules in live action at the Globetrotters’ world championship game.

Tickets, starting at $17.00, are on sale now at www.harlemglobetrotters.com, www.axs.com, the Citizens Business Bank Arena box office, or by phone at 888-929-7849. Information on group and scout tickets can also be found at www.harlemglobetrotters.com.

Before the game, take part in a once-in-a-lifetime experience with your family where you get to actually spend time on the court with the Globetrotters one-on-one – shooting, trying out ball tricks, autographs and photos. The unique 30-minute pre-show, “Magic Pass,” will create memories of a lifetime.# After virtually every game, Globetrotter stars remain on the court for autographs and photographs with fans.*

This year's Globetrotters roster features stars such as Special K Daley and Flight Time Lang. They will join many other fan favorites, including 7-foot-8 Tiny Sturgess (the Guinness World Record holder as the World’s Tallest Professional Basketball Player), 5-foot-2 Too Tall Hall (the shortest Globetrotter ever), and female star T-Time Brawner.

The North American leg of the 2013 “Your Write the Rules” World Tour will tip-off on December 26, 2012, and will run through April 2013. The team will play over 270 games in nearly 240 cities in 45 states and nine Canadian provinces.