Hundley leads No. 11 UCLA past No. 24 USC 38-20

By Greg Beacham, Associated Press

Published Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014 | 8:35 p.m.

Updated Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014 | 8:44 p.m.

PASADENA, Calif. — Brett Hundley passed for 326 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for another score, leading No. 11 UCLA past No. 24 Southern California 38-20 on Saturday night for the Bruins' third straight victory in the annual crosstown showdown.

Devin Lucien, Thomas Duarte and Eldridge Massington caught scoring passes as the Bruins (9-2, 6-2 Pac-12) confirmed their Los Angeles supremacy and closed in on the Pac-12 South title with a one-sided romp over their biggest rivals at a festive Rose Bowl.

Paul Perkins rushed for 93 yards and a score for UCLA, which hadn't won three straight over USC since 1998.

After five consecutive wins down the stretch of a slow-starting season, UCLA can advance to the Pac-12 title game with a victory over Stanford on Friday.

Cody Kessler passed for 214 yards for the Trojans (7-4, 6-3), who struggled mightily against UCLA's inspired defense.

Not much went well for USC in its first rivalry game under new coach Steve Sarkisian after linebacker Anthony Sarao returned Hundley's only interception 17 yards for a score on UCLA's opening drive.

The Bruins scored all of their 38 points in less than 30 minutes, and their defense limited the Trojans' offense to just 200 yards and seven points in the first three quarters.

If Hundley heads to the NFL next year as planned, the quarterback who led coach Jim Mora's revitalization of the program will have a perfect record against USC — one of his stated goals since his freshman year. Mora also has beaten three USC head coaches in three years by a combined 111-62.

With Hundley at the controls, UCLA has scored at least 35 points in three straight games against USC for the first time in series history. Hundley punctuated his final scoring drive with a 15-yard TD run straight up the middle midway through the third quarter, flexing both arms in celebration.

Hundley also became UCLA's career leader in total offense during the third quarter, passing the mark established by Cade McNown — who did it in four years to Hundley's three.

Both teams looked sharp in their traditional home jerseys on a crisp night in Arroyo Seco, but the game didn't look good early for the Bruins.

The UCLA defense stopped the Trojans on the game's opening drive, and Sarao returned Hundley's terrible throw down the UCLA sideline just 3:07 in. The Trojans forced another punt, but their early momentum evaporated when Nelson Agholor fumbled the return inside the USC 10.

Lucien was left wide open on Hundley's first TD throw. Just 39 seconds later, the quarterback threw down the middle to Duarte, who ran through USC's stumbling secondary for a 57-yard score.

USC evened it on Justin Davis' 2-yard TD catch, but UCLA's Eric Kendricks dived to intercept a tipped pass by Kessler moments later. The Bruins moved patiently for Massington's 13-yard TD catch 14 seconds before halftime, putting them up 24-14.

UCLA drove 84 yards for Perkins' 10-yard TD run right after halftime, and Mora's defense continued to crush Sarkisian's offense.

USC finally made a 91-yard drive in the final minutes, capped by Buck Allen's TD run.

Josh Shaw made his season debut for USC, playing intermittently on defense and special teams. The senior defensive back and former team captain missed the first 10 games for lying about how he sprained his ankles in a preseason fall.