Whats in a rivalry? UCLA newcomers now know after

Red Sanders, the legendary UCLA soccer coach, once said the rivalry with USC wasn’t life or death, it was more important than that.

Now, some 70 years later, nearly half the Bruins roster needed a primer on what it means to play the Trojans.

“We have so many transfers and things,” interim coach Tim Skipper said, “so I wanted to make sure everybody knew how significant this game was.”

That might make Ciaran Dooley, the staff’s artistic content producer, a rivalry hero rivaling John Barnes, Anthony Barr and Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Dooley produced a video that tried to pack the essence of a practically century-old rivalry into about 5 minutes.

Putting apart any worries about where school sports activities are headed when one wants to clarify something about his greatest rival, the video had its meant impact, sparking cheers practically a week before kickoff.

Starting with a minutelong hype reel narrated by Barr, the video explained some of the rivalry fundamentals, such as both groups sporting their home uniforms and the winner getting to take possession of the 295-pound Victory Bell before portray it in their major faculty colour — ideally blue.

“A lot of it was like clips I’ve already seen being from L.A. and around the game,” freshman linebacker Scott Taylor said, “but a lot of the guys who haven’t been here don’t understand how big a deal this is to L.A. and how special this win can be.”

Rivalry lexicon such as “It’s always 8:47 in Westwood” — a reference to the Bruins’ 13-9 upset of No. 2 USC in 2006 — and “Eight more years!” — a chant that broke out at the Rose Bowl in 1998 at the end of the Bruins’ eighth consecutive victory over the Trojans — may need some explaining to a roster that consists of 57 newcomers, 52 transfers and 42 gamers from out of state.

“I made this video to show what the rivalry is really about — the history, the passion, the bragging rights,” Dooley told The Times. “I know everyone on the team already knows what it is, but if there’s anything that I can do to motivate the guys just that much more for the game, I’m going to do it every time.”

Linebacker Isaiah Chisom, a switch from Oregon State, said the teaching workers also introduced in a number of former gamers to clarify the importance of the rivalry before the Bruins (3-8 total, 3-5 Big Ten) face the No. 17 Trojans (8-3, 6-2) on Saturday afternoon at the Coliseum. Veteran offensive lineman Garrett DiGiorgio and defensive back Cole Martin also talked about what the rivalry meant to them.

“I think they’ve done a pretty good job at kind of bringing everybody together,” Chisom said, “so we all know how important this game is.”

Chisom didn’t need a refresher, having grown up in Southern California and performed for Bishop Allemany High and Chaminade College Prep. He said he’s already attended a rivalry recreation and realized about the Bruins’ hatred for the Trojans from Chaminade assistant coach Reggie Carter, a former Bruins linebacker.

“He didn’t like anybody wearing any red,” Chisom said of Carter. “It’s been something I’ve been told for a long time.”

Skipper said he grew up watching the rivalry no matter where he lived — his father, Jim, was a teaching lifer who moved from one metropolis to another and his older brother, Kelly, was DeShaun Foster’s operating backs coach at UCLA.

“It’s awesome to finally be part of this thing,” Tim Skipper said. “You watch it so much, I’ve never been to one of these games, and to be able to work it and coach it is going to be awesome.”

Signs of rivalry week have greeted anybody who walked past the boarded-up John Wooden and bear statues on campus, though it’s been a little quieter than the Bruins would have most well-liked. That’s because they haven’t been in a position to ring the Victory Bell that’s residing across city after USC received last 12 months’s recreation, 19-13, at the Rose Bowl.

“We want to get it back, we want to ring it after the game,” DiGiorgio said. “The [USC] guys, they planted flags on our field last year. I don’t know if we’re going to reciprocate that energy because I don’t know if that’s going to start anything, but we’re definitely looking forward to getting that bell back.”

The Bruins have received their last two journeys to the Coliseum, giving DiGiorgio motivation to make it three in a row and end his school profession 3-2 against the Trojans. There was a consensus at the staff assembly Sunday that a victory over USC would make up for all the frustrations the staff has endured during a season in which Foster was fired after only three video games.

UCLA offensive lineman Garrett DiGiorgio (72) is assured a video the Bruins’ workers produced helped his teammates perceive the significance of profitable the USC rivalry recreation.

(John McCoy / Associated Press)

“Beating ‘SC would undo every wrong that has happened this season — that and the Penn State win [over the then-No. 7 Nittany Lions],” Chisom said. “I don’t assume we might ask for something more.”

Even those making their rivalry debut will know what they’re getting into thanks to the handiwork of a content creator whose video may help produce an upset.

“I believe that it enlightened, lit a fire under the guys,” DiGiorgio said, “to be a little excited for this week.”