USC vs UCLA 2016: Who Were The Studs and Duds?

Who were the duds?

Viane Talamaivao:

Last week, Damien Mama drew the ire of the refs with multiple false start penalties at Husky Stadium. This week at the Rose Bowl it was Viane Talamaivao who committed two pre-snap penalties in a much less raucous environment.

Jordan Lasley:

It was a weird game for Lasley, who caught both of UCLA’s touchdown passes and finished with a team-best 63 yards. Considering that, a place on the duds list seems odd, except Lasley’s Jekkyl and Hyde routine was the epitome of the Bruin offense on the night. The receiver caught two important passes, yes, but those were the only passes he caught despite being targetted ten times. He dropped at least two of the passes sent his way and fell victim to Adoree’ Jackson on several others.

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Mike Fafaul:

Fafaul managed to avoid throwing an interception against the Trojans, but his evening was far from stellar. The Bruin quarterback completed under 50 percent of his passes and managed just 181 yards. He was particularly ineffective when it mattered most. On nine third down attempts, Fafaul completed just three passes and only one of those actually converted the first down.

UCLA’s Veteran Defense:

From Takkarist McKinley to Jaleel Wadood, the Bruin defense was outmatched by the Trojan attack. Left out to dry by the offense at times, UCLA allowed the dam to burst in the second quarter as USC scored 16 unanswered points before the half to take a commanding lead. McKinley and the vaunted Bruin pass rush couldn’t find a way to neutralize Sam Darnold while Wadood and the Bruin secondary could never quite contain USC’s receivers despite an injury scare for JuJu Smith-Schuster.