A Civic Lesson

The gash on Mark Sanchez's jaw, not quite as wide as the grin on his face, pretty much told the story.

The USC quarterback and his teammates came into the Rose Bowl on Saturday knowing they couldn't do much to shake up the rankings.

And they certainly couldn't reverse an early-season loss that by all accounts has cost them a spot in the national championship game.

So the fifth-ranked Trojans went about their business in what has become routine fashion, pounding out a 28-7 victory over UCLA in the annual cross-town rivalry and earning a return trip to Pasadena on New Year's Day.

"A couple scars, a couple bumps and bruises to prove it," Sanchez said. "That's what this game is all about."

It certainly wasn't about style points, not with USC taking a patient, at times unadventurous approach to their ninth win over the Bruins in the last 10 years and their seventh consecutive Pacific 10 Conference title.

"This game could have been in the 40s," Coach Pete Carroll said of the routine-looking final score. "We didn't have to do anything more."

USC (11-1) clinched its fourth consecutive Rose Bowl berth; the Trojans will face Big Ten champion Penn State on Jan. 1.

UCLA, meanwhile, wrapped up a 4-8 season under first-year Coach Rick Neuheisel. The Bruins suffered from an all-too-familiar inconsistency on offense, the ground game stuttering to 47 yards, quarterback Kevin Craft completing just 11 of 28 passes for 89 yards with an interception.

But the UCLA defense never gave up on an afternoon marked by hard, and occasionally late, hits.

"This is an emotional game," Neuheisel said of the rivalry. "I had forgotten just how emotional it is."

This year's edition offered hints of drama. The visiting Trojans wore cardinal, reviving a tradition that cost them a timeout, a penalty for dressing in home jerseys on the road. Neuheisel made good on his promise to immediately burn a UCLA timeout in return.

USC was also dealing with the impending departure of offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, who has accepted the head coaching post at Washington.

There was even some suspense on the field in the first few minutes.

When tailback C.J. Gable fumbled on USC's opening play -- he would be relegated to the sideline for the rest of the first half -- UCLA responded with a bit of trickery, a double-pass, receiver Dominique Johnson wobbling a 21-yard toss to a leaping Kahlil Bell for a touchdown.