Aaaaah! Last Eight Minutes of USC-UCLA Liveblog! Aaaah!

Right: UCLA leads 13-9 and has just kicked the ball away too USC. 8 minutes left.

7:15 PM. The UCLA defense has been a revelation. All I remember from last year was a pretty version of Stanford. This year: kickin' ass. Third and one after a pass... play action rollout. Pressure! Booty slips as he plants -- the Rose Bowl has also resodded in recent weeks and Booty's had issues -- the ball flutters to the turf after a couple terrifying moments.

Why the pass? Well, UCLA has stoned USC whenever they've tried to line up and run in short yardage. With the speed rush UCLA's getting on passing downs, Booty's been moving around and somewhat inaccurate and every other play it seems USC false starts. If UCLA wins, the story of the game is the USC offensive line getting owned.

Punt. Muffed! Aaah! Recovered.

7:20 PM. First down incompletion. Now 6:46 left... one or two possessions more for USC. Second down run stuffed... clock running good, third and ten bad. Cowan rolls out.. scrambles... KILLED. Isn't that helmet-to-helmet? That's goddamn helmet-to-helmet. If it's going to keep Michigan out of the NC game it should damn well get them in!

No call. Goddammit. Punt back to USC with 5:30-ish left.

7:26 PM. Yes, I am rooting for UCLA, BTW. Michigan fan. That's unbelievable. Why don't the announcers mention the helmet to helmet? Booty sacked! Defensive line still owning. Baker is slipping down draft boards before our eyes. Empty on second and 14. Booty throws it away. Third and fourteen. Incomplete, flags everywhere... illegal formation? There was also a hold. Pass interference? Are you kidding? No. That's a marginal but probably okay call. Third and fourteen part two.

Booty rifles it at the sticks! Yes? No? Short! Half a yard. Carroll going.

Fourth and one. Haven't been able to run all day. Third and short has been a disaster. What's the call...

Sneak. Fumble? UCLA has the ball. No, down. They got it.

First and ten screen incomplete.

7:34 PM. Checkdown for five, third and five. 3:30 left. TE hitch for seven; USC crosses midfield. USC now in four-down mode all the way. Smith cross for six yards. Under three minutes. USC is blocking much better. Draw goes nowhere... badass defensive play when you have to be thinking pass. Another USC false start! That must be their 7th or 8th. It's killed them all day.

7:36 PM. "The play was legal so there was no play there's no flag"? No penalty. WTF? Third and three. Ace 3-wide. Booty rifles the post for 20 yards; USC now down to the 25. Time for UCLA to get aggressive. Hitch picks up another seven. What the hell happened to the pass rush?

90 seconds. No time for a UCLA riposte. Booty for the endzone! Overthrown. Guy was bracketed, anyway, would have had to been completely perfect. Third and four. 1:15. DEFLECTED! INTERCEPTED! INCREDIBLE PLAY! Linebacker in a really short zone drop batted the ball skyward, pivoted on contact, and scooped just before it could graze the turf.

Game is not over, USC has three timeouts! They can get the ball back with around 30 seconds if they hold 'em.

7:40 PM. That's a horrendous mistake: USC calls timeout. That'll cost them 15 seconds... and if you're taking TO here you have to challenge the call. What do you possibly lose? Pete Carroll's ahead of the curve in many respects but this is awful clock management.

7:43 PM. Markey loses a couple yards, and the LB starts bludgeoning Markey like it's Mike Tyson's Punchout, trying to get the ball loose. 1:02 left. Probably 54 seconds left after second down and UCLA will have to punt with like eight seconds left.

Markey for four. (Oh baby, yoooooooou, yoooooou got what I neeeeeed.) :57 left. 45 seconds should roll off this clock. USC could have had 30 seconds but will only have 15 because of the clock management. They stop the clock with :39 left? Now it rolls. UCLA will punt with 15 seconds left.

I disagree with Davie: with 15 seconds left, you snap back to the punter and have him run out of the endzone, then squib.

7:49 PM. The punter KILLS it! He blew that thing 62 yards! USC has four seconds at their own ten.

Hail Mary is up.... floating... down! USC falls! CHAOS!

(Please note that, as usual, I was wrong... Cowan did it.)