UCLA's Rivals Dealing With Major Concern Ahead of Saturday's Showdown

UCLA's next opponent is dealing with health issues going into Saturday's rivalry game.

Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches game action against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

UCLA's rivalry showdown with USC is just a few days away, and with bowl implications on the line, this next chapter of one of the oldest rivalries in college football is sure to be an interesting one.

The Trojans are already at a disadvantage going into the matchup as the away team, but a recent illness breakout could potentially serve as another drawback for UCLA's rival.

USC has been hit with a flu bug, which has spread amongst the team since first surfacing last week.

USC coach Lincoln Riley didn't seem too concerned about the effect it could have.

"It's had a little bit of an impact; it's part of it, though," he told reporters this week. "It's like I told the guys that Saturday at 7:30, nobody's going to care what you did or didn't have; you got to be ready to play the game. You have different hospitals that come up and you got to go face them, so we'll deal with it adjust how we need to, but no excuses got to be ready for Saturday. Most of the people, it has been running its course like 48-72 hours; we're kind of thinking today was the peak of it, and I think we'll get better from here,"

One of the first players to catch it was USC running back Woody Marks, though, he still played against Nebraska this past weekend. It didn't seem to affect him, as the star back ran for a career-best 146 yards in the Trojans' win.

We'll see if anything more comes of this outbreak, but with a bit under 80 hours to go before kickoff, it's likely the Trojans will see much recovery by gametime. The question is: Will those affected take the field having had enough preparation?

Saturday's contest is set for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff (PST). It will be the 92 all-time meeting in this historic rivalry. UCLA won the last matchup last season when it handled the Trojans on the road, 38-20.

USC has the edge in the all-time series, leading 50-34-7. It has lost two of the last three meetings, however.

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