As UCLA rises, USC falls under the pressure.

Byline: Mark Whicker

PASADENA, Calif. _ This was the Rose Bowl, all right.

UCLA rose.

Karl Dorrell rose to pick Patrick Cowan, the right quarterback.

DeWayne Walker rose to organize the first defense to hold USC under 20 points since Utah throttled the Trojans, 10-6, in the 2001 Las Vegas Bowl, and that was 63 games ago.

UCLA defenders rose like T-Rex, knocking down John David Booty's passes, swatting aside all-conference linemen.

A beaten football program rose to notch its finest football moment since when? The victory over third-ranked Michigan in 2000? The 48-41 double-overtime gasper over USC in 1996? Who can remember?

And USC fell. Flat. Flatter than the plasma screen in Dorrell's office that is going to show UCLA 13, USC 9 until global warming hurls the Pacific through the windows of the Morgan Center.

USC lost its shot at the national championship game and is saddled with its first…