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LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Southern California's rise has come at the expense of another late-season fall by UCLA. Cornerback Antuan Simmons returned an interception 36 yards for a touchdown and USC extended its winning streak to four games with a 27-0 Pac-10 Conference rout of the 21st-ranked Bruins. Carson Palmer threw a touchdown pass and Chris Howard had a 34-yard TD run for the Trojans (6-5, 5-3), who closed their first season under coach Pete Carroll on a winning note. The Trojans won five of six games after a 1-4 start and their five losses where by a combined total of 25 points. "Coach Carroll is really rebuilding this team," said Palmer, a junior. "I wish I could be around two more years to learn from him." UCLA (6-4, 3-4), once a national title contender, has lost four straight games for the first time since a six-game slide in 1994. The Bruins, who play Arizona State on December 1, had a similar collapse last season, losing five of their last seven games. "I'm speechless. All I can say is they outplayed us," UCLA coach Bob Toledo said. "We were totally inept. I could not believe we could not make any plays." USC sacked Cory Paus five times and limited the Bruins to 114 yards. "It had nothing to do with UCLA (playing poorly)," Carroll said. "It had everything to do with us." The Bruins were shut out for the first time since a 17-0 setback to California in 1999. It also concluded a turbulent week for the Bruins in which star running back DeShaun Foster was ruled ineligible for the rest of the season by the NCAA for receiving extra benefits. Using a variety of rushers, the Bruins gained 28 yards on the ground on 27 carries. UCLA also learned this week that Paus pleaded no contest to a drunken driving charge over the summer and will serve a brief jail sentence after the season. "I felt our team was ready to play in spite of what happened," Toledo said. USC leads the storied series, 37-27-7, and has won the last three games after an eight-game winning stretch for UCLA. Palmer had a 66-yard completion to Kori Dickerson to set up a four-yard TD pass to Keary Colbert 3:14 into the game. Palmer completed 14-of-23 passes for 180 yards and was intercepted once. Simmons, who returned this season after sitting out 2000 with a life-threatening illness, returned an interception from Paus 36 yards for a score on the final play of the first quarter. Paus completed 7-of-15 for 45 yards and was intercepted twice. "This was just a bad day for the offense," Paus said. "USC just had a great defense tonight. That's why we looked so anemic. The team didn't lose focus." David Davis kicked 20-yard field goals in the second and fourth quarters. Howard, who had 49 yards on eight carries, made it 24-0 with his TD run late in the third quarter.
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