There’s a classic scene in the “Dawn of Man” sequence of “2001: A Space Odyssey” in which a tribe of prehistoric primates clashes with a rival tribe over possession of a critical watering hole, lining up on opposite sides of the pool and creating a general ruckus in a shrieking, flailing, chaotic display of dominance that ended in one group being (temporarily) driven away. More than three millennia later, it was hard to ignore the analogy Saturday night after USC, leading 21-7 with less than a minute remaining and only needing to run out the clock on a win over cross-town rival UCLA, opted instead to show its might on a 48-yard touchdown bomb that briefly turned the L.A. Coliseum into a wailing, primitive battle ground.
