Rivalry in Los Angeles extends to billboards College football

LOS ANGELES — A billboard near UCLA's campus that featured USC quarterback Matt Barkley was covered over Tuesday, one day after it was publicized in the Los Angeles Times.

The ad featured Barkley, a Heisman Trophy favorite, alongside the words, "We play to finish" with the LA in "play" highlighted.

Tim Tessalone, USC athletic-department spokesman, said covering the billboard "was not a USC decision."

"We did not agree with or were we involved in the decision to take the billboard down," he said.

UCLA officials denied involvement. Bruins fans had complained online about the billboard.

None of the 29 similar billboards USC purchased in Southern California have been taken down or blacked out, ESPN.com reported.

Craig Kelley, associate athletic director for marketing, said Monday that USC chose locations for the boards.

"You have certain locations you can choose that are favorable and have high visibility, and we chose the ones that would work best for us at the time based on what was available," Kelley said. "Anywhere we put a board, if it's not here in downtown Los Angeles, people look at it as their territory."

By Los Angeles Times