Quarterback Jayden Maiava passed for 257 yards as USC powered past crosstown rival UCLA, 29–10, before 69,614 fans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The victory completed an unbeaten home season for the No. 19 Trojans (9–3, 7–2 Big Ten) and secured city bragging rights for another year.
By Earl Heath | Contributing Sports Writer
Quarterback Jayden Maiava passed for 257 yards as USC powered past crosstown rival UCLA, 29–10, before 69,614 fans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The victory completed an unbeaten home season for the No. 19 Trojans (9–3, 7–2 Big Ten) and secured city bragging rights for another year.
USC played the first quarter without receivers Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane, who were benched for a violation of team policy. Lemon wasted no time making up for it, hauling in a 32-yard touchdown shortly after returning to the field. Lane added a key 27-yard catch in the fourth quarter to help USC pull away.
Running back King Miller delivered a breakout performance, rushing for 124 yards and two touchdowns, including a 41-yard score with 2:29 remaining to seal the win.
“We’re building something special in here,” said Miller, a walk-on redshirt freshman. “That Victory Bell is something special. It’s kind of addictive to win it.”
USC Caps Strong Season at Home
While USC’s College Football Playoff and Big Ten title hopes ended with last week’s loss at Oregon, the Trojans finished their home slate unbeaten and improved to 9–3—its best record since Lincoln Riley’s debut season with Caleb Williams.
“We’re a better program now than we were 12 months ago,” Riley said. “We won tough games and found different ways to win. We’ll have better teams here in the future, but I don’t know if we’ll ever have a more important team.”
Bruins Fade After Halftime
For UCLA (3–9, 3–6), it was the final game under interim head coach Tim Skipper, who stepped in after DeShaun Foster was dismissed three games into the season. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava completed 27 of 38 passes for 200 yards, with his lone touchdown going to freshman Kwazi Gilmer, who finished with 10 catches for 73 yards. The Bruins were shut out after halftime.
“Our locker room learned that if you fight, you can get out of any situation,” Skipper said. “Our guys did the hard work. Setbacks are temporary. We’ll keep moving forward.”
Big Plays in Second Half
With USC clinging to a 16–10 lead entering the fourth quarter, Lemon delivered a 35-yard punt return to spark the Trojans. Lane’s 27-yard catch then set up a 2-yard touchdown by tight end Lake McRee to stretch the lead.
Defensively, Alex Graham led USC with seven tackles, six of them solo. Kayne Clark paced the Bruins with seven.
Both teams wore their home uniforms in keeping with tradition for the 95th meeting between the schools, separated by just 13 miles.
Next Up
USC awaits its bowl destination, likely a high-tier matchup.
UCLA heads into an offseason of rebuilding with a new head coach on the horizon.