Nov 11, 2025 | Los Angeles, Sports, Valleys

USC Rolls Past Northwestern, Stays in CFP Hunt

USC put on a “Friday night special” at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, rolling to a 38–17 win over Northwestern as the No. 20 Trojans stayed alive in the College Football Playoff race.

USC third-string quarterback Sam Huard throws a pass for a first down on a fake punt in front of Northwestern’s Ricky Ahumaraeze (10) during the first half at the Coliseum. Huard quietly switched his official uniform number to the same one as USC punter Sam Johnson during the week, adding an element of surprise to the trick play, which extended a drive that resulted in a touchdown. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

By Earl Heath | Contributing Sports Writer

USC put on a “Friday night special” at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, rolling to a 38–17 win over Northwestern as the No. 20 Trojans stayed alive in the College Football Playoff race.

Quarterback Jayden Maiava completed 24 of 33 passes for 299 yards and threw touchdowns to Makai Lemon and Jakobi Land. The Trojans (7–2, 5–1 Big Ten) remained unbeaten at home this season with a balanced offensive performance that produced 482 total yards—the most allowed by Northwestern all year. The Wildcats had not given up a 200-yard passer before facing USC.

King Miller added 127 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Maiava also ran for a score. Lemon capped his breakout night with a 4-yard jet sweep touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, sealing back-to-back conference wins over Nebraska and Northwestern. The victory keeps USC in the national title conversation into mid-November for the first time since head coach Lincoln Riley’s debut season in 2022.

“We were excited about the challenge this week brought,” Riley said. “Flipping time zones, coming off a tough battle in Lincoln, and facing a good football team off a bye—it was a big test. I felt like these last two games would define this stretch of our season, and it’s cool to see our guys respond.”

Lemon finished with a career-high 11 receptions for 161 yards, along with his two touchdowns.

“Whenever the ball is in the air, I just try to make the most of the opportunity,” Lemon said. “They don’t come often.”

Northwestern’s Caleb Komolafe scored on a 2-yard run to tie the game early. The Wildcats nearly took the lead when defensive lineman Najee Story intercepted a pass and rumbled 25 yards toward the end zone—but Maiava made a diving hit at the goal line to jar the ball loose, forcing a touchback.

“There’s part of me that’s like, ‘Man, if he’s going to score, don’t hit him,’” Riley joked. “That dude was pretty big. But knowing Jayden, he was going to go. When your quarterback plays that tough, it permeates through the entire team.”

Northwestern quarterback Preston Stone threw for 150 yards, while Komolafe added 118 rushing yards. Griffin Wilde caught an early touchdown for the Wildcats (5–4, 3–3), who fell to 0–6 all-time against USC. Their last meeting was in the 1996 Rose Bowl.

Defensively, Kamari Ramsey led the Trojans with six tackles—five solo—as USC held Northwestern to 130 rushing yards and 280 through the air.

“We probably had our most complete week,” Riley said. “It had to be, because it was such a short week. Our guys dove into preparation and met the challenge head-on. You saw that tonight.”

With the win, USC moved up to No. 18 in the CFP rankings, jumping ahead of Virginia, Louisville and Missouri, all of whom lost Saturday. The Trojans remain one spot behind Michigan, despite owning a head-to-head victory and a higher CFP standing.