Ring the Victory Bell, the USC Trojans have won the battle of Los Angeles.
USC rallied in the fourth quarter for 19-13 victory over crosstown rivals UCLA to qualify for a bowl game with their sixth win of the season.
Sophomore quarterback Jayden Maiava threw for 221 yards and a touchdown in the win.
“Jayden has been able to make a few plays for us in terms of when things aren’t exactly there, making off-schedule plays,” said Trojans’ head coach Lincoln Riley of Maiava. “He made a great play and did a great job of finding Ja’Kobi.”
Saturday’s showdown on NBC wasn’t the clash of two top-ranked teams that the 2022 rendition was, but there was still a postseason berth on the line, the coveted Victory Bell prize, and bragging rights in the City of Angels.
The game was also a polar opposite affair from the last two games that featured two high-octane offenses.
Saturday’s game was a battle of defenses, and a personal one for both teams. After leading UCLA’s defense last season, former Bruins’ defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, switched sides to take over the defensive reigns for the Trojans.
“I’m sure there’s some personal meaning for him,” said Riley of Lynn going against his former team. “I think he’s excited for the win and the way our guys played. I’m sure it was a meaningful win for him.”
Lynn’s defense has lived up to the hype this season, but it was the Trojans’ offense, especially trying to fill the void at quarterback left by Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, that had been their downfall all season long.
Quarterback Miller Moss struggled midway through the seasons with three straight losses, and was benched after a 26-21 loss to Washington in favor of the UNLV transfer Maiava.
Maiava, a scrambling, and more athletic quarterback than Moss, won his first start for the Trojans last week against Nebraska and is now 2-0 as a starter for USC.
After four combined field goals, the Bruins finally got the first touchdown of the game when Ethan Garbers found tight-end Molilki Matavao on a screen pass for a 10-yard touchdown that gave them a 10-9 lead.
Despite struggling on offense in the second half, the Trojans finally broke through with a go-ahead touchdown of their own when sophomore quarterback Jayden Maiava escaped the pocket, evading defenders like a rabbit being chased by a coyote, until he found receiver Ja’Kobi Lane in the left corner of the end zone for the go-ahead score.
On the ensuring drive, the Bruins went for it on fourth and inches and were stuffed on a quarterback keeper by the Trojans’ defense. USC took over with great field position and extended their lead to 19-13 after a 30-yard field goal.
On one of the grandest stages in all of college football, it was only fitting that the USC defense, led by Lynn, would have to win the game with a stop.
On fourth and 10 with the game on the line, the Trojans forced Garbers out of the pocket, where he threw an incomplete pass to hand USC the victory.
“I can’t say enough about us defensively. The way we played to hold them down. A lot of big stops. We were just pretty awesome defensively tonight.”
No team has won back-to-back games in the rivalry since USC did it 2019-20.
Flu Game
USC was bitten by the flu bug this week during preparation for the game. Over 27 players on the Trojans roster had to miss practice with the flu, including Riley himself and members of the coaching staff. Many players were severely under the weather during Saturday’s game, but played through it.
“We had a lot of flu. 27 players were out and it ran through half of our coaching staff,” said Riley of the flu outbreak. “A lot of guys didn’t feel good.”