USC secures Victory Bell with 29-10 win over UCLA

LOS ANGELES, CA -- To describe the 2025 season for the USC Trojans in one word would be a difficult task, as, pretty much all season long, the Trojans ran through every pothole and pot of gold a team could have for a long and grueling season. Injuries piled up, defensive and offensive miscues, offensive explosions, and defensive dominance; there was a piece of pie for every USC fan to indulge in this season, whether you wanted a slice or not.

Coming into their final game of the season, which just so happened to be played at the Coliseum and against crosstown rival UCLA Bruins, there was an inexplicable feeling that Saturday night was far more than just a storied rivalry game.

"It was an awesome atmosphere and really has been all year," Head Coach Lincoln said on how the energy in the Coliseum has shaped the way the Trojans have played with home-field advantage, especially in a rivalry game. "For us to run the table here at home, play the way we did, was really key to this season."

The first half of this contest would showcase a few changes to the starting offensive line, especially to the receiving core, as both Makai Lemon and Ja'Kobi Lane would not play any snaps in the first quarter. A buzz was blossoming as to why both Lemon and Lane were absent in such a crucial game, but Riley's reasoning as to why the star receiving group sat out was warranted enough.

Coach Riley said that the reasoning as to why both Lemon and Lane did not play in the first quarter was due to a violation of a team policy. That said policy had not been revealed, and despite their absence for a good chunk of the first half, the Trojans' game plan was simple: run the ball early.

They did just that as King Miller racked up 40 yards on 9 carries, plus an extra 35 receiving yards on 2 receptions. Miller's importance in the back field since Waymond Jordan and Eli Sanders went down with injuries has been tremendously impressive, and he showed out in his final game of the season, finishing with 124 rushing yards on 17 carries and 2 touchdowns.

"Honestly, I just came out here trying to help this team out as much as I could," Miller said on his rapid upbringing in being the USC starting running back after being buried in the running back depth chart to begin the season.

Even with Miller having a solid first half, the special teams once more became a thorn in the panthers paw for the Trojans, as a blocked field goal and a missed field goal attempt from Ryon Sayeri gave the Bruins the chance to get atop USC as the first half wound down. Sayeri had only missed two field goal attempts all season coming into Saturday, going 17 for 19.What makes UCLA having the lead going into the second half even more surprising is that this was the Bruins' first lead after the first half since their game against Maryland on October 18, a game they narrowly won, 20-17.

No matter how many times it happens, it won't get old, as the USC defensive line shut out the Bruins' offense in the second half, while the Trojans put up 22 points between the third and fourth quarters in part due to Jayden Maiava's 32-yard reception throw to Lemon in the middle of the third quarter, Lake McRee nailing a touchdown to begin the Trojans scoring in the fourth, and Miller capped off the 15 point fourth quarter with a 41-yard rushing touchdown to secure the 29-10 victory over UCLA.

Well, there you have it; the Victory Bell stays in Troy, and as the Trojans finish off their season with an impressive 9-3 record in the regular season, well on their way to bowl game eligibility, coach Riley had one more message to the Trojans' faithful about the future of the USC football program.

"I think we'll look back and see that things are good here right now," Riley said. "We'll look back when things are really, really, really good here. And this will be one of the ones that everybody will point to. I promise you that's going to happen."