Northwestern Football Falls to No. 20 USC in Los Angeles Showdown

The Northwestern Wildcats put up an early fight. However, the team couldn’t keep pace with the No. 20 USC Trojans. They fell 38–17 on Friday night at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. With both teams trading blows in the first half, the game seemed destined for a tight finish. Nonetheless, the Trojans’ second-half surge proved too much for the Wildcats to overcome.

USC Pulls Away in the Second Half From The Northwestern Wildcats

The Trojans wasted little time getting on the board, scoring on their opening drive. Northwestern, however, responded by retorting immediately. Graduate quarterback Preston Stone led a commanding 13-play, 75-yard drive. He finished it off with a four-yard touchdown pass to Wilde that tied the game at 7–7 late in the first quarter.

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In the second quarter, USC quarterback Jayden Maiava retook the lead with a six-yard rushing touchdown. But Northwestern’s offense answered again as Caleb Komolafe broke loose for a 37-yard run. That surely set up his own one-yard touchdown plunge, evening the score at 14–14 midway through the period.

The Wildcats looked poised to seize momentum when graduate defensive lineman Najee Story intercepted a USC pass, his first career pick. With that, he added a sack in the same game, becoming the first Wildcat to do so since Xander Mueller in 2023. But Northwestern couldn’t turn the takeaway into points. This led the USC to capitalize late in the half. A 12-yard touchdown run from King Miller sent the Trojans into the break leading 21–14.

Maiava connected with Ja Kobi Lane for a 10-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 28–14. Northwestern’s Jack Olsen briefly stopped the bleeding with a 33-yard field goal late in the third quarter, trimming the deficit to 28–17. But the Trojans quickly pulled away again, with Makai Lemon adding a four-yard rushing score and a late field goal sealing the 38–17 final.

Caleb Komolafe Shines in Back-to-Back 100-Yard Performances

Despite the loss, Caleb Komolafe delivered a breakout performance that gave Northwestern fans plenty to cheer about. The redshirt sophomore was electric, rushing for 118 yards on 17 carries and catching five passes for 40 receiving yards, including one touchdown. He became the first Wildcat since Isiah Bowser in 2018 to post back-to-back 100-yard rushing games.

Komolafe was a one-man show early on, accounting for 117 scrimmage yards in the first half alone. He led the team in both rushing and receiving categories. Quarterback Preston Stone had an efficient outing, completing 20 of 30 passes for 150 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.

Defensively, Mac Uihlein anchored the unit with 11 tackles, including eight solo stops and one tackle for loss. Robert Fitzgerald followed closely behind with eight tackles, while Story’s interception stood out as a highlight on a tough defensive night.

The Wildcats will now turn their attention to a crucial home matchup against Michigan at Wrigley Field on Saturday, November 15, with kickoff set for 11 a.m. CT on FOX and WGN Radio 720. Northwestern will look to regroup, channel Komolafe’s momentum, and finish strong down the stretch of Big Ten play.

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