Biggest Winners and Losers in USC Trojans' 29-10 Win Over UCLA

The No. 17 USC Trojans held their final regular season game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to host their rival, the UCLA Bruins. In their 29-10 win, a slow start paired with a resilient second half comeback led USC to keep the Victory Bell in South Central.

Oct 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley celebrates after kicker Ryon Sayeri (48) hit a 54-yard field goal in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The No. 17 USC Trojans hosted their final regular season home game against crosstown rival UCLA Bruins in the Battle of LA. The Trojans sealed a 29-10 win to keep the Victory Bell in South Central.

The Bruins have been one of the more underwhelming teams all season. However, against a crosstown rival, competition always seem to rise between both programs.

The Trojans had a shaky first half without wide receivers Makai Lemon and Ja'Kobi Lane, but USC had every ounce of fire necessary to fuel a second-half comeback.

Winner: Second Half Performance

Nov 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) poses with fans after the game against the UCLA Bruins at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Trojans were trailing the Bruins 10-7 entering halftime, marking the second time USC has gone into the half with a losing score. But significant changes on the field led to another Trojan comeback.

Everything just looked better -- passing, rushing, stopping the run, rushing the quarterback and finishing in the red zone.

USC accounted for 22 points in the second half alone, and held UCLA to a scoreless two quarters -- the second time USC has held an opponent to zero points in the second quarter.

It was not just this game that USC found themselves trailing their opponent in the first half: Iowa and Nebraska were two examples of what Riley called "a resilient team" that came to play and put away a win.

"We won tough games. You know, we were able to win games a lot of different ways, the way we played in the second half, really, throughout the entire season," Riley said after the win. "I just think there's just so so much to build on."

Winner: King Miller

Nov 7, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans running back King Miller (30) runs the ball against Northwestern Wildcats linebacker Mac Uihlein (37) during the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Trojans running back room has shown the college football world how much depth they really have, starting with running back King Miller. Miller, the walk-on tailback from Calabasas, California, originally started the season as a fourth-string running back, and soon became the hero who filled the shoes of Waymond Jordan when he went down in the Michigan game in October.

Against the Bruins, Miller recorded 166 total yards on 21 touches and two touchdowns to help USC seal the win. For a local kid who experienced his second Battle of LA, first in the Coliseum, Miller touched on his progression through the season, and unexpected role as a leader on the field.

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"I definitely wasn't the kid to come out and just be talking, but definitely stepping into that role, realizing that we could just stay composed with not just my play, but actually with my words throughout the season," Miller said after the win.

Through Miller's seven games as starting running back, he's recorded 970 total yards and five total touchdowns.

Winner: 9-3 Finish And USC's "Important" 2025 Team

Nov 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley leads the Spirit of Troy marching band in a rendition of Tribute to Troy after teh game against the UCLA Bruins at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

This season has felt nothing but a whirlwind, with many achievements and what's felt like a good amount of losses on and off the field.

What Riley emphasized the most following the 29-10 win over the Bruins was how important this Trojans team will be to the future of the program.

“This program is going to get better. We'll have better teams here in the future than this team but I don't know if we'll have a more important team," Riley said.

Biggest Losers in USC Win Over UCLA

Loser: UCLA

Nov 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) carries the ball against the Southern California Trojans in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Crosstown rival UCLA has been a sad story all season: from the firing of head coach Deshaun Foster after an 0-3 start to the season, to a glimpse of hope in October with a three-game win streak under interim head coach Tim Skipper, to losing every game since their 56-10 loss to Indiana on Oct. 25.

Their first half was promising, with quarterback Nico Iamaleava started for UCLA after being a day-to-day decision with an injury all week. Even when Iamaleava threw for 200 yards and 27 of 38 passing, it was not enough to match an explosive, second-half USC offense.

That also goes for the UCLA defense, who allowed nearly 400 total offensive yards. Even with a shaky first half and the Bruins on top entering halftime, UCLA could not meet the end zone to catch up to USC's comeback. UCLA closes out their season 3-9.

Loser: USC First Half Performance

Nov 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon (6) celebrates after catching a 32-yard touchdown pass against the UCLA Bruins in the second half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It was evident to Trojan fans that USC's first half performance against UCLA was one of their weakest, down by one-score going into halftime. A variety of components went into their one score in just two quarters: Getting beat up on sides of the ball, no wide receivers Makai Lemon or Ja'Kobi in the first quarter, and struggling to finish in the red zone.

Even for two star receivers like Lemon and Lane, Lemon recorded zero targets, and Lane only had one reception for 12 yards. On top of that, USC special teams fell again, with a blocked field goal and missed field goal by kicker Ryon Sayeri, his second missed this whole season.

Especially with a rival team, going into half trailing a three-win team was not the best look for USC. Fortunately, the Trojans found a way to pull themselves out of their first half funk and take back the Victory Bell.