Five Shocking Stats From USC Trojans Win Over UCLA Bruins

The No. 17 USC Trojans closed the regular season with a 29-10 win over rival UCLA, staying undefeated at home. Even with a full quarter without two star receivers on the field, USC finished 9-3 and now turns its attention to bowl placement.

Nov 15, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches game action against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The No. 17 USC Trojans finished their regular season off on a high note, defeating crosstown rival UCLA 29-10 to finish 9-3 before the postseason.

The Battle of LA is a historic rivalry that runs deep through the city of Los Angeles. The winner takes home the Victory Bell and both teams wear their home jersies no matter the location. Essentially, it's merely a home game for both programs.

In a slower start for the Trojans, USC found their footing entering the second half, and found the rhythm that led them to 22 points to seal the win.

1. First Time A Home Team Won Since 2019

Nov 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley (left) poses with Spirit of Troy marching band director James Vogel (center) and mascot Tommy Trojan 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

If there's one thing to note about any college football rivalry, it's the fact that every meeting will feel like a battle. For the case of the Los Angeles rivals, it;s been a back-and-forth series for seven years, up until this season.

The Trojans and Bruins have shared some memorable contests on the gridiron, including a USC 48-45 win the Rose Bowl in 2022, and 2024's close 19-13 win at the Rose Bowl. Against the Bruins this time around, the Trojans took care of business in a second-half surge that topped UCLA by 19.

The pattern started when USC defeated the Bruins 52-35 in the Coliseum in 2019, and went on to earn another win at the Rose Bowl the year after. In 2021, under interim head coach Donte Williams, USC saw their first loss to UCLA since 2018 falling 62-33 in the Coliseum.

Since the coach Lincoln Riley era, Riley is currently 3-1 over the Bruins as head coach of USC, with his only loss coming in 2023 in the Coliseum when they fell 38-20.

2. Second Time USC Held Opponent To Zero Points In Second Half

Nov 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley celebrates 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

USC has found themselves in sticky situations regarding the first half of play, especially in the back half of the season. Notably, the Trojans entered the locker room trailing their opponent in three of their of their four games in November.

The Trojans second-half surge has benefitted their record and who they are as a team. While a slower first half is frustrating at times, USC has held both Iowa and now UCLA to a scoreless second half this season.

Against the Hawkeyes, USC and Iowa battled out a first half that left the Trojans 21-10 trailing by double-digits entering halftime. Then, the Trojans resurgence at the second half whistle left the Hawkeyes in the dust, and USC scored 16 to top Iowa. Following the iowa win, Riley noded to the resilience that he's echoed all season.

"This team’s resilience, whether it’s a tough stretch of plays, whether it’s losing some players here and there throughout the year and obviously happened some in this game. We just keep coming, and we have all year. That was a big, big time team win," Riley said after the Iowa game.

In the win over UCLA, the Trojans were behind the Bruins by one-score, 10-7, entering the locker room at half. For USC, this was the second time they trailed an unranked team at the half. Once USC found their rhythm, especially in the pass game, the Trojans never looked back and held UCLA to zero in their 29-10 win, a nod to the resilience that Riley has echoed all season.

3. USC First Drive Touchdown, First Time Since 2016

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

It was clear that, despite the score on paper entering halftime, the Trojans put it all out on the field in their first drive, and running back King Miller found the end zone to put USC ahead early.

However, this was not the usual case for a Trojans and Bruins battle, with the last USC opening drive score coming from their 36-14 win in 2016 game at the Coliseum. Former USC running back Ronald Jones II met the endzone with less than four minutes of the first quarter to match UCLA at 7-7.

USC scores a touchdown in their first possession against UCLA for the first time since 2016!#FightOn

— Andrew Giesler (@andrew_giesler) November 30, 2025

4. Makai Lemon, Ja'Kobi Lane Benched First Quarter

Oct 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans wide receiver Ja'Kobi Lane (8) is congratulated by wide receiver Makai Lemon (6) after catching a touchdown pass in the first 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 dynamic receiving duo in wide receivers Ja'Kobi Lane and Makai have been exceptional for Riley's offense all year, with Lemon even securing a spot as a Biletnikoff Award finalist - awarded to the nation's best wide receiver.

On USC’s opening drive, fans quickly noticed both Lemon and Lane remained on the bench throughout the entire first quarter — the first time this season the two receivers didn’t take the field to start a game.

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When Riley asked was about the decision to sit both Lemon and Lane through the first quarter, Riley's answer was simple.

“There was a violation of a team policy, and that was the decision that was made," Riley said after the game.

5. Second Season Reaching Nine Regular Season Wins Under Riley

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

Although USC was just one loss short of a potential College Football Playoff berth, the Trojans officially secured a 9-3 record under Riley, the second time reaching nine regular season wins with Riley as head coach.

The program built by Riley, that appears to continue building, has allowed USC to secure victories like their 31-13 win over then No. 15 Michigan, and a 26-21 win over then-No. 21 Iowa, two wins the 2024 Trojan team may not have won.

Especially in an unprecedented time with revenue share and the exponential growth of NIL, Riley and general manager Chad Bowden have still compiled the No. 1 2026 recruiting class in the nation, sticking to their Southern California ties to bring into the program.

Again, even if a 9-3 record to close out the regular season does not feel like much of a success, it just positions USC that much more to get another shot next year, with a star studded, and healthy, roster.

When Riley was asked about the future of the USC Football Program, his answer revolved around his 2025 Trojans, imprinting the word "important" on the team that will shape the program for the years to come.

"I don’t know if we’ll have had a more important team. This team was really, really important to what we’re doing, and I couldn’t be prouder of them," Riley said. "I think we’ll look back and see that things are good here right now.  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.”