USC Trojans Electric Receiver Earns MVP in Win Over Northwestern

The USC Trojans knocked off the Northwestern Wildcats by a final score of 38-17 on Friday night at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to improve to 7-2 on the season. It was a back and forth start, but the Trojans took control in second half en route to a 21-point victory.

There were contributors all over the place so it was difficult to just pinpoint just one player for the game’s MVP, but that honor will go to wide receiver Makai Lemon.

Makai Lemon Earns MVP vs. Northwestern

USC Trojans MVP Makai Lemon Northwestern Wildcats Lincoln Riley Jayden Maiava Ja'Kobi Lane College Football Playoff Big Ten — Oct 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley (wearing white visor) celebrates along with defensive end coach Shaun Nua 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

USC wide receiver Makai Lemon has been the most consistent player for then Trojans offense all season. Lemon and the USC offense were coming off their least productive performance of the season on the road against the Nebraska Cornhuskers last week and bounced back in a big way vs. the Wildcats.

Lemon had a game high 11 receptions for 161 receiving yards and a touchdown. He also had a four-yard touchdown rush on top of this.

The USC offense is at it’s best when Lemon and Maiava are on the same page and that was the case against Northwestern. When Lemon is on, so is Maiava.

MAKAI LEMON

man he’s a top 5 receiver in the country idc pic.twitter.com/oirfT0SfOx
— CFBTalkDaily (@CFBTalkDaily) November 8, 2025

Maiava had a nice bounce back game; going 24/33 passing for 299 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also had a rushing touchdown and definitely had a case to be there player of the game as well.

Running back King Miller also had a terrific game with 15 carries for 127 yards and a touchdown.

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Ja’Kobi Lane Wows Crowd With Spectacular Catches

USC wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane had a night for himself. Lane has seven receptions for 74 yards and a touchdown. Two of Lane’s catches were some of the best he’s had all season. The first one was on a first down converted in the Northwestern red zone.

Lane dove and was able to control the ball with his hands and arms while going to the ground.

Then, Lane had another one-handed touchdown catch in the left corner of the end zone, similar to the one he hauled in vs. Georgia Southern in Week 2. Maiava threw the ball up for Lane to make a play one-on-one with the Northwestern defender and he was able to battle through the contact and reel it in with just one hand.

Check out the play below.

"A receiver like Ja'Kobi Lane can H.B.O. (Help a Brother Out)." @RGIII with an amazing call on this @uscfb touchdown 😅 pic.twitter.com/emVBQIXJW6
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 8, 2025

Trojans Playoff Hopes Still Alive

The USC Trojans are still in the mix to make the College Football Playoff this season. At 7-2 overall and 5-1 in the Big Ten, everything is in front of coach Lincoln Riley’s team with three games to go.

If USC can run the table and beat No. 20 Iowa, No. 9 Oregon, and UCLA, they will more than likely be a playoff team. This would be their first playoff appearance in school history since the format was first adopted in 2014.