Underrated USC Trojan Earns MVP In Win Over UCLA

The No. 17 USC Trojans defeated the rival UCLA Bruins by a final score of 29-10 on Saturday night at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. It was a slow start for the Trojans, who found themselves down at halftime before taking control in the second half.

The player of the game for the Trojans was running back King Miller.

King Miller MVP in USC’s Win Over UCLA

USC Trojans UCLA Bruins King Miller MVP Rivalry Game Lincoln Riley Jayden Maiava Running Back Walk-On Los Angeles Coliseum — 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

The MVP for the USC Trojans in their win over UCLA was none other than walk-on running back King Miller. Miller may be a walk-on, but he has proven to be as valuable as any other player on the the team this season with him stepping up for the injured Waymond Jordan and Eli Sanders.

Against UCLA, Miller had 17 carries for 124 yards and two touchdowns. He also had four receptions for 42 yards, bringing his total yards for the game to 166.

It was a good bounce back performance for the Trojans rushing attack after they were only able to total 52 total rushing yards in their last game against the Oregon Ducks.

It was especially important to get the run game going early against UCLA as USC wide receivers Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane were benched for the first quarter for what USC coach Lincoln Riley said to reporters postgame was “a violation of a team policy.”

Saturday night against UCLA was the fourth time this season Miller went over 100 yards on the ground. The first was in USC’s win over the Michigan back in October. Miller came into that game as the third running back on the depth chart but quickly became the lead back after Jordan and Sanders each suffered injuries. He has been the No. 1 back ever since.

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Trojans Overcome Slow First Half To Beat UCLA

USC’s first drive of the night was about as well executed as Lincoln Riley could have hoped for. USC was run-heavy on their 10-play 75 yard drive capped off by a Miller five-yard touchdown run to give the Trojans a 7-0 lead before the UCLA offense was able to touch the ball. These would be the only points USC would score in the first half.

They were still able to move the ball on their next couple drives, but stalled both times deep in UCLA territory. Kicker Ryon Sayeri, who has been reliable all season, had a kick blocked and missed another in the first half. USC headed into the halftime break down 10-7.

The second half kicked off and USC looked like a completely different team. The defense took over and USC quarterback Jayden Maiava along with Miller helped the Trojans take control of the game en route to the 29-10 win.

“We’ve been a pretty good second half team all year. We were again tonight. We didn’t play very good in the first half. Guys rallied. We played a great second half,” Riley said to NBC in the postgame on-field interview. "Defense was awesome in the second half. Offense got rolling. This place was electric. Was a lot of fun.”

The Trojans now at 9-3 will await to hear what bowl game they will play in.