Their targets were long gone. All illusions of grandeur were banished. The only solace left as the end of a frustrating season nears was a game of skittles and bragging rights. Still, as his third season at USC faded from relevance, coach Lincoln Riley preached the importance of finishing strong. Good programs, he repeated, always ended up being the best.
Until late Saturday, however, USC didn’t look like a program ready to put its checkered recent past behind it. The new quarterback waved. The game has stopped. Three trips deep into the red zone failed. Chance after chance handed down by UCLA was squandered.
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And yet, after all the missteps and missed opportunities, Makai Lemon looked up to see Kyron Hudson flying down the field. So USC’s leading receiver reached out and hung it as hard as he could.
It was as unlikely a play as any in the recent history of the crosstown rivalry — a 39-yard double pass — but it was all USC needed in the end to put away UCLA, 19-13. On the next play, quarterback Jayden Maiava found Ja’Kobi Lane for a score.
UCLA had two minutes to mount its own comeback. But with his rival clinching the Cup with the win, the Bruins were bullied over the losing streak.
It was USC’s first true road win of the season. And it certainly wasn’t easy. Maiava barely completed 50% of his passes and threw for 221 yards and a score, while Woody Marks had one of his least productive rushing efforts of the season.
Ethan Garbers appeared ready to play hero for UCLA when the Bruins took over in the third quarter. He completed his first 11 passes of the half, but ended up going 0-for-4 when it ultimately mattered most. He finished with 265 yards and a touchdown.
Neither team was able to capitalize on any of their chances early. USC drove nearly the length of the field in the first quarter, thanks to a 64-yard catch-and-run by Makai Lemon, only to be stopped three straight times inside the three-yard line. His next drive stopped in much the same place, in much the same way, with Maiava throwing two straight end zone incompletions, one of which was intended for a wide open Lake McRee.
The Trojans went full-field again just before halftime and ran out the clock on a 14-play drive that gave them another first down inside the five-yard line. But the first convention was overcrowded. The second drop was incomplete. And a third down attempt, in tight coverage, bounced off the hands of Kyle Ford, leaving points on the table for the third straight possession.
USC instead had to settle for a field goal, the third of the first half.
However, nine points were enough to hold off UCLA before halftime. Even though the Bruins broke off five first-half gains of 15 yards or more — matching their counterparts — that explosiveness was mostly wasted.
Not once did UCLA get into the red zone in the first half as USC’s defense pressed every time the Bruins drove through midfield. One UCLA drive was blocked after Harden’s 40-yard run into USC territory. Another ended after an errant fourth-round incompletion by Garbers.
UCLA was stopped again in USC territory just before halftime, just to get the mood going. Pushing and shoving ensued. As the two rivals ran off the pitch, both rivals taunted each other on their way to their respective tunnels.
That scrimmage resulted in three unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on UCLA, giving USC a huge position to open the third quarter. But the Trojans couldn’t do anything about it, they couldn’t convert on fourth down in the middle of the field.
UCLA finally took advantage and mounted its first touchdown drive of the game midway through the third quarter. But that’s where his momentum stalled as the Bruins were forced to return USC’s Bell of Victory.
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.