Their goals were long gone. Any delusions of grandeur had been dashed. The only consolation left, approaching the end of a frustrating season, was a bowl game and bragging rights. Even still, as his third season at USC slipped from relevance, coach Lincoln Riley had preached the importance of finishing strong in spite of it all. Good programs, he reiterated, always finished at their best.
But until late Saturday, USC hadnt looked anything like a program ready to put its checkered recent past behind it. The new quarterback was flailing. The run game had stalled. Three trips deep into the red zone had come up short. Chance after chance, handed over by UCLA, had been squandered.
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And still, after all the missteps and the missed opportunities, Makai Lemon looked up and saw Kyron Hudson flying open downfield. So USCs leading receiver cocked back his arm and slung it as hard as he could.
It was as unlikely of a play as any in the recent history of the crosstown rivalry a 39-yard double pass but it was the only one USC ultimately needed to put away UCLA, 19-13. On the next play, quarterback Jayden Maiava found JaKobi Lane for a go-ahead score.
UCLA had two minutes to mount its own comeback drive. But as its rival earned bowl eligibility with the victory, the Bruins were bullied out of bowl contention with the loss.
For USC, it was the first true road win of the season. And it certainly didnt come 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 seemed primed to play hero for UCLA as the Bruins seized momentum in the third quarter. He completed his first 11 passes of the half, but ultimately finished 0 for 4 when it mattered most at the end. He finished with 265 yards and a touchdown.
Neither team was able to capitalize on any of their chances early. USC went nearly the full length of the field in the first quarter, courtesy of a 64-yard catch-and-run from Makai Lemon, only to be stopped three consecutive times inside the three-yard line. Its next drive stalled in nearly the same spot, in nearly the same way, with Maiava throwing two straight end zone incompletions, one of which was intended for a wide-open Lake McRee.
The Trojans traversed the whole field again just before half, draining the clock over a 14-play drive that gave them yet another first down inside the five-yard line. But a first-down run was stuffed. A second-down fade fell incomplete. And a third-down attempt, in tight coverage, bounced off Kyle Fords hands, leaving points on the table for a third straight possession.
USC had to settle instead for a field goal, its third of the first-half.
The nine points, however, were well enough to hold off UCLA before halftime. Even as the Bruins broke off five gains of 15 yards or more in the first half equal to their counterparts that explosiveness went for mostly naught.
Not once did UCLA reach the red zone in the first half, as USCs defense clamped down whenever the Bruins crossed midfield. One UCLA drive was stonewalled after a 40-yard run from Harden into USC territory. Another ended on an errant fourth-down incompletion from Garbers.
UCLA was stopped in USC territory again just before the half, only for tempers to boil over. Pushing and shoving ensued. As the two rivals ran off the field, the two rivals taunted each other on the way to their respective tunnels.
The tussle resulted in three unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on UCLA, giving USC tremendous field position to open the third quarter. But the Trojans were unable to do anything with it, failing to convert on a fourth down near midfield.
UCLA finally took advantage, mounting the games first touchdown drive midway through the third quarter. But thats where its momentum stopped, as the Bruins were forced to hand back the Victory Bell to USC.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.