Let’s ring the bell of victory. The USC Trojans won the Battle of Los Angeles.
USC rallied in the fourth quarter to beat crosstown rival UCLA 19-13, earning its sixth win of the season and qualifying for a bowl game.
Sophomore quarterback Jayden Maiava threw for 221 yards and one touchdown in the win.
“Jaden was able to make some plays for us by making unscheduled plays when the game wasn’t going well,” Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley of Maiaba said. he said. “He played great and did a great job of finding Ja Kobi.”
Saturday’s showdown on NBC wasn’t a clash of the top two teams like it was in 2022, but a postseason berth, a coveted Victory Bell award and bragging rights in the City of Angels were on the line. It was still on the line.
This match was also the complete opposite of the previous two matches, which featured two high-octane attacks.
Saturday’s game was a defensive battle and a personal battle for both teams. After leading UCLA’s defense last season, former Bruins defensive coordinator Danton Lynn switched sides to take over the reigns of the Trojans’ defense.
“I’m sure it has personal meaning for him,” Riley said of Lin playing against his former team. “I think he’s excited about the win and how his players played. I’m sure it was a meaningful win for him.”
While Lin’s defense has lived up to the hype this season, the Trojans’ offense, especially as they tried to fill the quarterback void left by Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, have struggled all season. It was the cause of
Quarterback Miller Moss suffered a three-game losing streak midway through the season, and after a 26-21 loss to Washington, he was benched in favor of UNLV transfer Maiava.
Maiava, who is good at scrambling and is a more athletic quarterback than Moss, earned his first starting win for the Trojans last week against Nebraska and is now 2-0 as a starter at USC.
After a total of four field goals, the Bruins finally scored their first touchdown of the game. Ethan Garbers found tight end Moriruki Matavao on a screen pass for a 10-yard touchdown for a 10-9 lead.
Despite struggling offensively in the second half, the Trojans ultimately had sophomore quarterback Jayden Maiava escape the pocket, weaving past defenders like a rabbit being chased by the Coyotes, and receiver Ja Kobi. He broke through with his own game-winning touchdown until he found the ball. Get the winning score in the lane in the left corner of the end zone.
On a solid drive, the Bruins went for it on fourth-and-inch, but were stuffed on the quarterback keeper by the Trojans’ defense. USC took over with great field position and made a 30-yard field goal to extend the lead to 19-13.
In one of the most epic scenes in college football history, it was no surprise that Lin’s USC defense had to make stops to win the game.
On fourth-and-10, with the game on the line, the Trojans forced Garbers out of the pocket, where Garbers threw an incomplete pass to give USC the victory.
“I can’t say enough about our defense. We played to contain our opponents. We had a lot of big stops. Our defense was really good tonight.”
No team in this rivalry has won back-to-back games since USC did it in the 2019-20 season.
flu game
This week, USC contracted the flu while preparing for a game. More than 27 players on the Trojans’ roster had to miss practice with the flu, including Riley himself and the coaching staff. Many of the players faced harsh weather conditions during Saturday’s game, but they still battled through.
“We had a huge flu outbreak. We lost 27 players and half of our coaching staff got the flu,” Riley said of the flu outbreak. “A lot of people weren’t feeling well.”
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