His goals no longer existed. Any delusions of grandeur had vanished. The only consolation left, as a frustrating season neared the end, was a bowl game and bragging rights. Still, as his third season at USC faded, coach Lincoln Riley had preached the importance of finishing strong no matter what. Good programs, he reiterated, always end in the best way.
But until Saturday night, USC looked nothing like a program willing to put its recent checkered past behind it. The new quarterback was agitated. The running game had stagnated. Three trips to the red zone had fallen short. Opportunity after opportunity, delivered by UCLA, had been wasted.
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And yet, after all the missteps and missed opportunities, Makai Lemon looked up and saw Kyron Hudson flying down the field. So USC’s top receiver pulled back his arm and threw it as hard as he could.
It was as improbable 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 defeat UCLA, 19-13. On the next play, quarterback Jayden Maiava found Ja’Kobi Lane for the go-ahead score.
UCLA had two minutes to mount its own comeback campaign. But as their rival gained bowl eligibility with the victory, the Bruins were ousted from contention for the loss.
For USC, it was the first true road win of the season. And it certainly wasn’t easy. Maiava completed just 50% of his passes and threw for 221 yards and a touchdown, while Woody Marks had one of his least productive rushing efforts of the season.
Ethan Garbers looked poised to play the role of UCLA hero as the Bruins gained momentum in the third quarter. He completed his first 11 passes of the half, but ultimately finished 0-for-4 when it mattered most in the end. He finished with 265 yards and a touchdown.
Neither team was able to take advantage of any of their opportunities early. USC drove almost the entire field in the first quarter, courtesy of a 64-yard catch-and-run by Makai Lemon, only to be stopped three consecutive times inside the three-yard line. Their next drive stopped in almost the same place, in almost the same way, with Maiava throwing two consecutive incomplete passes in the end zone, one of which was intended for a wide-open Lake McRee.
The Trojans drove the entire field again just before the half, running out the clock on a 14-play drive that gave them another first down inside the five-yard line. But a first-down run was thwarted. A second failed attempt remained incomplete. And a third-down attempt, in tight coverage, bounced off Kyle Ford’s hands, leaving points on the table for a third straight possession.
USC had to settle for a field goal, its third of the first half.
The nine points, however, were enough to keep UCLA at bay before halftime. Even when the Bruins had five gains of 15 yards or more in the first half, the same as their counterparts, that explosiveness was largely for nothing.
UCLA didn’t reach the red zone once in the first half, as USC’s defense clamped down every time the Bruins crossed midfield. A UCLA drive was blocked after a 40-yard run from Harden into USC territory. Another ended with an incompletion by Garbers on fourth down.
UCLA was stopped again in USC territory just before the half, only for tempers to boil over. Pushing and shoving continued. As the two rivals ran off the field, the two rivals taunted each other on the way to their respective tunnels.
The fight resulted in three unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on UCLA, giving USC tremendous field position to open the third quarter. But the Trojans couldn’t do anything about it and failed to convert a fourth down near midfield.
UCLA finally took the lead, scoring the first touchdown of the game midway through the third quarter. But that’s where their momentum stopped, as the Bruins were forced to return the Victory Bell to USC.
This story originally appeared on Los Angeles Times.