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11/29 23:50 CST Makai Lemon catches big TD pass after benching, and No. 19 USC
races past rival UCLA 29-10
Makai Lemon catches big TD pass after benching, and No. 19 USC races past rival
UCLA 29-10
By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --- Southern California got off to a dangerously slow start in
its annual crosstown showdown while its two best offensive playmakers stood on
the sideline for much of the first half.
When Makai Lemon and Ja'Kobi Lane finally got moving, so did the Trojans ---
all the way to another victory in their biggest rivalry game.
Lemon caught a 32-yard touchdown pass after being benched for the first
quarter, King Miller rushed for 124 yards and two scores, and No. 19 USC
completed an unbeaten home season with a 29-10 win over UCLA on Saturday.
Jayden Maiava passed for 257 yards and hit Lake McRee with a TD pass in the
fourth quarter for the Trojans (9-3, 7-2 Big Ten), who eventually pulled away
to win this annual matchup for the third time in Lincoln Riley's four years as
coach.
"We're building something special in here," said Miller, a walk-on redshirt
freshman. "That Victory Bell is something special. It's kind of addictive to
win it."
Riley benched Lemon and Lane for the Trojans' first two offensive series for a
violation of a team policy, the coach said. Both receivers then made key plays
in the second half as USC pulled away, and Miller iced it with his 41-yard TD
run with 2:29 left.
While USC's College Football Playoff and Big Ten title hopes ended last week
with a loss at Oregon, this victory kept the Trojans perfect at the Coliseum
while securing city bragging rights for another year. After flirting with .500
the previous two seasons, Riley's team will finish with its best record since
his USC debut with Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams.
"We're a better program now than we were 12 months ago," Riley said. "We won
tough games. We were able to win games a lot of different ways. There's just
so, so much to build on, and these guys are responsible for it. This program is
going to get better and better. We'll have better teams here in the future than
this team, but I don't know if we'll have had a more important team."
Nico Iamaleava passed for 200 yards for the Bruins (3-9, 3-6) in their final
game under interim coach Tim Skipper, who replaced DeShaun Foster three games
into his second season. Kwazi Gilmer caught an early TD pass, but UCLA was shut
out in the second half.
"Our whole locker room learned that if you fight, you can get out of any
situation," Skipper said. "Our guys did the hard work. We'll just keep moving
forward. Setbacks are temporary."
Both teams wore their home uniforms in keeping with tradition in the 95th
edition of this meeting between schools separated by about 13 miles within Los
Angeles.
USC marched to Miller's first TD run on its opening drive, but UCLA's Scott
Taylor blocked the Trojans' field goal attempt when their second drive stalled.
After the Bruins drove for Gilmer's 2-yard TD reception, Mateen Bhaghani's late
field goal put UCLA up 10-7 at halftime.
Lemon was no factor in the Trojans' offense until Maiava finally found him down
the USC sideline for a go-ahead score with 25 seconds left in the third
quarter. The TD catch was his only reception of the night --- his fewest in a
game since the Trojans' 2024 season opener.
After Lemon made a 35-yard punt return, Lane made a 27-yard reception to set up
McRee's 2-yard TD catch with 11:24 left.
Takeaways UCLA: The Bruins were not phoning in the finale of a lost season, as evidenced by Iamaleava's decision to play despite dealing with neck spasms all week. They took a halftime lead and appeared to be close to taking control of the game at several points before wrapping up their seventh losing season in the last 10 years with a competitive effort against their biggest rivals. USC: A slow start turned into a seventh straight home victory for Riley's team. The Trojans still haven't reached the heights mandated by Riley's massive contract and this program's heritage, but they've got momentum heading into bowl season and 2026, when they're adding a wealth of top-end talent.
Up next UCLA: A thorough program reboot under a new coach. USC: An upper-tier bowl game. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
Takeaways UCLA: The Bruins were not phoning in the finale of a lost season, as evidenced by Iamaleava's decision to play despite dealing with neck spasms all week. They took a halftime lead and appeared to be close to taking control of the game at several points before wrapping up their seventh losing season in the last 10 years with a competitive effort against their biggest rivals. USC: A slow start turned into a seventh straight home victory for Riley's team. The Trojans still haven't reached the heights mandated by Riley's massive contract and this program's heritage, but they've got momentum heading into bowl season and 2026, when they're adding a wealth of top-end talent.
Up next UCLA: A thorough program reboot under a new coach. USC: An upper-tier bowl game. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
