LOS ANGELES– The 95th Crosstown Rivalry of college football belongs to USC for the second straight year. The Victory Bell loudly rang at the Coliseum on Saturday,  November 29, NO. 17 USC  beat arch rival the UCLA Bruins 29-10.

UCLA held a 10-7 lead at the end of the first half, behind a stout Bruins defense, while controlling the second half, blanking the Bruins 22-0 in the final half of the season.

USC Jayden Maiava finished with 257 passing yards and two touchdowns.  Quarterback Nico Iamaleava had 200 passing yards and a touchdown pass.

The win is USC’s second consecutive against its rival, the first time it has won back-to-back contests in the series since 2019-20. USC finishes the regular season 9-3.

Wheras UCLA finishes with an opposite 3-9 record, a disappointing end to a terrible season. It’s the second straight losing season for the   Bruins,  who now turn their attention to hiring a new coach for 2026.

“That was a fun night in the Coliseum right there. Another phenomenal atmosphere,” USC coach Lincoln Riley said.

“One of the things we talked about earlier in the season with this team was protecting our home, and there’s two parts of that. It’s one, that us as a program, playing well at home. And then the flip side of that is the Coliseum lit up like it was tonight.”

Unfortunately for the Trojans, they will not be appearing in the College Football Playoff this season. The game against Oregon was in essence a playoff contest, where USC  lost two weeks ago.

USC Running back King Miller rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns to lead the way for the Trojans.

The second half is really where things started to break down. With momentum fully on their side- Nico Iamaleava and  the Bruins squandered , their opening drives in the second half

Compounding matters, Lamaleava took a sack on a critical third down. This knocked the Bruins out of field goal range in the third quarter.

A UCLA potential comeback was derailed by a series of penalties, primarily false starts that cost UCLA dearly.

It is rumored that USC will be playing in the Alamo Bowl, while UCLA begins it search for their next head coach.