Tag: Southern California

No. 17 USC rallies in second half, upends rival UCLA

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Jayden Maiava threw both of his touchdown passes in the second half to spearhead No. 17 Southern California’s 29-10 comeback win over visiting rival UCLA on Saturday in Los Angeles.

With two stalled drives ending in missed field goals, USC (9-3, 7-2 Big Ten Conference) went to halftime trailing 10-7 against its crosstown counterpart UCLA (3-9, 3-6).

After four straight possessions without scoring, following an initial possession in which King Miller carried for a 5-yard score, the Trojans finally broke through just before the end of the third quarter. Maiava found Makai Lemon for the only time in the contest, but on their 11th touchdown connection of the season, on a 32-yard bomb for a 14-10 USC lead.

USC, which has won four of its last five, struck again on its next possession when Maiava hit Lake McRee on a goal-line touchdown that pushed its lead to 21-10.

UCLA, which scored on a pair of lengthy time-consuming drives in the second quarter, saw its second-half possessions end in three consecutive punts and a turnover on downs before another turnover on downs effectively sealed the USC win.

The Bruins’ scoring drives went 7:50 in 13 plays and 79 yards, culminating in Nicol Iamaleava’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Kwazi Gilmer, and 60 yards in 13 plays over 5:24 before Mateen Baghani’s 38-yard field goal just before intermission.

UCLA had a pair of drives in the second half that ate up more than seven minutes of clock, including its last-gasp effort to rally after USC pulled ahead by two scores, but Braylan Shelby’s late sack of Iamaleava put the Bruins in a hole they could not escape.

Miller added the exclamation point on USC’s ensuing possession, breaking off a 41-yard scoring rush to cap his 17-carry, 124-yard game. Maiava finished the night 21-of-29 passing for 257 yards.

Iamaleava completed 27 of 38 passes for 200 yards, with Gilmer catching 11 targets for 94 yards. Jalen Berger rushed seven times for 57 yards in the loss, UCLA’s fifth straight. The Bruin bookended a three-game winning streak with a pair of long skids, including an 0-4 start.

–Field Level Media

No. 7 Oregon outguns No. 15 USC to stay on track for CFP spot

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No. 7 Oregon had enough offense to outlast No. 15 USC for a 42-27 Big Ten victory on Saturday afternoon in Eugene, Ore., as the Ducks overcame the most penalty yards against them in two years to stay on track for a College Football Playoff spot.

Oregon (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten) got a pair of touchdown catches from tight end Kenyon Sadiq, intercepted USC quarterback Jayden Maiava twice and held Trojans star wide receiver Makai Lemon to 34 receiving yards — though Lemon had two touchdown catches.

The Ducks’ Dante Moore completed 22 of 30 passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Maiava finished 25 of 43 for 306 yards with three touchdowns for the Trojans (8-3, 6-2).

Both teams scored touchdowns on trick plays. Lemon threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Tanook Hines in the second quarter to tie the game at 14. Ducks linebacker Bryce Boettcher responded with a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:52 to go until halftime to give Oregon a 28-14 lead at the break.

Boettcher, a Eugene native, defensive starter and a key player on Oregon’s baseball team, played in his final regular-season game at Autzen Stadium.

Points were plentiful as Oregon penalties helped USC sustain drives. Early in the fourth quarter, back-to-back pass interference calls against the Ducks helped USC’s touchdown drive. Maiava found Lake McRee for a nine-yard touchdown pass to make it 35-27 with 11:32 left to play.

But Oregon responded, as it did much of the afternoon after the Trojans tied the game or got within one score. Moore engineered an 11-play, 79-yard drive that ended in Noah Whittington’s nine-yard touchdown run with 5:30 to play.

Whittington carried 19 times for 104 yards as Oregon defeated USC for the sixth time in the past seven meetings. The Ducks ended the day with 11 penalties for 130 yards.

USC got the ball down 42-27 and converted a fourth-and-8 to stay alive as Maiava was chased out of the pocket and completed a deep ball to Ja’Kobi Lane for 32 yards. But when the Trojans faced another fourth down on the same drive, the Ducks got the stop they needed to seal victory when Maiava threw behind Lemon incomplete.

Hines had six catches for 141 yards for USC. The Trojans were held to 52 rushing yards as a team.

–Field Level Media

No. 17 USC honing in on latest big opportunity vs. No. 21 Iowa

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No. 17 Southern California will be out to keep a narrow focus on No. 21 Iowa this Saturday in Los Angeles, knowing that a victory will continue to make the bigger picture come to life.

The Trojans (7-2, 5-1 Big Ten) will need some help to get into the Big Ten championship game, but by winning their last three games — against Iowa, Oregon and UCLA — a spot in the College Football Playoff might be there for the taking.

Overlooking the Hawkeyes, though, with a date against Oregon next, would ruin future plans.

Since falling 34-24 at Notre Dame on Oct. 18, USC got back into Big Ten play with victories over Nebraska on Nov. 1 and Northwestern at home Friday when the Trojans pulled away in the second half for a 38-17 victory.

Jayden Maiava completed 24 of 33 passes for 299 yards and two touchdowns, while wide receiver Makai Lemon had 11 receptions for 161 yards and a touchdown, as well as a rushing TD. Walk-on running back King Miller gained 127 yards with a TD.

USC’s defense recovered a pair of fumbles and gave up just 28 rushing yards in the second half while allowing three points over the final two quarters.

“We know the more we win, the bigger these opportunities get,” USC head coach Lincoln Riley said. “We’ve got some big ones coming up that are big because we’ve made them big. And so I think for the team, just making sure they understand that, they understand how hard it is to get to this point in any year, where you have in front of us what we do.”

If Ohio State and Indiana win out, those teams will meet in the Big Ten title game. But if USC wins out and Ohio State falls to rival Michigan, the Trojans would board a flight for Indianapolis next month. That is just one outside scenario that would help USC down the stretch.

The Hawkeyes (6-3, 4-2) dropped an 18-16 heartbreaker at home to No. 9 Oregon on Saturday. All three of their losses this season have come to ranked teams, as they fell to Iowa State on Sept. 6 and lost to current CFP No. 2 Indiana 20-15 three weeks later.

Iowa took a 16-15 lead over Oregon with less than two minutes remaining after a 3-yard touchdown run from Mark Gronowski off a quarterback draw, but the Ducks got a 39-yard field goal from Atticus Sappington with three seconds left.

“We came up a little short, but proud of our team’s effort and the way we competed certainly,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “Tough loss. A lot of little things that we’re going to have to figure out, do a little bit better at, but the most important thing for our team is they understand there’s a lot to be proud of.”

For the Hawkeyes to have a chance in their second-ever conference visit to the L.A. area (they lost 20-17 at UCLA last season), they likely will have to lean into a defense that is third in the Big Ten with 13.7 points allowed per game. USC leads the conference with 503.2 yards gained on offense per game.

–Field Level Media

Big Ten will continue to review illegal USC fake punt play

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The Big Ten Conference confirmed a jersey violation by Southern California’s backup quarterback in Friday’s game against Northwestern and said Sunday that the situation will continue to be reviewed.

On a punt play in the second quarter, backup quarterback Sam Huard was in kick formation wearing the No. 80 jersey of punter Sam Johnson, who already had punted twice in the game. Huard threw a pass out of the formation to give USC a first down in an eventual 38-17 victory.

Despite the number confusion, the official statistics of the game show Huard, who normally wears No. 7, completing a 10-yard pass in the game.

According to the Big Ten, the number swap violated “NCAA Football Playing Rule 9, Section 2, Article 2,” under the label of “Unfair Tactics.” Paragraph D stated: “Two players playing the same position may not wear the same number during the game.”

Had game officials recognized the number swap, a 15-yard penalty would have been assessed for “unsportsmanlike conduct.” Instead of fourth-and-6, the Trojans would have been facing a fourth-and-21 play.

“The Big Ten will continue to review the situation with both institutions,” the Big Ten said in a statement.

–Field Level Media

Jayden Maiava accounts for 3 TDs as No. 19 USC tops Northwestern

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Jayden Maiava passed for two touchdowns and ran for another, Makai Lemon added two scores and No. 19 Southern California overwhelmed Northwestern in the second half en route to a 38-17 win on Friday in Los Angeles.

The Trojans (7-2, 5-1 Big Ten) scored on each of their first three possessions in the second half, with their only drive after intermission that did not produce points ending in a kneel-down. In the process, USC surpassed Northwestern’s previous season high of 34 points allowed.

Maiava rebounded from his worst statistical game of the season, a 135-yard effort on Nov. 1 against Nebraska, by producing 299 yards on 24-of-33 passing. He set the tone on USC’s opening drive, a 16-play, 82-yard possession that consumed 7:14 and culminated in Maiava’s 7-yard touchdown pass to Lemon.

Lemon reached the end zone again early in the fourth quarter. USC’s offensive line misdirected the Northwestern defense toward the short side of the field when Maiava made a quick pitch to Lemon.

The junior wide receiver carried the ball for an untouched, 4-yard touchdown, punctuating a career night. He had 11 receptions for a personal-best 161 yards.

Lemon’s two scores bookended the touchdown-scoring on a night that saw Northwestern (5-4, 3-3) keep pace early with the prolific Trojans. The Wildcats scored on drives of 13 and seven plays, each going 75 yards, to stay knotted with USC at 14-14 in the second quarter.

Preston Stone threw a 4-yard touchdown to Griffin Wilde, and Caleb Komolafe capped Northwestern’s second scoring drive with a 2-yard carry midway through the second quarter. Komolafe’s score was the last time the Wildcats found the end zone, thanks in part to a fumble forced by Maiava.

The USC quarterback threw an interception, picked off by Najee Story, in Trojans territory late in the second quarter. Maiava recovered to chase the Wildcats lineman down and delivered a diving shoulder tackle as Story leapt toward the pylon, jarring the ball loose to prevent a score.

Stone finished 20 of 30 for 150 yards. Komolafe rushed for 118 yards on 17 carries.

King Miller led USC with 127 rushing yards on 15 attempts, and he scored on a 12-yard carry with 1:23 to go before halftime. Earlier in the quarter, Maiava had a 6-yard scoring run.

–Field Level Media

No. 19 USC eager to reignite offense vs. Northwestern

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No. 19 Southern California will begin its closing four-game stretch of the season in the thick of both the Big Ten Conference championship and College Football Playoff races.

The Trojans will face another stout defense in Northwestern on Friday night in Los Angeles.

Southern California (6-2, 4-1) will return home for the first time since a 31-13 win over then-No. 15 Michigan on Oct. 11, bookending its Oct. 25 bye with a 34-24 loss at rival Notre Dame and a 21-17 victory at Nebraska last Saturday.

The grind-it-out defeat of the Cornhuskers helped land the Trojans at their position in the first playoff rankings of the season.

Northwestern (5-3, 3-2) will visit the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the first time since 1969 in the program’s first matchup with Southern California since the 1996 Rose Bowl Game. No Wildcats squad has ever beaten the Trojans, going 0-5 in a series that started in 1952.

This season’s Wildcats come in off of a bye week, having last played on Oct. 25 against Nebraska. The Cornhuskers snapped Northwestern’s four-game winning streak in a 28-21 decision in Lincoln, Neb.

The 28 points the Wildcats allowed were almost the team’s high for the season, save a 34-14 setback to Oregon on Sept. 13. Northwestern allowed just 42 points combined in wins over UCLA, Louisiana-Monroe, Penn State and a shutout of Purdue between the two losses.

The Wildcats are allowing an average of just 16.8 points per game this season, which is the 13th fewest in the nation.

The Trojans’ output dipped to 39.8 points per game after the win over Nebraska, still good for eighth-most nationally. Quarterback Jayden Maiava remains ranked in the top 10 of the FBS for average passing yardage with 289.4 per contest.

With Nebraska limiting Maiava to season lows of nine completions on 23 attempts and 135 yards, Southern Cal leaned on its run game, which Northwestern coach David Braun highlighted as an element that makes the Trojans dangerous.

“With the style of offense they play, it can be easy to fall into thinking they’re passing the ball all over the place. That’s not the case,” Braun said. “They’re very balanced. They’re running the ball very effectively. … Scary operation.”

With Waymond Jordan and Eli Sanders both sidelined due to injuries, King Miller stepped up for 129 yards on 18 carries. He has exceeded 100 yards in two of the Trojans’ last three outings, also rushing for 158 yards against Michigan.

Southern California’s ground game is among the most effective in college football, averaging 5.8 yards per carry — ninth-most in the nation.

Northwestern will counter with a front seven, and specifically a linebacker group, that Trojans coach Lincoln Riley called a “really smart group” when discussing the Wildcats defense following practice on Tuesday.

“Tough and physical,” he said. “You can tell they communicate really well (because) you don’t see a lot of busts. …They don’t give up a lot of big plays.”

–Field Level Media

Nov 1, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) runs against Nebraska Cornhuskers defensive lineman Elijah Jeudy (16) during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

No. 23 Southern California scores last to avoid upset at Nebraska

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Behind King Miller’s 129 rushing yards and fourth-quarter touchdown, No. 23 Southern California overcame a sluggish offensive start to rally past Nebraska 21-17 on Saturday night in Lincoln, Neb.

USC (6-2, 4-1 Big Ten Conference), which came into Saturday’s matchup with the fifth-most prolific offense in FBS at 42.4 points per game, did not reach the end zone until late in the third quarter against Nebraska (6-3, 3-3).

Wearing special black uniforms, the Cornhuskers played a game reminiscent of the program’s famed Blackshirt defenses of yesteryear. Nebraska held USC quarterback Jayden Maiava to 9-of-23 passing for 135 yards without a touchdown.

Andrew Marshall came away with an interception of Maiava.

But while the Trojans’ quarterback struggled much of the way, he came through in a pivotal spot with a 43-yard completion to Jaden Richardson on a flea flicker in the fourth quarter. That big play set up the drive that culminated in Miller’s 6-yard touchdown carry, giving USC a 21-17 lead with 10:06 left in regulation.

Maiava also carried for a touchdown of 16 yards late in the third quarter. Miller tacked on a successful two-point conversion to erase what had been a 14-6 Nebraska lead.

The Cornhuskers scored touchdowns on a pair of 75-yard drives in the first half, capped on a 14-yard pass from Dylan Raiola to Dane Key and Emmett Johnson’s 10-yard rush.

The Trojans’ defense was otherwise as feisty as Nebraska’s, forcing the Cornhuskers into four punts and a missed field-goal attempt on the night.

Compounding Nebraska’s offensive woes was the third quarter departure of Raiola. Facing pressure from linebacker Eric Gentry, Raiola stepped out of the blitzing Trojan’s reach only to be taken down on the blind side by defensive end Anthony Lucas.

Raiola appeared to twist his leg and was taken out, with freshman TJ Lateef coming in. Lateef went 5-of-7 passing but finished with just 7 yards through the air.

The sophomore Raiola was 10-of-15 for 91 yards at the time of his injury.

Johnson rushed for 165 yards on 29 carries to buoy the Nebraska offense as much as possible, but on fourth-and-1 at the Cornhuskers’ 27 on the final drive, he slipped in the backfield and failed to convert.

–Field Level Media

Oct 18, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) drops back to throw the ball in the first half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

No. 23 USC puts potent passing game on line vs. Nebraska

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No. 23 Southern California will carry its high-powered offense into Saturday night’s game against Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb.

The contrast of styles will shape a crucial matchup for two teams looking to stay in the upper half of the Big Ten race.

Nebraska (6-2, 3-2) avoided falling on the wrong side of .500 in league play when it beat Northwestern 28-21 last week. The victory marked the Cornhuskers’ lowest defensive yield since the team opened the season giving up 24 combined points in the first three games.

“Great secondary, great guys up front,” Southern California quarterback Jayden Maiava said of Nebraska. “I see it as another great opportunity for us and the boys to showcase what we’ve been practicing.”

The Cornhuskers head into this week giving up 19.6 points per game, the 30th-lowest average nationally, but now must contend with the country’s team leader in passing yards (326.1) and total yards (530) per contest.

Souithern California (5-2, 3-1) is averaging 42.4 points per game behind Maiava, whose 311.4 passing yards per game rank third-most in FBS. Wide receiver Makai Lemon is second in the nation with 108.3 receiving yards per game.

Cornhuskers coach Matt Rhule credited the Trojans’ explosive passing game in part to their ability to play physical, run-based offense and throw defenses off-balance.

“You play USC, and they’re going to run power football over here, but if you’re not careful, they’re going to throw over here and make one block, then it’s a 60-yard touchdown,” Rhule said.

To that end, USC has a trio of running backs who have rushed for at least 264 yards — though two are sidelined. Waymond Jordan, the team’s leading rusher at 576 yards and five touchdowns, underwent ankle surgery following a 31-13 win over then-No. 15 Michigan on Oct. 11.

Eli Sanders, who rushed for 264 yards in five games, is out for the season with a knee injury.

Bryan Jackson stepped into Sanders’ change-of-pace role and delivered 35 yards on just five carries with a touchdown in the Trojans’ rout of Michigan. Jackson finished with 22 yards on six carries the following week in a 34-24 loss at Notre Dame on Oct. 18, USC’s lowest-scoring game of the season by seven points.

The Trojans ran for a season-low 68 yards vs. the Fighting Irish.

Notre Dame stifling the run contributed to Maiava having his lowest completion percentage of the season at 52.4. It also marked his third straight contest with at least one pick after going the first four without throwing one.

Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola avoided an interception in the Cornhuskers’ first three games. He threw three — including a pick-six — in an Oct. 11 win over Maryland. Raiola has been picked off six times over Nebraska’s last five games.

“You want to possess the football as much as you can,” Huskers offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen said. “(USC is) obviously really good offensively, and they’re going to have their moments. … But we want to control the ball.”

–Field Level Media

Oct 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) throws a pass in the first half against the Michigan Wolverines at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Jayden Maiava, No. 20 USC brace for No. 13 Notre Dame

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Coach Lincoln Riley and No. 20 Southern California had little time to enjoy their big win over Michigan last week.

That is because the Trojans’ next test might be even tougher.

Southern California (5-1) will look to knock off a ranked opponent for the second week in a row when it faces No. 13 Notre Dame (4-2) on Saturday evening in South Bend, Ind.

Riley said his players could not get comfortable after rolling to a 31-13 win at home over then-No. 15 Michigan. Jayden Maiava passed for 265 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the Trojans, and King Miller rushed for 158 yards and a score.

“Now, it’s on to the next,” Riley said. “When you play our schedule, there’s not too much time to celebrate. We know we’ve got another big football game coming up.”

The Trojans will play a Notre Dame squad that has won four straight contests after dropping its first two games of the season. The Fighting Irish allowed 98 points in their first three games combined, but they have allowed only 27 total points in their past three.

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said the key to continued success will be physicality.

“This game’s going to be about velocity,” Freeman said. “I often say, ‘We got to get bloody.’ It’s got to be that type of mindset. This (has) got to be a physical, bloody game that isn’t about, ‘How can we outsmart them?’ This is going to be, ‘How do we outphysical this group, and how do we play with that mindset to win this game?’”

Maiava has passed for 1,852 yards, 13 touchdowns and two interceptions for Southern California. His top target is Makai Lemon, a highly touted NFL prospect who has caught 44 passes for 682 yards and six touchdowns.

Notre Dame is led on offense by CJ Carr, who has passed for 1,622 yards, 13 touchdowns and three interceptions. The Fighting Irish feature a one-two punch in the backfield with Jeremiyah Love (530 rushing yards, eight TDs) and Jadarian Price (422 rushing yards, seven TDs).

This will be the 95th all-time meeting between the programs. Notre Dame leads the series 52-37-5, including a 29-13-2 advantage at home.

The teams met last season, with Notre Dame holding on for a 49-35 win on Nov. 30 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Price (111 rushing yards, 1 TD) and Love (99 rushing yards, 1 TD) led the Fighting Irish, and Lemon caught nine passes for 133 yards for Southern California.

Notre Dame knows it again will be a challenge to stop Lemon. The main reason: Lemon’s versatility in how he can beat a defense.

“You want to play zone, he’ll find a way to find open space,” Freeman said. “If you want to get on-body, what we call it, he can run by you. He can make you miss. He’s quick, he’s fast, he’s got great ball skills. There’s not a simple answer or solution to defending him.”

-Field Level Media

Sep 6, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Georgia Southern Eagles wide receiver Josh Dallas (19) hangs on to the ball in front of USC Trojans safety Kamari Ramsey (7) for a first down during the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

USC S Kamari Ramsey (food poisoning) sits out vs. Illinois

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Southern California safety Kamari Ramsey missed Saturday’s 34-32 loss to No. 23 Illinois due to a bout with food poisoning.

Ramsey fell sick Friday night in Champaign, Ill., and Trojans coach Lincoln Riley said the staff didn’t know he was ailing until Saturday morning.

Ramsey was not listed on the Big Ten availability report, which was released two hours before kickoff.

Ramsey attempted to go through pregame warm-ups and didn’t play in the first half. He appeared on the sidelines in street clothes in the second half.

Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer took advantage of the No. 21 Trojans being shorthanded in the back end by passing for 328 yards and two touchdowns. Altmyer drove the Illini to David Olano’s winning 41-yard field goal as time expired.

Ramsey is in his second season with USC after transferring from UCLA. He had 60 tackles and one interception last season but has just seven stops in four games this year.

–Field Level Media