Revisiting USC and UCLA's potential finale in the Rose Bowl

When I heard news that UCLA is looking to leave the Rose Bowl as soon as 2026, I felt bad for UCLA football fans, but I also felt for USC football fans. With this year's edition of the rivalry game set to take place in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Trojan fans may not get to soak up the experience one last rivalry game at the Rose Bowl and say farewell to the iconic stadium that has mean a lot to the crosstown rivalry.

If so, that means that we need to appreciate our memories from the 2024 game, which could turn out to be USC's last matchup with UCLA at the Rose Bowl, all the more.

So let's look back at that game and all of the significant moments, which could become even more significant in light of the SoFi stadium rumors:

Defensive battle

If any game could ever be called "the D'Anton Lynn game", this is it. It was Lynn's new USC defense vs Lynn's old UCLA defense, and both played excellently.

Bruin linebacker Carson Schwesinger was the standout for UCLA with 12 total tackles. KJ Wallace also had a great game for the Bruins with 3.5 tackles for loss.

For the Trojans, Mason Cobb had a team-leading 7 tackles and Easton Mascarenas-Arnold, Nate Clifton and Braylan Shelby each had a sack.

With how bad UCLA's defense has been in 2025, it has become even more clear that D'Anton Lynn's fingerprints were all over this game. So when we think of what could be potentially the last rivalry game between USC and UCLA at the Rose Bowl, D'Anton Lynn should be one of the first people we think of.

A fourth quarter comeback

USC trailed 13-9 heading into the fourth quarter and scored 10 unanswered points to win 19-13.

It wouldn't have been USC-UCLA without some last minute drama, and the Trojans and Bruins packed a lot into the end of a game that didn't have much scoring to speak of in general.

Maiava to Lane: USC's last Rose Bowl touchdown?

USC really struggled to score touchdowns in the red zone during this game, but the Trojans did manage to take the lead in the fourth quarter on a 4-yard strike from Jayden Maiava to Ja'Kobi Lane.

Will Maiava and Lane forever be USC's last touchdown scorers in the Rose Bowl against UCLA?

Do-it-all Makai Lemon

Makai Lemon didn't have the best performance of his career during this game, but he impacted the game in so many different ways. He caught 2 passes for 69 yards including a 64 yard catch and run, returned 3 kicks for 88 yards including a 41-yard return, and completed a 39 yard pass.

Lemon looks to build on that performance this weekend with a big game that could potentially secure him the Biletnikoff award.

"Special" special teams

This was a game where special teams came up huge.

USC kicker Michael Lantz had one of his best games as a Trojan. He made all 4 of his field goal attempts and his lone extra point attempt.

Mateen Bhaghani was good as well, making both of his field goal attempts including a 51-yarder and his lone extra point attempt.

It was also a great day for the punters. Eddie Czaplicki had all 3 of his punts downed inside the 20 and they traveled an average of 47 yards. It was a Ray Guy performance for the future Ray Guy winner.

Brody Richter of UCLA was less consistent than Czaplicki (it's hard to be more consistent than the best punter in the country) but he did have 2 punts downed inside the 20 and the longest punt of the day, 54 yards.

Unconventional way to make one last Rose Bowl memory? Not so fast.

I hope USC and UCLA get to play at least one more game in the Rose Bowl, but there just isn't any way in the immediate future that something like that could happen.

For example, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is going to be an important location for the 2028 Summer Olympics, and people have speculated that the stadium may not be football-ready again in time for USC's home football schedule in 2028.

So that poses the question: what if USC moved its home games to the Rose Bowl in 2028? The Trojans would get several more Rose Bowl memories...but not one against UCLA. 2028 would be the Bruins' turn to host, meaning that USC-UCLA would take place at SoFi Stadium in 2028. Unless they make a special exception, which given the current animosity between UCLA and the Rose Bowl, I don't think that would happen.

That just means we have to hold on tight to our USC-UCLA Rose Bowl memories from 2024. It wasn't the best rivalry game to ever happen in the Rose Bowl, but it could be the last, which makes it extremely important.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: UCLA football hopes to move from Rose Bowl to SoFi Stadium in 2026