Five takeaways from USC's 29-10 rivalry victory over UCLA

On Saturday evening, the USC football team defeated rival UCLA 29-10 at the Coliseum. With the victory, the Trojans retained the Victory Bell and finished the 2025 regular season with a record of 9-3.

What did we learn from the game? Here are five takeaways:

Second half Trojans strike again

Once again, USC struggled in the first half, but bounced back in the second half. After managing just seven points over the game's first 44 minutes, the Trojans scored touchdowns on three consecutive drives late to pull away with the victory.

Rushing issues resolved?

Last week against Oregon, USC averaged under two yards per rushing attempt. Against UCLA, they had five. Obviously, though, the Ducks have significantly more talent on defense than the Bruins do, so that likely has a bit to do with it.

Protecting the football

After committing multiple turnovers last week, USC did not turn the ball over against UCLA. (Quarterback Jayden Maiava did throw an interception, but it was called back due to a defensive penalty.) Protecting the football is vital towards winning games, and the Trojans did just that.

UCLA is really bad

At the end of the day, UCLA lost this game far more than USC won it. The Trojans should certainly be commended for taking advantage of the Bruins' numerous mistakes, but the way that USC played for most of the game would not have been good enough to beat better opponents.

Undefeated at home

There is a valid discussion to be had about USC's struggles on the road under head coach Lincoln Riley. But for the second time in four years, the Trojans finished the regular season 7-0 at the Coliseum. USC is still not where it wants to be as a program, but defending your home field is always an important step, and the Trojans did just that in 2025.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC football defeats UCLA 29-10: Five takeaways