No. 17 USC knocks out scrappy UCLA, clinches nine-win season

At the end of an unsuccessful and disappointing season, in the final minutes of a confrontation that only mattered out of pride, King Miller took the pass and saw nothing in front of him but an open field.

All night—all season, in fact—little came easy. USC against UCLA. The Trojans often struggled at the line of scrimmage. Discipline has been broken. The mistakes grew like a snowball. For a while, it was a microcosm of what made USC's season so uneven.

But through it all, Miller's magic remained intact. Since he replaced the Trojans' top defendersTwo months earlier, the running back was USC's brightest spot. And at that moment, as the final minutes ticked away and the Trojans needed one final knockout blow, Miller ran all alone, leaving only the roar of the Coliseum behind him.

His 41-yard score put the Bruins out of the game for good, ending USC's nightmare regular season with a 29-10 victory.

For UCLA, Saturday marked a merciful end to a tumultuous season in which Bruins fire coach DeShawn Foster after three games and maybe said goodbye to the iconic stadium where they played for half a century.

Behind interim coach Tim SkipperMidway through the season, the Bruins showed some signs of life. They won three games in a row, including Penn State's stunning loss at the Rose Bowl. But that momentum quickly faded as UCLA lost five straight to end the season.

USC gave its opponent plenty of chances on Saturday. He struggled to finish the drive, failing to convert two potential field goals. His defense couldn't get UCLA off the field for long stretches. Both lines seemed to be fighting a losing battle at times.

But the Trojans had too much firepower for the Bruins to handle. It happened often this season: USC beat weaker teams, scoring as many points as it wanted.

However, the Trojans struggled against stronger teams on their schedule. They lost three times on the road to ranked teams, the last time officially knocking them out of the College Football Playoff.

That win over UCLA gave USC a perfect record at the Coliseum this season, the second time in Riley's four-year tenure that the Trojans have finished undefeated at home. But it also wouldn't assuage many of the concerns raised this season. Namely on defense, where USC started slow at one point but slowed down late.

USC players surrounded quarterback Gage Roy after he completed a trick two-point pass to tight end Walker Lyons against UCLA at the Coliseum on Saturday.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

Miller finished the game with 124 yards and two touchdowns, his fourth game this season with more than 120 yards. Defender Jayden Maiava Looked sharp Saturday, throwing for 257 yards and two touchdowns, the best of which was a 32-yard over-the-shoulder hit to Makai Lemon. Lemon, playing in his final game at the Coliseum, did not catch another pass.

USC opened the game without two of its best weapons in the passing game on the field, as Lemon and Ja'Coby Lane were ejected from the first quarter for disciplinary reasons.

USC didn't seem to need them on any of the drives they missed. He skated down the field with ease under a powerful dose of Miller, who finished the Trojans' first drive with a five-yard score. On the next possession, the Trojans went up in the air and Maiava moved them into position to take the early lead.

But then UCLA linebacker Scott Taylor blocked USC kicker Rion Sayeri's 38-yard field goal attempt and the entire tone of the game changed. The Bruins revived their offense, while the Trojans faded away.

Niko Yamaleavawho was doubtful to play with neck spasmsmethodically marched UCLA down the field with little resistance from USC's defense. He completed five straight passes and completed six first downs before finding Quasi Gilmer for the tying score for two yards.

Once again, USC made a long drive but stalled on the edge of the red zone. Once again, Sayeri's 30-yard field goal attempt was successful. The two missed shots were only the third and fourth misses of the season for Sayeri, who was 17 of 19.

UCLA receiver Quasi Gilmer holds the ball for a touchdown under pressure from USC defensive back Marcel Williams as USC safety DeCarlos Nicholson leaps over them at the Coliseum on Saturday.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

Right on cue, UCLA set up another methodical 13-play drive, running the clock until USC had just 18 seconds left to respond. The Bruins eventually kicked a field goal and took a 10–7 lead at halftime, their first lead since October 19.

After one of its worst halves of the season, USC's offense immediately fell apart. But as UCLA looked to extend its lead, defensive tackle Jide Abashiri broke through the Bruins' inside line and sacked Yamaleawa just outside field goal range.

UCLA didn't make much progress after that as USC took care of its opponent and set its sights on the upcoming bowl game.