No. 17 USC Football Defeats UCLA 29-10: Postgame Notes & Quotes

USC Postgame Notes

With the 29-10 victory, USC finishes the regular season 9-3 overall and 7-2 in Big Ten play. UCLA falls to 3-9, 3-6 Big Ten.
USC finished the 2025 regular season undefeated at home (7-0). The last USC team to go undefeated at home was Lincoln Riley's first USC team in 2022 (also 7-0).
USC is now 52-34-7 all-time against UCLA. (Not including 2 wins vacated due to NCAA penalty, original record: 54-34-7.)
Saturday's Trojan victory was the first win by the home team in the series since 2019, a 52-35 victory in the Coliseum for USC.
USC won after trailing 10-7 at halftime. The Trojans' last comeback win after trailing at the half versus UCLA was a 48-45 victory in 2022 (USC trailed 14-0 in the first quarter and 21-20 at the half).
The Trojan defense held UCLA scoreless in the second half. The last time the Trojans held UCLA scoreless in a half was in 2016, a 36-14 USC victory.
The scoreless second half by the USC defense was the second in three games after the Trojans also held Iowa scoreless in the second half on Nov. 15.
The 10 points allowed by the Trojans were the fewest UCLA has scored in the series since USC's 50-0 win in 2011.
USC held UCLA to 308 total yards, the fewest total yards allowed against UCLA since 2016 (266).
RB King Miller opened the scoring with a 5-yard TD run on USC's opening drive. This was the first USC TD on an opening drive against UCLA since 2016.
Miller's TD was also the first rushing TD by a USC freshman against UCLA since RB Joe McKnight in 2007.
Miller (124 rushing yards, 42 receiving yards, 2 rushing TDs) became the first USC freshman with over 100 all-purpose yards against UCLA since WR Drake London had 142 all-purpose yards in 2019.
Miller's 166 all-purpose yards were the most for a USC freshman against UCLA since WR Marqise Lee's 224-yard showing in 2011.
Miller was also the first non-quarterback USC freshman to have multiple TDs versus UCLA since WR Marqise Lee had two in 2011.
Miller was the first USC freshman to account for multiple TD against UCLA since QB Kedon Slovis' 4 TDs in 2019.
The last two Trojans with over 166 all-purpose yards against UCLA were WR Jordan Addison (178) and RB Austin Jones (177), both in 2022.
Miller's 41-yard rushing TD in the fourth quarter was the longest rushing TD UCLA has allowed all season.
Miller's 124-yard rushing performance was his fourth 100+ yard rushing total in the last seven games. Miller, a redshirt-freshman walk-on, finished the regular season with 873 rushing yards and 7 TDs.
WR Makai Lemon caught his first pass of the game in the third quarter, putting the Trojans ahead 14-10 with a 32-yard TD reception with :30 seconds left in the quarter. It was Lemon's fourth straight game with a receiving TD and his 11th overall on the season. The junior wideout has caught a TD in 8-of-12 games this season for the Trojans.
Lemon's 35-yard punt return in the fourth quarter was the long punt return UCLA has allowed all season.
DT Jide Abasiri finished with a career-high 1.5 sacks.
Freshman CB Alex Graham led the Trojans with 7 tackles (6 solo, 1 TFL).
K Ryon Sayeri's field goal attempt with 4:19 left in the first quarter was blocked. It was the first kick Sayeri has had blocked this season.
Nine different USC players had receptions in the game, marking the fourth time this season USC has had nine or more players catch a pass.
USC had 4.0 sacks in the game, marking the seventh time this season the Trojans have had multiple sacks. USC has had at least 4.0 sacks four times this season.
USC's 7 points at halftime were the Trojans' second fewest in a half this season, behind the 6 points scored in the first half at Nebraska (Nov. 1).

UCLA Postgame Notes

UCLA's all-time record against USC moved to 34-52-7.
UCLA did not commit a penalty in the first half.
For the sixth time overall this season and third time in the last four games, UCLA went without a turnover on offense. All six turnover-free performances came under interim head coach Tim Skipper.
UCLA's final drive of the game ended on a turnover on downs at the USC 11-yard line. It was just the second time all season that the Bruins were held off the board on a red zone trip. The Bruins finished the year at 29-for-31 in red zone efficiency (94%).
The Bruins led 10-7 at halftime. It was the fourth time this season that UCLA allowed seven points or fewer in the opening half.
OL Garrett DiGiorgio made his 49th career start on Saturday, moving him into sole possession of the second-most starts in program history. He trails only Jake Brendel's 52. Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Spencer Havner each totaled 48 starts for the Bruins.
WR Kwazi Gilmer finished with a career-high 11 receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown. His 11 catches were the most by a Bruin in a game this season, and he became the first Bruin with a double-digit reception performance since Kazmeir Allen vs. Bowling Green in 2022 (10). With the TD grab, he finished the year as the team leader in touchdown receptions with four.
QB Nico Iamaleava finished with 200 yards through the air on 27-for-38 passing with one touchdown and no interceptions. It marked his fourth 200+ yard passing performance of the year. He finished the season with 1,928 passing yards and 13 touchdowns.
DB Aaron Williams made his first-career start.
QB Nico Iamaleava, DL Gary Smith III, and OL Courtland Ford all made their 25th-career start.
WR Titus Mokiao-Atimalala and OL Sam Yoon both made their 20th-career start.
Yoon has started each of UCLA's last 20 games, the longest streak on the team among non-specialists.

USC Postgame Quotes

HEAD COACH LINCOLN RILEY

Opening statement:
"That was a fun night in the Coliseum right there. Another phenomenal atmosphere. 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. There was a major factor in the game. Again, it was an awesome, awesome atmosphere. It has been all year. For us to run the table here at home and play the way that we did was really key to this season. And yeah, a tremendous win. Proud of the response there in the second half, another dominant performance defensively there in the second half. Special teams and offense were able to finish some plays there. And obviously, we just got on a big run there as a team and really, really separated. So I don't want there to be a lot of questions about the season and all that, and it's not really the time for this right now. It's been a really good season. It's been a team that's been really fun to coach. We told them yesterday, typically these years, when they go by really fast, that means you're having fun and the team's doing well, and this year flew by. I mean, just flew by. And that's a credit to the guys in the locker room, these two guys here next to me, who have been kind of with us here from the beginning, kind of hard to imagine they just played their last game here in the Coliseum, hard to even fathom. I'm sure they can't really process it right now either. But what a great memory to go out on. You know, these guys help pave the way. This team helped pave the way. I thought last year's team paved the way for this year's team to take some big steps, and we did that. This year's team certainly paved the way for the future here, which couldn't be more exciting. So proud of these guys, proud of the win. Rivalry games are always tough, and just a great way to end the season."

On WR Ja'Kobi Lane and WR Makai Lemon not playing the first quarter:
"There was a violation of a team policy, and that was the decision that was made."

On how this team has paved the way for the future:
"In every way. I think we're a better team, we're a better program now than we were 12 months ago. I think with some of the resilience that we showed throughout the year, it'll be easy with this team to kind of sit back and there'll be a little bit of, 'what if', especially with all the different guys that we didn't play with all year. But there's always part of that, and this team never let it become an excuse. We won tough games. We were able to win games a lot of different ways, the way we played in the second half, really, throughout the entire season. I just think there's just so much to build on. And these two guys here, and all of those guys in that locker room are responsible for it, and this program is going to get better. We'll have better teams here in the future than this team, but I don't know if we'll have had a more important team. This team was really, really important to what we're doing, and I couldn't be prouder of them."

On why this team is so important:
"Yeah, I told you guys on the outside, I don't know if they believe me or not, last year's team pushed the issue in a lot of ways. And, like we kind of said, I think was actually quite a bit better team than probably what it got credit for nationally, and we improved so many ways last year, even though the record didn't really show that at the end of the year. The people that really watched us and studied us saw that, and I thought this team, it's like, all right, you got to take that, but now it's got to go translate some. We got to go win some of these tough games. We got to go win in the fourth quarter. We got to go shut guys down defensively. If we have different guys down offensively, to win different ways and have different people rise up if we have injuries. That's what really good teams do that are consistently there every year. And I just think this team did that. I think the way this team responded to bringing Coach Tru (Trumain Carroll, Director of Football Sports Performance) and his staff in right at the beginning of summer, and some of the other changes we made. This team took that in, even though all that will take hold more as time goes on. It was just important. I think we'll look back and see that things are good here right now. We'll look back when things are really, really, really good here. And this will be one of the ones that everybody will point to. I promise you that's going to happen."

On how this team fits in with his future vision for the program:
"It's important. I've talked a lot about the vision that I talked about at the opening press conference here. Just how I feel about this place. And I understand that Los Angeles is a place that people aren't going to show up just because. You have to win. You have to give them something. And when you do, there's no better sports town. And tonight, and multiple times throughout this season, was an example of that. And I think those moments in the Coliseum, us playing well, the crowd going crazy, like those are important, man, because every one just gets better. This year was better than last year, and then next year is going to be better, even better than this, and it's just going to keep growing and growing. And yeah, I just think it shows that this city is excited about the Trojans again. And you feel that. Our players feel that. Our recruits feel that. It just makes it one of those special places when you're out there and you're playing or you're coaching, and you think, 'This is pretty damn special.' You just feel it. And that energy is huge. And great programs have a great home field advantage. It's worth a lot in this game. And that didn't exist here for a little while. It does now."

On how this moment feels:
"It's important. I've talked a lot about the vision that I had at the opening press conference. About how I feel about this place. And I understand that Los Angeles is a place that people aren't going to show up just because you have to win. You have to give them something. And when you do, there's no sports town better. And tonight, and multiple times throughout this season was an example of that. And I think those moments in there, in the Coliseum, us playing well, crowd going crazy. Those are important, man, because everyone just gets better. This year was better than last year, and then next year is going to be even better than this, and it's just going to keep growing and growing. I just think it shows that this city is excited about the Trojans again."

ERIC GENTRY, LB

On his message to the defense now that he is moving on:
"Start fast. I've been trying to always, since being here, do a lot of stuff by action and have also been preaching a lot of stuff. It's been like Coach Lincoln said, I've been trying to pass on the baton to the guys that are here now. So I feel great. I think this team is going to be better in the future, just like he (Lincoln Riley) said, and it's going to pave the way. I feel like it's been a very, very important year, for sure, for the whole team. And being able to play in a Big Ten and win against teams who were physical and playing their type of weather too. That's the most Big Ten weather we ever played in. We played five rain games, it felt like. But it's been great. And so I think my message, more than anything, is just have fun while you're doing it. And just give effort and focus, because we all come out here for one common thing, and that's football."

On his favorite moment and what he learned from Coach Riley:
"I think my moment, I guess everybody probably knows, is me hopping on my one leg now (coming out of the injury tent on one leg versus Utah in 2022 to pump up the team). I would say that moment, though, and it's not just because of it being big or the fame. I just genuinely wanted to win that game. And I was doing that in practice, helping and yelling and different stuff like that, to get the team right as a sophomore in practice. And I would say Coach Riley helped me so much this year, more than any other year, because we had so many solo talks, one-on-one. About, more than anything, of what it truly is to be a leader. He gave me a book, Inner Excellence. I don't even know if he knew I read it, but the book was so great. It's about more than being a leader is understanding, you have to preach what you say and do what you preach. And then, more than anything, sometimes you don't need to talk. You just need to do. I feel like, a lot of times with this team, we talked and did it more than any other year. I just feel like a lot of stuff off the field translated to being on the field. You got your stuff right off the field. You're gonna be even better on the field."

On the difference between his first season at USC and this team:
"Tougher, more resilient, no ego. Everybody listens to each other. The coaches listen to the players. Players listen to the coaches. And being able to handle adversity more than anything. People having their head right whenever stuff doesn't go right, and whenever stuff does go right. Mic drop. Thank you."

LAKE McREE, TE

On what he learned from Coach Riley:
"A lot of moments to pick from. Being here for five years, four with Coach Riley, and I can't say enough good stuff about him. He's helped me a lot on the field as much as off the field, so lots to choose from. But I'd probably just say in meetings, he's really energetic about installing a cool play. After a long day of class and lift in the morning, you go into the staff meeting with Coach Riley, and he just kind of makes you have energy, and shows how excited he is about and how much football means to him. So I think that's something that I'm going to miss for sure."

UCLA Postgame Quotes

INTERIM HEAD COACH TIM SKIPPER

On the tale of two halves:
"It's a game of moments. In the first half, we were controlling the pace of things, it was going the way we wanted to go. The second half and the third quarter were kind of a seesaw battle. And in the fourth quarter, penalties started adding up on us, and we just didn't make enough plays. We started moving and then we went backwards. The guys fought though, I'm proud of the guys. They fought their tails off. We wanted to win this battle for LA. We attacked the moment. We had good practices all week, and I really feel like they gave their all, so I'm proud of that."

On the unsuccessful fourth-down conversion with 4:26 left in the fourth quarter:
"We threw it under the sticks, but they were playing deep. They were playing the sticks, so we had to try to throw it under and try to run for it. That's just how it was. It was a long distance, it was too far. It was hard to make that play. But we did that to ourselves, we went backwards on our own pre-snap penalty stuff. So it is what it is. They were smart and played a good defense for that, and we threw it underneath to hopefully make somebody miss and get the first, so it is what it is."

On QB Nico Iamaleava's competitive nature:
"He's a tough dude and he's a competitor. That's what I'll say about him. He knows on Saturday he has to do everything he can to be ready to play. He was dealing with neck spasm stuff, from the last game and during the week, and then as we got to the end of the week, he started feeling good. Every day got better and better and then today, he went out there and gave it his all. I love that kid. He's a battler, he fought and he kept leading us all the way to the end."

On what the season meant personally:
"It went fast, that's the thing I'll say. I can't believe we're at the end already. I blinked and we were playing Northwestern in the beginning of this thing. I think the whole locker room and the coaches, including me, learned that no matter what situation you're in, if you fight you can get yourself out of it. I like the way that the guys kept their minds right the entire time. There are a lot of twists and turns and things you have to do. I realize I can make it without sleeping much, I'll say that. I'm kind of excited to just have a clear mind and just take the season in and think back to what we have to do forward as far as my career and everybody else's career because I really have not reflected on it. I've been thinking, 'Alright, what can we do to win this game?' That's been my whole mindset the whole season. We had some tough games towards the end, and I was just trying to find ways to get victories. That's where I am with it. We'll just keep moving forward. Setbacks are temporary. You just keep moving forward."

On fan support this year:
"What I think about is our last game when we went on our Bruin walk, and there were so many people out there cheering us on, thanking us for continuing to play. Bruin football is going to continue. This is a top-notch university and a top-notch athletic program. Bruin football will be fine. It'll be back and ready to roll, so keep cheering and keep supporting. Everything's going to work out."

On the team's resiliency throughout the season:
"What you see publicly is you play a game and you lose, and then you have to try to bounce back. But there's a lot more that goes into it. I see all the guys with sore bodies and it's hard for them to practice, but they keep fighting and do the things behind the scenes to keep going. These guys never quit. We played the number one and number two teams in the country. We played good teams in this conference, and it didn't matter. We attacked it and we gave it our all. We finished the year against a good team, and we fought all the way through. We didn't make some plays at the end, but the fight is there, and I'm very proud of that locker room."

On USC's successful 2-point conversion:
"They kind of gave us a chaos formation. That's what we call it when they break the set like that. We were all over it, we were waiting for it. They actually subbed into it, so we knew it was coming. We were covering the guy, and he made a play. So we have to give it to him. They got it, they earned it."

On the team learning about the USC-UCLA rivalry:
"The rivalry started on Sunday for us. We watched a documentary, and then we had guest speakers all throughout the week, so we did everything possible to get set for it. There are a lot of guys who grew up and didn't know much about it, so we wanted to make sure they understood what was ahead of us here. I think the team was excited for it. It was awesome, I loved coaching in it. I wish we had a different outcome, but it still was a good game. The atmosphere was awesome and the build-up was awesome. I loved everything about it. This thing will keep on going, it's gonna keep getting better and better. I'm excited to see how the games will be played."

NICO IAMALEAVA, QB

On his determination to play this week:
"Very determined. This was a big time game for the Battle of LA. Unfortunately, I couldn't practice throughout the week, just dealing with stuff. But I was glad I was able to come out here healthy enough to play."

On what it means to fight every day:
"It means a lot. With all the ups and downs throughout the year, our guys showed up every day to come work and to achieve something. Unfortunately we came up short, but I think that just shows the character of our team. They didn't have to show up after the way the season was going, so that just shows their character. We all bought into what Coach Skipper had. It was a great learning year for us and we'll be back."

On what his future holds:
"No, I haven't thought about it. I was focused on this game, practice, and film. I haven't thought on anything past that."

On what he's learned about himself this season:
"It was a great learning year for me. A lot of firsts for me throughout the season. Just the way we started off and dealing with minor injuries, it was a lot. It showed me that I'm willing to go out there and put my life on the line for my teammates with whatever is needed. We put up a great fight today, it was unfortunate we came up short."

On playing for Coach Skipper:
"It was great! Coach Skip is somebody you want to play for, somebody you want to go out there and go to war for, along with Coach Jerry and Coach Coyle. The guys came in every day to go to work and put us in the best position to be successful. And that's not easy with the year we had. It's easy to just give up on the year and not get any wins. I was very fortunate to have them in our corner. And I look forward to what their future is."

On if the decision on the next head coach will impact his future:
"Yeah, I haven't really thought about that. I'm right here where my feet are. We just lost a tough game, and my mind is still on that and what we could have done better to go out and win."

On what it meant to play in this rivalry:
"It meant a lot. You grow up seeing the rivalry as a young kid, I've always seen it. I actually came to the Coliseum for one of them and seeing the game, I always wanted to be a part of it being a kid from Long Beach. It was a great experience and hopefully we come out with the win next year."

KEANU WILLIAMS, DL

On the message from Coach Skipper going into the offseason:
"It hurts. He put in a lot. He got put in a situation that he didn't want to be put in. He did his absolute best and he took advantage of the situation. I just think it hurts we didn't win this one. It hurts for the whole locker room, not only for us, but for him too. It just hurts."

On what the coaches have meant to him this year:
"For me, I'll say for Coach Coyle and Coach Skipper, they put their all into it. I feel like we just had to adapt very quickly. We adapted and did the best we possibly could with limited time of learning a new defense and a new scheme. I feel like we did our best, and I appreciate them wholeheartedly. I really do, because they got thrown into a crazy situation, and they did the best they possibly could. So I appreciate them for all their hard work too."