USC Trojans Beat Northwestern To Keep CFP Hopes Alive

For a moment there, it looked like the USC Trojans’ defense decided to take a brief nap to start last night’s game. Northwestern waltzed into the end zone on its first two possessions, and you could almost hear a collective groan across Los Angeles. Was this going to be another one of those games?

Thankfully, somebody found the smelling salts on the USC sideline. After that initial gut punch, D’Anton Lynn’s defensive unit woke up, remembered they were playing for their College Football Playoff lives, and put the clamps on. For the rest of the game, they surrendered a measly field goal. That’s it. They went from a sieve to a brick wall in the span of a commercial break.

The Play that Changed Everything

The turning point wasn’t a highlight-reel interception or a bone-crushing sack, though those came later. No, the play that swung the momentum pendulum came from the quarterback, of all people. Jayden Maiava, after throwing what looked like a disastrous pick-six to Northwestern’s Najee Story, morphed into a heat-seeking missile. He chased Story down, lunged at the goal line, and punched the ball out. Touchback. USC ball. Crisis averted.

That one play injected pure adrenaline into the Trojans. Head Coach Lincoln Riley said it himself: “When your quarterback is like that, it just permeates throughout the entire team.” You could feel the shift. The defense came out and forced three straight stops, giving up just 27 yards in that stretch. They were flying around, hitting hard, and playing with a fire we didn’t see in the first quarter.

Second-Half Domination and What It Means

The second half was a defensive masterclass. For the second week in a row, the Trojans’ D allowed only a single field goal after halftime. Northwestern managed just 103 yards and went a pathetic 1-for-6 on third down. It was a shutdown performance, highlighted by Jide Abasiri forcing a fumble and blowing up a drive with a red-zone sack.

Let’s be real, this USC team isn’t built to win pretty, 10-7 slugfests. They’re built to outscore you. But when the offense, led by the electric Makai Lemon (11 catches, 161 yards, and two scores), puts up 38 points, the defense just needs to be competent. On Friday, after a rough start, they were more than competent; they were dominant.

So, where does this leave USC? Their playoff hopes are still on life support, but they’re breathing. With crucial matchups against Iowa and Oregon looming, they have zero room for error. But this win, and more importantly, the way the defense responded to adversity, shows this team has the fight it needs. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a win, and in November, that’s all that matters.