USC Football Defeats No. 15 Michigan 31-13: Postgame Notes & Quotes
October 12, 2025 | Football
USC Postgame Notes
- With the 31-13 win for USC, the Trojans improve to 5-1 overall and 3-1 in Big Ten play. Michigan falls to 4-2, 2-1.
- The Trojans are now 7-5 all-time against the Wolverines. Saturday's game was the first Coliseum meeting since 1957 and just the second overall there. Of the now 12 meetings, this was only the fourth played in the regular season.
- USC's 31 points were the second most the Trojans have scored in the series against Michigan.
- USC's 224 rushing yards were the most Michigan has allowed since 2022 versus Ohio State (252 yards).
- USC totaled 489 yards of offense, the most Michigan has allowed this season and the most against the Wolverines since 2022 (Ohio State, 492 yards).
- The win over No. 15 Michigan was USC's first Top-15 victory since Sept. 1, 2024 against No. 13 LSU (27-20).
- RB King Miller led USC with 158 rushing yards. It was his first time leading the Trojans in rushing since the 2025 opener versus Missouri State (73-13). Miller's 158 yards are believed to be the most by a USC walk-on since at least the early 1970s.
- Miller's 49-yard run with 12:09 in the third quarter was his longest of the season. He later added a 47-yard run in the quarter.
- S Bishop Fitzgerald recorded 2 INTs, giving him 5 this season—the most by a Trojan since Calen Bullock (5) in 2022. The last Trojan with more than 5 in a season was Will Poole (7) in 2003.
- K Ryon Sayeri's 54-yard FG with 10:01 left in the fourth quarter matched the second-longest FG in USC history and was the longest by a Trojan since Michael Lantz's 54-yarder vs. Minnesota on Oct. 5, 2024. It marked the fourth time a Trojan has made from 54+ (record: 60 yards by Don Shafer in 1986).
- QB Jayden Maiava threw for 265 yards and 2 TDs, his fifth game in six with at least 200 yards and 2 TDs.
- Maiava's 78% completion rate was his second-best this season (best: 83.3% vs. Missouri State in the opener).
- WR Ja'Kobi Lane caught the opening TD with 8:57 left in the first quarter—his second TD of the season, with both being USC's first score of those games.
- RB Bryan Jackson's 29-yard TD run with 4:26 in the fourth quarter was the longest run of his career.
- Maiava's TD pass to WR Makai Lemon with :14 left in the first half gave USC a 14-7 lead at the break.
- USC has led at halftime in five of six games this season and is 5-0 when leading at the half.
- Nine different Trojans had receptions, the third time this season USC has had nine or more players record catches.
- The Trojan defense held Michigan to a season-low 109 rushing yards.
- USC had 3 sacks, the third time in six games with 3+ sacks.
USC Postgame Quotes
HEAD COACH LINCOLN RILEY
Opening statement:
"Awesome win. Tough response by our football team. I'm proud of them and the way the guys handled the bye week. We were really looking forward to this game. I thought we attacked it and dominated the football game on all sides. It was just a really awesome, gritty, tough performance. I just felt like there was a mindset that they were not going to come out here with anything less than a win. You could just feel it with the group. This was one of the best weeks of preparation that we have had since I've been coaching here. And what a cool atmosphere. Several years ago, it's what we all dreamed this would be. The Coliseum lit up with two iconic programs going at it, and a heavy hitter, you know, Trojans coming off the field with the victory, and the place totally on fire. This was an awesome win. I'm really proud of the group."
On what made practice different during the bye week:
"There was just an intensity the entire week. I think there was excitement about the opportunity ahead. I think there was some disappointment about not finishing the previous game. I think the confidence of the people in the room, players and coaches, and the group that we have, I think they were just eager. They rose to the occasion on every single play."
On RB King Miller's performance and the health of the running backs:
"Yeah, King was huge. He played, stepped up, made big plays and was obviously really important for us with the way that it went down. We'll get confirmation [on injuries]. Eli's doesn't look super positive in terms of the rest of the season, so we'll get confirmation, but it doesn't look positive. Waymond wasn't able to come back in tonight, so we will continue to evaluate him and see where he's at."
On the development of the offensive line:
"It says we're a tough ass, physical program. It's playing the field. That defensive line has a lot of really good players out there. To have the performance that they did minus three starters, I don't think many offensive lines in the country would have been able to do that minus three starters. And then equally, I would say the performance of our defensive line. They really controlled the game and harassed the quarterback. We did a good job closing space in the run game. It was a complete performance on the line of scrimmage. That's where it always starts in football. Doesn't matter what league you're at, doesn't matter what school you're at, doesn't matter who you're playing. It always starts there."
On his confidence in RB King Miller:
"I got asked a similar question after he popped the run in one of the early games. It's what he does in practice. He's a hard worker. He's a humble guy. He cares about this team a lot. And honestly, hell, we didn't have anybody else. So we were starting to scratch in the dirt a little bit. But he was awesome. The moment was certainly not too big for him."
On RB Bryan Jackson playing in the game:
"Yeah, it's a unique situation. It was a wellness issue in the game. He's been practicing in a very limited capacity and building up for the last several weeks. He's had a turf toe. There was an expectation coming into this game that outside of a near catastrophe, we weren't going to play him. And so the game plays out. We have a couple injuries that you never expect to happen. Two of them, just like that. We were able to get in communication with the league office and explain the situation. Our doctors medically cleared him, and again, it just became a wellness issue for us here. We made sure to clear him. The kid was ready to go and stepped up. That's what you gotta have, man. You gotta have tough guys to play through stuff if you want to win at this level. You have guys that sacrifice like that for the team."
On the opportunities moving forward:
"It's a great win. To me, it's all about tonight right now, and this team and that performance. And that's a good football team that we just beat here, and that was an important win. Now, it's on to the next. When you play our schedule there's not too much time to celebrate. We know we got another big football game coming up, and we'll be excited to go back and prepare the way that we did this week and get ready for that."
On what this game meant for recruiting:
"Football for us is a week to week thing, man. It's our job. This is our life. We put everything into these weeks and these games. I don't know that it's built any differently than other ones. I think you sense the moment in the atmosphere with these two programs and how good they've been recently. It was a big opportunity. There's no question. I don't like to say on the line, but I felt like it was a big opportunity we didn't want to miss. For all the talk and the people who want to discuss this and that, for those recruits and the people that were in the building tonight, I would imagine a lot of people would say that's what it used to feel like around here in the Coliseum. And that was an epic atmosphere. The place was just on fire. And I think it was great for our players, our future players, and LA, just everyone likes to see that. It was an important step, and I can definitely see that."
On the physicality of his team:
"We know we have a physical group, and within the walls, I think there's a lot of confidence in that. I think the biggest difference now is we have some depth on the line of scrimmage and on the defensive front seven with the physicality piece. It's not just one or two guys here and there. I think the mentality of the program is continuing to trend in a really positive way. Physicality is something you got to prove every single week and that's part of it. That's just the name of the game. So we'll have to do it again this week."
On his message to the fans:
"That's what it should feel like in there. I can't tell you the difference it makes. When you're USC, and you go on the road and play at other people's houses, we have to deal with that every single time, and it's a challenge. It's part of the great thing about playing on the road, but you have to overcome it. You could just feel the impact of our crowd tonight, like you could feel the energy. It impacted the game. I felt like it impacted the opponent. And that's what great home crowds do. And I think everybody didn't even want that one to end. So whenever we're back here in a couple of weeks, let's light it up again."
On USC's national perception and the possibility of players earning national awards:
"We got to go earn our respect. That's just part of it. Whether it's the defensive line, on any side of the ball, or any player, you earn your respect on a week-to-week basis. Our D line did a great job tonight. I'm really proud of the way they played. We got to go do it again next week. About the award stuff, I've been lucky to be around a couple of guys that will do some little things on all sides of the ball. But, we don't talk about that. We don't care about that. That is never brought up for one second in my mind or any other player's mind. We play for USC, we play for our team. Whatever happens after that happens."
On confidence in the run game versus Michigan's defense:
"It's easy to say yes now. I knew it was gonna be a battle. They're a good team and a good defense. I'm not gonna sit up here and act like they're not. I felt like if we played our game, we were going to be able to have some opportunities. And against a group like that, you got to take advantage of it, and I think we did. It was a challenge. It's not like it's easy, but our guys stood up to the challenge, and obviously being able to run it on them, not many people have been able to, so that was a huge step for us."
On the impact of the tight ends:
"Those guys have been tough for us all year. Carson Tabaracci got in there and did some really good things. Obviously, Lake and Walker continue to impact the game in so many ways, and have been really tough competitors. We've been working like crazy to build that group up over the last few years. It's great to see it be really productive for us."
BISHOP FITZGERALD, S
On the defensive performance:
"It just starts off the D line. I think the D line did a really good job with our early downs and maybe some third and longs. We got into some exotic looks at this young quarterback and threw a lot of stuff at him. So I think the secondary just executed well. And, you know, we made the plays that come to us. I think (CB) DeCarlos Nicholson had a really good game in the boundary. Number one (Donaven McCulley) has been a really good player for them, and I think DeCarlos did a great job of shutting him down. When corners played good, the defense could open the playbook up and do whatever we wanted. I think they just did a great job executing."
Michigan Postgame Quotes
HEAD COACH SHERRONE MOORE
Opening statement:
"I think they just played well. They executed at a high level. We didn't execute all the times we needed to. We didn't tackle very well. We've tackled a lot better and that was not one of our best tackling performances. Those guys executed well, they had a really good plan. Just too many opportunities, big plays, third down conversions, scoring in the beginning of the game and at half. We just have to do a better job rallying those things, but credit to them, credit to their game plan. No excuses. We have to continue to attack and get better."
On USC RB King Miller's performance:
"We got fit out of the gap, but it was a great run, great job executing, blocking by them. We didn't fit the run right, so that's why the hole was so big, and they made the play. So again, credit to them, credit to Lincoln and that staff and what they did. But there's things that we have to look at and we have to fix, we have to make sure we attack. It was good to see the fight as the team went. There was never any quit with the team. But there's things that you have to fix in these big time games against really good opponents to win. Again credit to them."
On how USC's touchdowns at the beginning of each half impacted the team mentally:
"When it happened in the beginning, they just kept going. Same thing in the second half, there wasn't really any dullness or falling out of place. Our guys fought the whole game, to the end. We're always going to fight. We're never going to stop playing and keep going. That's just part of the game."
On how the game plan changed after RB Justice Haynes' injury:
"The game plan was the same. We did the same things we were going to do with the game plan, and he'll be okay. So we'll just see how he goes as we go through the week."
On Haynes' injury:
"He came back out. He was working through it, probably could have went. We're extra cautious with our student-athletes and when anything happens to them and making sure they're okay. But the game plan was the same."
On the overall performance of the team:
"We have to keep getting better. That's it. That's where we're at. We have to keep getting better. We have to go win games, and can't let this game beat you. So our job now is to figure out what we can do when we land in Ann Arbor and how we get better, that's it."
On USC's defensive performance:
"They did a good job of rallying the ball and tackling the ball. It felt like we had some momentum in the run game. It wasn't the explosive, but it was the five to six yard runs. I thought Bryce did a good job with some of the RPOs and things that we let on them, and he played with and did. But they did a good job, and they made plays when they needed to. They got off the field on third down, and that's the key."
On how the team capitalized off USC turnovers:
"I think one we scored on, but the rest, we didn't. So it's about third down conversions. We have to attack third down. We have to continue to get better at it."
On his postgame message to the team:
"We have a lot of games left. That we're six games into the season, we have six more left, and there's a lot out there. Not talking about goals or what we need to do. We have to worry about tomorrow when we land. What are we going to do to get better tomorrow? What are we going to do on Monday as we get back as a team? Sunday, they're off, let their bodies recover, recuperate. Monday, we have to go attack it, and coaches have to go attack it right now. There was never any quit in our team, so we're going to continue to fight."
On QB Bryce Underwood's assessment thus far:
"Just so much poise still, he's never rattled. Competitive spirit, competitive energy, gave him more as the games went on, and gave more in this game. He continues to get better and better and better. We have to continue to do that, and he'll mature and get better as we go."
On Underwood's health:
"He is a little bit [banged up], but he's fine."
On the tackling performance:
"We were tackling every week, we were tackling every day and we didn't execute. We didn't tackle when we needed to, and they did a good job."
On the two-point conversion decision:
"When you're at that point, you go for two. If you get the two-point conversion, you're down nine. That means a touchdown and a field goal wins the game. So that was the decision we made."
JORDAN MARSHALL, RB
On the workload tonight:
"Just be ready for the moment. That's what we've always stood by, it's the next man up. I've done this before, so it's nothing new to me. It's just the opportunity to go out there and put it on for Justice and our running back room."
On his performance:
"I did what I felt like I should do. I really feel like as a team, we balled tonight, but we had a few mistakes that we need to go clean up."
On the mood in the locker room:
"I talked about this last time, but there's two things that can happen. We can disconnect from each other or we can get better and get stronger together. This season is not over and I'll let you guys know that. This team's gonna come back hungry. We have really good teams we still have to face and really good opportunities all in front of us. Everything is in front of us. Coach Moore always says that we have everything in front of us and I truly believe that this team is going to come together even stronger. We came together after Oklahoma even stronger, and we're going to come together after this one even stronger."
On why today didn't go to plan:
"We had a great week of practice, probably one of the best weeks we've had. But like Coach Moore and all the coaches say, that gives us the opportunity to go out in the game and gives us a chance to win when we have great weeks of practice. We just didn't execute. I don't think we executed enough on offense. We didn't give our defense time to be off the field all night and I put that on myself, and I'm going to help lead this team to make sure that we can be better in all phases of the game."
On playing on the road:
"I would just say, in general, we're playing at the Coliseum and it's cool, but this is nothing like Michigan. We played in 110,000 and we played in really good environments all year. There was good energy, but everybody was feeding off of each other. When you play here, where we're so locked in this is just another game, another place to play. We play in front of 110,000, 111,000 every single week. Everybody was saying how the environment was gonna be crazy, I thought it wasn't Michigan."
On QB Bryce Underwood's performance:
"Bryce did well. I think we have to do better protecting him in the pass game and making sure that he's clean and on his feet at all times."
ANDREW MARSH, WR
On why today didn't go to plan:
"I would just piggyback off of what he said. I feel like as a whole, we just didn't show up the way that we needed to show up. We made a lot of mistakes throughout the game. But really just the preparation during the week. I feel like we had great preparation. But during the game, we have to lock in and make sure that we continue that."
ZEKE BARRY, DB
On lack of scoring after defensive turnovers:
"We just have to get better as a team really."
On the locker room message:
"We just have to get better."
On if the team practiced tackling enough this week:
"Yeah."
ROD MOORE, DB
On the team's tackling performance:
"We just have to get better at tackling."
On how USC's big plays occurred:
"We just have to get better at tackling."
On USC's running performance:
"We just have to get better at tackling. I saw [USC running performances previously] on tape, we just missed a lot of tackles."
On if the missed tackles were a surprise:
"A little bit. We always harp on that, and it's one of our pillars, but we have to go get better."
On what needs to improve specifically:
"Just keeping our leverage, that's really what it was. There's a lot of instances where somebody didn't keep their leverage, or didn't get off the block and make the tackle. I missed a couple myself coming out of the post. That's usually not how I play. So just have to get better."
On if the team practiced tackling enough this week:
"Yeah."
