King Miller had been steady all night-productive, reliable, churning out yards with every touch. But he hadn’t quite broken loose.
Not yet. His stat line told a solid story: 16 carries for 83 yards, four catches for 42 more.
But his longest runs had topped out at 14 yards. The big one was still waiting.
It came with 2:36 left on the clock, second-and-7, and USC looking to put the finishing stamp on a rivalry win at the Coliseum.
Miller took the handoff and bounced left. The blocking?
Textbook. Left tackle Tobias Raymond sealed off the inside, and Makai Lemon-lined up tight-delivered a clean kick-out block on UCLA defensive back Cole Martin.
That gave Miller the edge. From there, it was about speed and vision.
Kanye Clark came flying in from the backside on a blitz, but Miller slipped right past the diving tackle attempt. UCLA’s linebackers had already committed inside, leaving the boundary wide open.
And when wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane engaged just enough with the cornerback to slow him down, Miller saw daylight-and never looked back. Forty-one yards later, untouched, he was in the end zone.
The kind of run that echoes in a rivalry game like this. The kind of run that cements a player’s season-and maybe his place in USC lore.
That touchdown pushed Miller over the 100-yard mark for the fourth time this season. Not bad for a guy who started the year buried on the depth chart as USC’s fourth running back.
He closes the regular season as the Trojans’ leading rusher, racking up 873 yards on 131 carries-good for a blistering 6.7 yards per carry. Efficiency, consistency, and now, a signature moment.
It was also Miller’s seventh touchdown of the year, and while he said the run ranks high on his personal highlight reel, it’s not quite No. 1.
“It’s up there. Definitely top two,” Miller said postgame, still smiling from the moment. “For sure, I’m going to remember that one for a long time, especially at this place.”
So what tops it?
“Definitely my first one. My first one ever in the Coliseum with my brother.
For sure, that’s up there for my No. 1.”
The Trojans didn’t just settle for the extra point after Miller’s score. Instead, they dialed up something straight from the playbook’s creative corner.
USC lined up for the PAT in a funky formation: kicker Ryon Sayeri stood way out wide to the left, along with the entire offensive line, stacked outside the hash. Long snapper Hank Pepper was still in the middle of the field, but instead of snapping to the holder, he sent it back to walk-on quarterback Gage Roy.
Roy, who had just been honored during Senior Night festivities, rolled right with three tight ends and Pepper as eligible targets. UCLA read it well, bringing pressure and sticking tight in coverage.
But Roy didn’t flinch. He fired a dart into the center of the end zone, where tight end Walker Lyons was locked up with a defender.
Lyons used his frame to shield the defender, secured the ball against his chest, and completed the two-point conversion.
A little razzle-dazzle to cap a 29-10 win over the Bruins in the Crosstown Showdown. A rivalry game that will be remembered for Miller’s breakout run, a gutsy gadget play, and a Trojans team that showed it still knows how to rise to the moment when it matters most.