Their goals were long gone. All delusions of grandeur had been suppressed. The only consolation approaching the end of a frustrating season was a bowl game and bragging rights. Still, when his third season at USC was no longer relevant, coach Lincoln Riley had preached the importance of finishing strong no matter what. Good programs, he reiterated, always ended on their best.

But until late Saturday, USC looked nothing like a program ready to put its troubled recent past behind it. The new quarterback was swinging. The run game had come to a standstill. Three trips deep into the red zone fell short. Chance after chance handed over by UCLA was squandered.

And yet, after all the missteps and missed opportunities, Makai Lemon looked up and saw Kyron Hudson flying open to the field. So USC’s leading receiver stretched his arm back and swung it as hard as he could.

It was as improbable as any play in the recent history of the city rivalry — a 39-yard double pass — but it was all USC ultimately needed to put away UCLA 19-13. On the next play, quarterback Jayden Maiava found Ja’Kobi Lane for a lead.

UCLA had two minutes to mount its own comeback drive. But because its rival became bowl eligible with the win, the Bruins were bullied out of bowl contention with the loss.

UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers is sacked by the USC defense in the third quarter on Saturday.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

For USC it was the first real road victory of the season. And that was certainly not easy. Maiava barely completed 50% of his passes and threw for 221 yards and a score, while Woody Marks had one of his least productive rushing efforts of the season.

Ethan Garbers looked ready to play hero for UCLA as the Bruins picked up momentum in the third quarter. He completed his first eleven passes of the half, but ultimately finished 0 for 4 when it ultimately mattered most. He finished with 265 yards and a touchdown.

Neither team was able to capitalize on opportunities early on. USC covered nearly the entire length of the field in the first quarter, thanks to a 64-yard catch-and-run by Makai Lemon, but was stopped inside the three-yard line three times in a row. The next drive stopped in almost the same spot, in almost the same way, with Maiava throwing two incompletions into the straight end zone, one of which was intended for a wide-open Lake McRee.

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1. UCLA’s Devin Kirkwood (3) and Ramon Henderson (11) prevent USC receiver Jacobi Lane from making a catch in the end zone on Saturday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 2. UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers passes in front of defender Braylan Shelby. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times) 3. UCLA wide receiver Logan Loya, left, prevents USC linebacker Mason Cobb from making an interception. 4. USC wide receiver Kyle Ford is unable to make the catch in the end zone as UCLA defensive back Jalin Davies defends. 5. USC coach Lincoln Riley, left, and UCLA coach DeShaun Foster meet on the field after the game. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

The Trojans once again crossed the entire field just before halftime, running out the clock after a 14-play drive that gave them another first down inside the five-yard line. But a first-down run was full. A second-down fade fell incomplete. And a third down attempt, in tight coverage, bounced off the hands of Kyle Ford, leaving points on the table for a third straight possession.

USC instead had to settle for a field goal, the third of the first half.

However, the nine points were more than enough to hold off UCLA before halftime. Even when the Bruins recorded five gains of 15 yards or more in the first half — equal to their counterparts — that explosiveness largely came to nothing.

Not once did UCLA reach the red zone in the first half, as USC’s defense held tight every time the Bruins crossed midfield. One UCLA drive was blocked after Harden’s 40-yard drive into USC territory. Another ended on an errant fourth-down incompletion by Garbers.

USC safety Akili Arnold celebrates after UCLA turns the ball over late in the fourth quarter on Saturday.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

UCLA was stopped again in USC territory just before halftime, only because tempers boiled over. Pushing and pulling followed. As the two rivals ran off the field, the two rivals taunted each other on the way to their respective tunnels.

The fight resulted in three unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on UCLA, giving USC great field position to open the third quarter. But the Trojans couldn’t do anything with it and failed to create a fourth down in midfield.

UCLA eventually took advantage, putting together the game’s first touchdown drive midway through the third quarter. But that’s where the momentum stopped, as the Bruins were forced to give the Victory Bell back to USC.