Heading into Saturday’s matchup with crosstown rival UCLA, it had been more than a full calendar year since USC football had won an away game.
Entering the night, the Trojans’ last road victory had come on October 28, 2023, 392 days prior. That day, USC defeated Cal 50-49.
The Trojans dropped their final road game of the 2023 season at Oregon. They then lost their first four away contests of 2024 against Michigan, Minnesota, Maryland, and Washington.
During that time, USC did win two games away from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum against Louisville in last year’s Holiday Bowl and LSU in Las Vegas to open this year. However, those were both neutral site contests, not true road games.
Saturday night’s matchup with UCLA was not exactly a super intimidating environment, either. The Rose Bowl is actually closer to USC’s campus than it is to UCLA’s. The two teams played in front of a half-full, rain-filled stadium with a significant portion of the crowd cheering for the Trojans. Let’s also note the tarps UCLA puts over several thousand seats.
But after going nearly 400 days without a road victory, the Trojans aren’t going to get caught up in the particulars. As ugly as it was, USC’s losing streak in away games is finally over.
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