PASADENA — The game was far from perfect, far from ideal, but quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and the UCLA offense had the ball with the game on the line in a one-possession game Saturday night.

With 1:26 to play, the fifth-year senior threw a pass over the middle that Trojans linebacker Korey Foreman intercepted at midfield. Thompson-Robinson’s third interception of the night was the final dagger in an otherwise gutsy effort, ultimately finishing off No. 16-ranked UCLA’s 48-45 loss to No. 7 USC in front of 70,865 fans at the Rose Bowl.

The loss eliminated the Bruins (8-3, 5-3 Pac-12) from the conference championship game race and simultaneously clinched a spot in the title game for the Trojans (10-1, 8-1 Pac-12). UCLA dropped to 33-50-7 all-time in the crosstown rivalry game for the Victory Bell, which USC players rang throughout the postgame scene and could be heard through the walls just before the start of UCLA’s postgame press conference.

Thompson-Robinson threw for four touchdowns and ran for two more, finishing with 309 yards passing and another 81 yards on the ground. His second-quarter touchdown run made him the program’s all-time leader in touchdowns accounted for (passing, rushing and receiving) and he now sits at 110, surpassing Brett Hundley’s 106 scores from 2011-14.

Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams was more efficient, completing 32 of 43 passes for 470 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. The Oklahoma transfer also ran eight times for 33 yards and a score.

USC generated 649 yards of total offense, including 120 yards rushing and two touchdowns from running back Austin Jones.

The Trojans, trailing 14-10 early, took advantage of a poorly managed UCLA offense at the end of the first half and carried the momentum to a 34-24 lead past the midway point of the third quarter. The Bruins gave the ball back on three of four possessions in the stretch, including a pair of Thompson-Robinson interceptions and his fumble after USC took its first lead.

From there, the teams traded blows back and forth, but UCLA’s defense could not produce enough stops and the offense wasted one too many opportunities.

First quarter

2:29, UCLA: QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson 1-yard TD run (PAT GOOD, Nicholas Barr-Mira), 7-0 UCLA

1:47, UCLA: QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson to TE Michael Ezeike, 30-yard TD (PAT GOOD, Nicholas Barr-Mira), 14-0 UCLA

Second quarter

11:52, USC: QB Caleb Williams 6-yard TD run (PAT GOOD, Denis Lynch), 14-7 UCLA

5:45, USC: PK Denis Lynch 44-yard field goal, 14-10 UCLA

3:48, UCLA: QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson 1-yard TD run (PAT GOOD, Nicholas Barr-Mira), 21-10 UCLA

1:42, USC: RB Austin Jones 8-yard TD run (PAT GOOD, Denis Lynch), 21-17 UCLA

0:00, USC: PK Denis Lynch 49-yard field goal, 21-20 UCLA

Third quarter

10:32, UCLA: PK Nicholas Barr-Mira 46-yard field goal, 24-20 UCLA

8:50, USC: QB Caleb Williams to WR Jordan Addison, 35-yard TD (PAT GOOD, Denis Lynch), 27-24 USC

6:36, USC: RB Austin Jones 2-yard TD run (PAT GOOD, Denis Lynch), 34-24 USC

3:46, UCLA: QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson to TE Michael Ezeike, 6-yard TD (PAT GOOD, Nicholas Barr-Mira), 34-31 USC

Fourth quarter

14:51, USC: QB Caleb Williams to WR Kyle Ford, 16-yard TD (PAT GOOD, Denis Lynch), 41-31 USC

14:35, UCLA: QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson to WR Kazmeir Allen, 55-yard TD (PAT GOOD, Nicholas Barr-Mira), 41-38 USC

9:10, USC: RB Darwin Barlow 6-yard TD run (PAT GOOD, Denis Lynch), 48-38 USC

6:38, UCLA: QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson to TE Michael Ezeike, 3-yard TD (PAT GOOD, Nicholas Barr-Mira), 48-45 USC

Leading 21-17 and less than two minutes left in the opening half, UCLA had the ball and was set to receive the opening kickoff of the second half. Instead of a momentum-changing score going into the locker room, UCLA gave the ball back on a pair of momentum-changing turnovers.

On the fourth play of the drive, Thompson-Robinson was intercepted by USC cornerback Mekhi Blackmon and a 14-yard return put the Trojans on the UCLA 35-yard line.

Inside the red zone, Trojans receiver Brenden Rice dropped a key third-down conversion (and possibly more) and place-kicker Denis Lynch missed the ensuing 33-yard field goal.

Instead of taking care of the ball, Thompson-Robinson threw his second interception on a throw picked by USC linebacker Shane Lee to near midfield with 14 seconds left.

With a second remaining, Lynch, who already had missed two prior field goals, lined up for a 49-yard attempt. UCLA inexplicably called timeout to ice the already cold Lynch as he came up short from 49 yards. On his next attempt, Lynch connected to cut the Bruins’ lead to 21-20 going into the break.

“That was my decision and my decision only,” UCLA head coach Chip Kelly said after the game. “It was a bad call by me.”

On the opening drive of the second half, UCLA got the three points back but USC’s first possession of the half completed the Bruins’ mismanaged end of the first half.

Williams found receiver Jordan Addison for a 35-yard touchdown to give the Trojans their first lead, 27-24, and completely erase an early 14-point deficit.

Three plays into the next UCLA drive, Thompson-Robinson fumbled on a hit from USC lineman Tyrone Taleni and the Trojans recovered on the Bruins’ 9-yard line. The snowball led to Jones’ 2-yard run to extend USC’s advantage to 34-24 with 6:36 left in the third.

On a vintage DTR drive, using his legs to get downfield, UCLA finally stopped the bleeding and Thompson-Robinson found tight end Michael Ezeike for the second time in the contest to cut the deficit to 34-31 before heading into the final quarter and setting up the dramatic finish.

It wasn’t always pretty, and he’s surely looked more efficient and sharp in previous games this season, but Thompson-Robinson left it all out on the field.

It was shades of the criticized DTR that has left UCLA supporters wanting more in previous seasons mixed with the fiery leader whose sheer will led the Bruins to a 6-0 start to the season.

On the fourth-quarter drive that pulled UCLA within 48-45, Thompson-Robinson opened with a scramble for 26 yards before adding a 31-yard completion to wide receiver Jake Bobo to get inside the red zone.

He then followed with a 9-yard rush that resulted in a blow that briefly put him out of the game for a play. When Thompson-Robinson returned, he ran for 3 yards and finished with a 3-yard touchdown to Ezeike, their third scoring connection of the night.

Ultimately, it wasn’t enough while USC did just enough to limit UCLA running back Zach Charbonnet to 95 yards rushing on 19 carries.

Bruins edge rusher Laiatu Latu produced the biggest UCLA stop of the night to give the offense the opportunity to win the game.

On third-and-10 at the UCLA 34, Latu came in for a sack on Williams for a loss of 11 yards and forced USC to punt with 2:27 to play.

Latu finished with four tackles, including 1 1/2 sacks, and was one of the lone bright spots on a unit that continued to struggle to contain high-powered offenses.

Also of note, Bruins linebacker Kain Medrano collected his first career interception to help UCLA jump out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Immediately after the pick, Thompson-Robinson needed just one play to find Ezeike for a 30-yard touchdown.

The prolific UCLA and USC offenses came out swinging in what was set up to be a wild finish.

First, nine seconds into the fourth quarter, Williams connected with receiver Kyle Ford on a difficult 16-yard touchdown grab to push USC’s lead to 41-31.

On the next play of the ensuing drive, Thompson-Robinson did his best top-this response on a 55-yard catch-and-run to slot receiver Kazmeir Allen, who cut back inside toward the end of his run to the end zone.

Simply put, and to no surprise, the UCLA defense just couldn’t produce stops, and the offense couldn’t afford to make the miscues and stall like it did in the first half.

Down 41-38 in the fourth, the Bruins allowed the Trojans to take more than 5 minutes off the clock on a 10-play, 75-drive that ended with running back Darwin Barlow’s 6-yard touchdown to push the USC lead to 10 points with 9:10 remaining.

On the flip side, the Trojans’ defense that was opportunistic and got off to a blazing start to the season creating turnovers showed up at the most critical junctures.

One struggling defense answered the bell, the other knocked to the mat repeatedly.

Passing

Dorian Thompson-Robinson: 23 of 38 for 309 yards, 4 TDs, 3 INTs

Rushing

Zach Charbonnet: 19 carries for 95 yards

Dorian Thompson-Robinson: 14 carries for 81 yards, 2 TDs

Keegan Jones: 4 carries for 28 yards

Receiving

Kazmeir Allen: 5 catches for 72 yards, TD

Jake Bobo: 4 catches for 76 yards

Michael Ezeike: 4 catches for 44 yards, 3 TDs

Zach Charbonnet: 4 catches for 29 yards

Kam Brown: 3 catches for 42 yards

Keegan Jones: 2 catches for 8 yards

Logan Loya: 1 catch for 38 yards