LOS ANGELES - When Matt Barkley kneeled down to end Southern California’s victory in the final minute, UCLA defiantly stopped the clock with a timeout.

So the Trojans let ’er rip, throwing a long touchdown pass and then celebrating it with a taunting ferocity that brought the Bruins onto the field on the verge of a brawl.

The last 90 seconds of Los Angeles’ 79th crosstown showdown had more action than the first 58½ minutes, even if it was just a few extra fireworks at the close of No. 24 USC’s workmanlike 28-7 victory Saturday night.

Malcolm Smith returned one of USC’s three interceptions 62 yards for an early touchdown for the Trojans (8-3, 5-3 Pac-10), who regained their defensive pride while maintaining their city dominance.

Yet those in the non-sellout Coliseum crowd who left early missed most of the good stuff in an otherwise lusterless game between two opponents in brightly colored home jerseys.

“You’re either competing or you’re not,” USC coach Pete Carroll said. “We’ve been saying it for years. We’ve been living it for years. If you really believe in competing, if you really do, you’ll understand it.”

When the Bruins stopped USC’s attempt to run out the clock, offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates dialed up a play-action pass with Carroll’s eager approval. Barkley’s 48-yard throw down the middle to Damian Williams with 44 seconds left led to an ebullient USC celebration that nearly set off an all-out fight.

“No, we weren’t going to fight — but I put my helmet on and my mouthpiece in, just in case,” Barkley said, grinning.

The Trojans jumped, yelled and gestured on their sideline before moving onto the field in unison in a teamwide taunt of the Bruins (6-6, 3-6), who then came across midfield to challenge them before coaches and officials kept them apart.

“They were excited, they were taunting, and we wanted to let them know we weren’t going anywhere,” UCLA linebacker Reggie Carter said. “I don’t take offense. If we were winning, I would have done the exact same thing. I still shook hands with everybody on that team.”

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Incredibly, no penalties were called for the faceoff, although UCLA got two personal fouls for in-game infractions in the final seconds. UCLA’s coaches herded most of their players to the locker room without the customary postgame handshakes.

Both Carroll and UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel didn’t see the final touchdown as a pile-it-on score, noting the Trojans were only ahead by 14 points and had tried to run out the clock.

“Our job is to cover, and they have every right to throw deep,” Neuheisel said. “People can make their own conclusions. Our job is to stop the play. ... I don’t blame them for doing it.”

Allen Bradford ran for 62 yards and two TDs, including a score with 1:30 to play, as the Trojans rebounded splendidly from the worst defensive performance in USC history.

USC has won three straight over UCLA — allowing just 21 total points — since the Trojans’ 13-9 loss to UCLA in 2006. But the long-mighty Trojans staggered into the Coliseum with two blowout losses in their last three games and their lowest ranking since 2001.

The Trojans gave up 47 points to Oregon and a school-record 55 to Stanford in the past three games, but UCLA barely threatened to score until the final minutes. USC constantly rattled UCLA freshman quarterback Kevin Prince, and Will Harris’ interception set up Bradford’s first TD run early in the second half.