The USC drum major did not stab his sword into the Rose Bowlfield Saturday during the Trojan band's pregame performance.
Instead, the drum major marched over toward the Victory Bell, which is retained by the game's winner, and rang it several times before the band performed.
That ended the controversy of the week as UCLA requested the drum major refrain from planting the sword following complaints from Bruins fans. UCLA threatened to ban the band from playing at halftime if it did not comply.
USC band director Arthur Bartner complied because he said he did not want to jeopardize performing at the Rose Bowl.
Although many fans were still outside the stadium, there was plenty of anticipation inside the Rose Bowl. USC fans cheered wildly when the drum major took the field while UCLA fans booed.
It was considered USC's biggest controversy since the previous week, when the Trojans were fined $25,000 by the Pac-12 because a student manager deflated footballs below the NCAA-mandated level during the Oregon game.
The band also performed at halftime and the drum major again refrained from planting the sword, which he did earlier this season when the Trojans played at Stanford. There might have been a bigger reaction but USC's section at one end zone contained plenty of empty seats while a UCLA section also had patches of empty seats.
The game was not considered a sellout.