A new coach at USC or UCLA doesn’t truly earn their stripes until they take a swipe at the crosstown opposition.

Stripes earned, Jim Mora.

The new head coach of the UCLA football team joined Roger Lodge on the radio Wednesday and it appeared he took a shot at the crime that surrounds the USC campus.

“We don’t have murders a block from our campus,” Mora said regarding life in upscale Westwood.

Even though he didn’t mention USC by name, it was pretty obvious his comment was directed towards his new rival — a school that’s still coping following the murders of two international grad students in April.

“I just said our campus is safe,” Mora said at practice on Thursday, according to the Los Angeles Times. “I didn’t say anything about anyone else’s campus. I just said it about our campus. I didn’t mention another campus. We don’t have anybody getting murdered a block off of our campus. If anybody, whether USC or Cal State San Bernardino, is offended by the statement, then that’s their insecurity, not mine.”

Mora, who claimed he didn’t know about the murders, was a bit more apologetic in the Daily News clip above.

Lesson learned. Plus, Mora needs to save his USC trash talking for Nov. 17 when the two teams collide at the Rose Bowl.