Trojans Finish Epic Comeback
The USC Trojans football team must like playing in Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. They kicked off the 2024 campaign with a 27-20 win over LSU. They bookended the season on Friday night with a big bowl win in the same stadium. Let’s show you how it happened, and what’s next for both schools as USC rallies for a Las Vegas Bowl win 35-31.
A Slow Start
Friday was a homecoming for USC quarterback Jayden Maiava. A Las Vegas native, he originally played at UNLV coming out of high school before transferring to USC. The Trojan signal caller struggled in the first half whether it was pressing for the hometown crowd.
Maiava threw two interceptions and the Aggie defense forced three punts in the first 30 minutes. On the other sideline, the Aggies scored on their first possession going 78 yards in 16 plays. In the process, they kept the ball for half of the first quarter. When Marcel Reed hit Noah Thomas on a seven-yard strike it was 7-0.
Midway through the second quarter USC finally broke through. Maiava led an eight-play 74-yard drive and when he found Ja’Kobi Lane on a 30-yard touchdown we were tied at seven at the half.
Aggies Take Charge
Another Reed to Thomas touchdown, this one five yards, put Texas A&M up 14-7 early in the third quarter. Yet another Maiava interception led to a field goal and the lead was 10. Following that pick the USC signal caller apologized to his receivers who told him to shake it off.
The Aggies went up by 17 on a touchdown pass from Reed to Jabre Barber and it looked like Mike Elko’s club was cruising to victory. If you remember that how we thought the game would go.
Thrilling Comeback
After that third interception, Maiava calmed down and righted the ship. In addition, the Trojans got a lot of help from Texas A&M. A 17-yard pass to Lane cut the margin to 10. That drive was heavily aided by back-to-back defensive penalties, one for a facemask and the other for pass interference. Following a three-and-out, Bryan Jackson took it in from a yard out and suddenly it was a three-point game.
USC’s defense held yet again as A&M missed a field goal. Maiava led the offense 79 yards in 10 plays. The third touchdown pass to Lane gave USC their first lead at 28-24 with 4:30 to go.
However, Reed and the Aggies weren’t done yet. Going 75 yards Reed took it the final 19 himself and just like that it was 31-28 Texas A&M with 1:41 to go. For a USC club that’s lost five games it was leading in the fourth quarter, the Trojans were like “Oh no, here we go again.”
That wouldn’t happen on this day as once again Maiava calmly led the Trojans down the field. They got to the two-yard line before a delay of game penalty moved them back five. No worries as Maiava found Kyle Ford on a seven-yard pass with five seconds to go. That was your ball game as USC rallies for a Las Vegas Bowl win 35-31.
WHAT A GAME. TROJANS WIN. pic.twitter.com/8vlISIj6lm
— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) December 28, 2024
Tale of the Tape
For the game, Maiava hit 22 of 39 passes for 295 yards with four touchdowns and three picks. After a slow start, it was a successful homecoming. Lane hauled in seven catches for 127 yards and three touchdowns. Jackson ran for 66 yards and a score.
Over on the Texas A&M side, Reed completed 26 of 42 passes for 292 yards with three touchdowns and two picks. In addition, he ran for another 46 yards and a score. Heading into the game the thought was A&M would control the ball with the run. However, they were held to only 151.
Final Thoughts
USC finishes the year with a 7-6 mark. That’s far and away the worst record in Lincoln Riley’s three seasons. Remember the Trojans were ranked as high as 11th in the AP poll at one point. However, you have to think that behind Maiava they’ve got a good building block for 2025.
As for Texas A&M, the Aggies finished at 8-5. That’s also a little disappointing for Elko in his first year. Heading into November they were 7-1 and ranked 10th in the country. Unfortunately, they faltered down the stretch losing four of their last five.
One last note, in the battle of the perceived two best conferences in college football the Big Ten is now 2-0 against the SEC. Of course, Ohio State had had no trouble with Tennessee in the College Football Playoff. They still have three more meetings for the SEC to right the ship.
Thanks for checking out our recap as USC rallies for a Las Vegas Bowl Win 35-31 over Texas A&M.
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