The Trojans from Southern California concluded their season in the same manner as they began.
The Trojans defeated LSU 27–20 on September 1 at Allegiant Stadium after rallying from a third-quarter deficit and scoring with eight seconds remaining.
Jayden Maiava’s 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kyle Ford with eight seconds remaining gave USC a 35-31 victory over Texas A&M in the Las Vegas Bowl on Friday night back at Allegiant.
Maiava, a transfer from UNLV and a graduate of nearby Henderson’s Liberty High School, assisted the Trojans (7-6) in overcoming a 17-point deficit in the third quarter.
Maiava had four touchdowns, three interceptions, and 295 yards on 22 of 39. Bryan Jackson scored one goal while running 16 times for 66 yards.
With an outstanding final drive that featured a spectacular ball to Lane on third-and-13 that resulted in a 33-yard gain, Maiava put an unpleasant start behind him. With just 12 seconds left, a delay-of-game penalty sent the Trojans back to the 7 after he and Lane had reconnected and advanced to the 2.
After catching seven passes for 127 yards and three touchdowns, receiver Ja’Kobi Lane remarked, “At the end of the day we all realized what we came to do in Vegas, and that is come out with a win.” “And I think we’re all happy with that, and it’s time to go home and enjoy a little bit of Christmas time that we missed.”
On the field where he started his undergraduate career, Maiava stole the show by driving Southern California 75 yards in 10 plays for the winning score after Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed ran 19 yards for a touchdown with 1:49 left to regain the lead.
With 17 points in a row, the Aggies (8-5) took a 24-7 lead in the third quarter. However, they wasted the lead with multiple ill-timed infractions, allowing the Trojans to rally and grab a 28-24 lead with 4:30 left.
Eight penalties totaling 73 yards were scored by the Aggies, including four for 40 yards in the second half.
“It is huge,” said Elko. “On the following drive, we have three 15-yard penalties after we go ahead 24–7. The narrative of the game, in my opinion, is the narrative of our season. It’s astounding to me that we don’t know how to play zone coverage. It’s my fault since we can’t cover the forward pass well enough to be a good football team.”
Reed gained 292 yards on 26 of 42 passes. He threw two interceptions and three touchdowns. On nine tries, he also ran for 46 yards.
Jabre Barber, who caught seven receptions for 48 yards and one touchdown, was one of the eight targets to whom Reed distributed the money. Five catches by Noah Thomas resulted in 29 yards and two touchdowns.
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