Lincoln Riley and USC come from behind to beat Texas A&M in a nailbiter 35-31

USC Trojans #8 Ja’Kobi Lane (WR) diving over the goal line for a touchdown before being tackled.

Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

 LAS VEGAS, NV - USC Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava did not have his best game of the season in the first half, completed 22 of his 39 passes for 295 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions, but it was enough to help them come from behind in the second half to beat the Texas A&M Aggies in the Las Vegas Bowl 35-31.

Ja'Kobi Lane was the MVP of the game for the Trojans, with seven catches for 127 yards and three touchdowns. "At the end of the day we all realized what we came to do in Vegas, and that is come out with a win," said Lane. "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."

Kyle Ford with six catches and the winning touchdown and 59 yards, and Bryan Jackson with sixteen carries for 66 yards and one touchdown, all contributing being down 17 points in the second half.

"There's a toughness and a hardness that's developing within this program," Riley said. "We didn't flinch. We're a pretty battle-tested group. We've been through a lot this year. We've been in a lot of big games."

USC had the football first, and the Texas A&M defense held them to three and out, forcing them to punt the football. On their first series on offense, the Aggies marched down the field 78 yards on 16 plays and scored when Marcel Reed threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Noah Thomas to take a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.

USC got a big lift from their special teams when Makai Lemon, on the kick-off return from the endzone, broke free for 46 yards to give them a first down at their 46-yard line.

USC Trojans #7 Kamari Ramsey (S) intercepting a pass by Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed.

Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

The Trojans got the first turnover of the game when Reed attempted a pass that was intercepted by Kamari Ramsey (S) at the Trojans’ 46-yard line for no gain.

USC would get their second interception on defense in the second quarter after Akili Arnold pick-off reed pass in the endzone and ran it back to their 26-yard line.

The Trojans on third and five, would score on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Jayden Maiava to Ja'kobi Lane to tie the game 7-7 with 10:16 left on the clock before halftime.

Texas A&M came up with their defensive stop when BJ Mayes (CB) intercepted a pass by Maiava at their 24-yard line. The Trojans had a chance to go up by three points, but Michael Lantz missed a 39-yard field goal attempt from the Aggies 22-yard line to end the first half tied 7-7.

The Aggies took the lead 14-7 in the third quarter 14-7 after going 76-yard on six plays capped off with a 5-yard touchdown catch by Noah Thomas (WR).

USC trailed by ten points, 17-7, after Texas A&M field goal kicker Randy Bond made a 27-yard field goal. Things continued to go bad for the Trojans after a pass by Maiava was tipped and intercepted by Cashius Howell for 6 yards and tackled at the 9-yard line.

Texas A&M Aggies Jabre Barber (WR) 5-yard touchdown reception. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

Moments later, the Aggies increased their lead to 24-7 with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Reed to Jabre Barber with 5:12 left in the third quarter.

Maiava would throw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Ja'Kobi Lane to trail by ten points again, 24-14, trying to keep them close.

USC trailed by three points at the beginning of the fourth quarter, 24-21, when Bryan Jackson ran into the endzone from one yard out.

With 4:30 left in the game, USC got their first lead, 28-24, with a 15-yard touchdown catch by Lane.

The Trojans' lead was for only a few minutes, as Reed took the Aggies downfield 75 yards on seven plays and capped off the drive with his 19-yard touchdown run to recapture the lead 31-28 with 1:49 left in the game.

USC Trojans #81 Kyle Ford (TE) 7-yard game winning touchdown. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

The game came down to USC having the last possession of the game, and Maiava didn't disappoint the Trojans' fans and drove their offense downfield 75 yards using ten plays, and threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to his tight-end Kyle Ford gave them a 35-31 lead with 8 seconds left on the clock.

Moments later, USC held up the Las Vegas Bowl Trophy in a stunning come-from-behind victory over Texas A&M. Allegiant Stadium was rocking with Trojans fans cheering, players, head coach Lincoln Riley and coaching staff celebrating.

Marcel Reed finished the game completing 26 of his 42 passes for 292 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions, and carried the football nine times 46 yards and one touchdown.

Jabre Barber had seven catches for 48 yards, and one touchdown, and Noah Thomas had five catches for 29 yards and two touchdowns.