When the 33rd edition of the Las Vegas Bowl kicks off at Allegiant Stadium on Friday, it will feature only the fourth meeting between the USC Trojans and Texas A&M Aggies.
The Trojans (6-6) are 3-0 lifetime against the Aggies (8-4), with their last meeting happening at the 1977 Bluebonnet Bowl in Houston, which the Trojans won 47-28. It will be USC’s third time in the Las Vegas Bowl and the first for Texas A&M.
Here is a look at each of the teams:
About the Trojans
USC comes into the game having won two of its last three games.
Quarterback Jayden Maiava returns home to Las Vegas as the Trojans’ starting quarterback. He transferred to USC in the offseason from UNLV. Maiava has thrown for 906 yards and seven touchdowns for USC.
Woody Marks leads the team in rushing with 1,133 yards and nine touchdowns.
Defensively, Easton Mascarenas-Arnold leads the team with 89 tackles.
The Trojans started the season with a 27-20 victory against Louisiana State at Allegiant Stadium and are looking to bookend the season with another Vegas victory.
“It’s great to be here. Excited to be back in Vegas. We had a good start to the season,” USC coach Lincoln Riley said. “Hopefully, we can finish it the same way. … We’ve had a great week and are excited for the game to get here.”
About the Aggies
The Aggies enter the Las Vegas Bowl having lost three of its last four games.
“It’s an exciting opportunity to launch into next year. That’s how we’ve spoken about this bowl game,” Texas A&M coach Mike Elko said. “Last year was its own season. It’s a new opportunity. … It’s the start of the offseason and build to next year.”
Freshman quarterback Marcel Reed leads the team into the game, throwing for 1,572 yards with 12 touchdowns.
Junior starting running back Amari Daniels has rushed for 661 yards on 139 carries with eight touchdowns..
Tauren York is the team leader on the defensive end, with 75 tackles and 2.5 sacks.
Paul Delos Santos is the Las Vegas sports insider for Dice City Sports. Follow him on X at @PaulDelos_.
