The USC Trojans rallied from a 17-point deficit to earn a 35-31 victory against the Texas A&M Aggies at Allegiant Stadium on Friday. The comeback was the largest in Las Vegas Bowl history.
“It was a poetic ending to a season,” USC coach Lincoln Riley said. “Great win. It’s the biggest comeback in this bowl’s history, which is no small feat against a really good team like Texas A&M … This was an awesome win. Great way to cap the season. It’s a fun locker room right now.”
Ja’Kobi Lane led the Trojans (7-6) with seven catches for 127 yards and three touchdowns en route to being named the Las Vegas Bowl Most Valuable Player. His three touchdowns marked a new Las Vegas Bowl record.
BJ Mayes led Texas A&M (8-5) with seven tackles (five solo) and one interception.
“Hats off to USC. They made the plays they needed to make to win the game,” Texas A&M coach Mike Elko said. “Give them credit for that. Hats off to seniors who stayed with this thing and played this game. They played their hearts out. The story of the game is the story of our season. We can’t cover the forward pass good enough to beat a good football team. That’s my fault.”
Maiava’s Homecoming Heroics for USC
USC quarterback Jayden Maiava threw for 295 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions. He threw for 226 yards in the second half on 16-of-25 passing.
“He didn’t play his best for a while,” Riley said. “You got to keep fighting. He showed the heart of a champion. … He caught fire at the end and played really confident.”
More importantly, though, he led the Trojans on a 10-play, 75-yard game-winning drive. He went 8-for-9 for 78 yards on the game-winning drive.
It was Maiava’s first start back in Allegiant Stadium since transferring to USC from UNLV.
Reed Stellar for Texas A&M
Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed had a good game of his own. He threw for 292 yards on 26-for-42 passing with three touchdowns for the Aggies. He also added a rushing touchdown late in the fourth quarter, which gave the Aggies a 31-28 lead with less than two minutes to play.
“Offensively, certainly wasn’t our problem tonight,” Elko said. “He had a good game. He threw the football well.”
Paul Delos Santos is the Las Vegas sports insider for Dice City Sports. Follow him on X at @PaulDelos_.
