LAS VEGAS — The Southern California Trojans ended their season the way they started it.
On Sept. 1 at Allegiant Stadium in the opener, the Trojans overcame a third-quarter deficit and scored with eight seconds left to beat LSU 27-20.
On Friday night back at Allegiant, Jayden Maiava threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kyle Ford with eight seconds left to give USC a 35-31 victory over Texas A&M in the Las Vegas Bowl.
A graduate of Liberty High School in nearby Henderson and a transfer from UNLV, Maiava helped the Trojans (7-6) overcome a 17-point third-quarter deficit.
Maiava finished 22 of 39 for 295 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions. Bryan Jackson ran 16 times for 66 yards and scored once.
Maiava put an ugly start behind him with an impressive final drive that included a stunning pass to Lane on third-and-13 that turned into a 33-yard gain. He and Lane connected once more and got to the 2, but a delay-of-game penalty pushed the Trojans back to the 7 with just 12 seconds remaining.
“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 receiver Ja’Kobi Lane, who caught seven passes for 127 yards and three touchdowns. “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.”
After Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed raced 19 yards for a touchdown with 1:49 remaining to regain the lead, Maiava stole the role of hero on the same field he began his collegiate career by driving Southern California 75 yards in 10 plays for the winning score.
The Aggies (8-5) opened the third quarter by scoring 17 straight points to take a 24-7 lead, but squandered the lead thanks to several untimely penalties that allowed the Trojans to mount a comeback, eventually taking a 28-24 lead with 4:30 remaining.
The Aggies finished with eight penalties for 73 yards, including four for 40 yards in the second half.
“It is huge,” Elko said. “We go up 24-7, and we have three 15-yard penalties on the next drive. I think the story of the game is the story of our season. We don’t understand how to play zone coverage, which is mind blowing to me. … We can’t cover the forward pass well enough to be a good football team, and so that’s my fault.”
Reed completed 26 of 42 passes for 292 yards. He threw three touchdowns and two interceptions. He also ran for 46 yards on nine attempts.
Reed spread the wealth to eight targets, including Jabre Barber, who caught seven passes for 48 yards and one touchdown. Noah Thomas had five catches for 29 yards and two TDs.
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