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Texas A&M falls to USC in Las Vegas Bowl, blowing 17-point lead in 2nd half collapse
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Texas A&M ended its 2024 season with a shocking 35-31 loss to USC in the Las Vegas Bowl that saw the Aggies blow a 17-point lead in the final 20 minutes. USC managed 4 touchdowns on its final 5 possessions to pull off the stunning comeback in Sin City.
The Aggies looked to be in control of the game, extending their lead to 24-7 with 5:12 remaining in the 3rd quarter. The Trojans, though, weren’t ready to roll over.
Falling behind 24-7, USC put together a quick 3-play, 71-yard touchdown drive in under 90 seconds to cut it to 24-14. Texas A&M’s offense went cold, and the rally was on.
Texas A&M went 3-and-out on the two possessions that followed USC cutting the lead to 24-14. The Trojans further trimmed the lead, making it a 24-21 contest early in the 4th quarter.
USC’s rally looked to be in trouble when Dalton Brooks intercepted Jayden Maiava in Trojan territory. The turnover set the Aggies up at the USC 38-yard line, a prime opportunity to regain the momentum and add a cushion to the 24-21 lead. Instead, A&M went on a 5-play, 17-yard drive and came up empty, as Randy Bond missed wide right on a 39-yard field goal attempt.
Maiava shook off the interception, his 3rd of the game, to orchestrate USC’s scoring drive to take the lead. The Trojans went 79 yards on 10 plays for Maiva to find Ja’Kobi Lane for his 3rd TD of the game. USC took its first lead of the game, making it a 28-24 game with 4:30 to go.
There was still plenty of excitement left.
A&M answered USC’s first lead of the night by putting together a 7-play, 75-yard scoring drive. Marcel Reed scored on a 19-yard rush that, with the extra point, put the Aggies up 31-28 with 1:49 to go.
The Trojans had 1 more magical drive left in them. This time, USC went 75 yards on 10 plays. Maiava found Kyle Ford for 6 points with just 8 seconds remaining.
Maiava finished 22-of-39 passing for 295 yards, 4 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Reed was 26-of-42 passing for 292 yards, 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Reed added 9 rushes for 46 yards and the abovementioned touchdown.
For Texas A&M, the Las Vegas Bowl loss caps a rough finish to the season. The Aggies were 7-1 and on top of the SEC standings after the thrilling win over LSU on Oct. 26. They dropped 3-of-4 in November, falling to South Carolina, Auburn and Texas, while adding a nonconference win over New Mexico State.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
