LAS VEGAS – The Southern California Trojans ended their season the same way they started it.

On September 1 at Allegiant Stadium, the Trojans overcame a third-quarter deficit in the opening game and scored with eight seconds left to beat LSU 27-20.

On Friday night 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 at 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 it with an impressive final drive that included a stunning pass to Lane on third-and-13 that resulted in a 33-yard gain. He and Lane connected again and got to the 2, but a delay of game penalty pushed the Trojans back to the 7 with just 12 seconds left.

“At the end of the day, we all realized what we wanted to accomplish in Las Vegas, and that was to 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 the Christmas season that we missed.”

After Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed rushed 19 yards for a touchdown with 1:49 left to regain the lead. Maiava stole the role of hero on the same field where he began his college career, driving Southern California 75 yards in 10 plays for the game-winning score.

The Aggies (8-5) opened the third quarter with 17 straight points to take a 24-7 lead, but blew the lead thanks to several foul penalties that allowed the Trojans to stage a comeback to ultimately take a 28-24 lead 4:30 left.

The Aggies finished the game with eight penalties for 73 yards, including four for 40 yards in the second half.

“It’s huge,” Elko said. “We have the lead 24/7 and 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 blows my mind. … We can’t cover the forward pass well enough to be a good football team, and 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 around eight targets, including Jabre Barber, who caught seven passes for 48 yards and a touchdown. Noah Thomas had five catches for 29 yards and two touchdowns.

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