Back on September 1st, USC football scored a last-second touchdown in Las Vegas, completing a come-from-behind victory over an SEC opponent. On Friday night, USC scored a last-second touchdown to complete its victory over an SEC opponent in Las Vegas.

In a rather ironic twist, the Trojans ended the 2024 season in the same spot where they opened it, against an opponent from the same conference. Both times they scored the game-winning touchdown exactly eight seconds before the end and prevailed in exciting fashion.

What happened in the 11 games between the Trojans’ win over LSU in the season opener and their win over Texas A&M in the Las Vegas Bowl on Friday night was a completely different story. USC finished the 2024 season a disappointing 7-6, including a 4-5 mark in Big Ten play. They consistently struggled to close out games, leading in the fourth quarter of five of their six losses.

But under the bright lights of Vegas, the Trojans were at their best. USC concluded its 2024 season with a result strikingly similar to its season opener.

USC did have a losing record against Big Ten opponents in 2024, but the Trojans went 2-0 against the SEC. In a season full of frustrations, that’s at least something to remember.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC ended its 2024 season the same way it began