Texas A&M Aggies Blow 3-Score Second Half Lead to USC Trojans to Lose Las Vegas Bowl

The Texas A&M Aggies fell apart in the Las Vegas Bowl vs. the USC Trojans on Friday night.

Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed (10) throws the ball against Southern California Trojans cornerback John Humphrey (19) in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Texas A&M Aggies looked to head into the Las Vegas Bowl vs. the USC Trojans and end their season on a high note while giving themselves momentum heading into the offseason.

Unfortunately for the Aggies, it wasn't to be, with Texas A&M blowing a three-score second-half lead to fall in Las Vegas 35-31.

Things started off well for Texas A&M, with Marcel Reed leading the Aggies down the field for an early touchdown on a pass to Noah Thomas, giving them a 7-0 lead.

The Aggies had an opportunity to extend that lead on multiple occassions as well, however, both drives were derailed by Reed interceptions.

Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed (10) throws the ball against Southern California Trojans cornerback John Humphrey (19) in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Trojans were finally able to take advantage of those turnovers and responded with a touchdown of their own to Ja'Kobi Lane, tying the game at 7-7. USC even had a chance to take the lead heading into the locker room, but failed on a field goal attempt late in the second quarter, leaving the game at a tie at halftime.

Then, the Aggies offense came alive in the third quarter after being sparked by another Noah Thomas touchdown, followed by a field goal later in the frame. Reuben Owens got into the end zone shortly after that following a Jayden Maiava interception, giving the Aggies a three-score lead.

After that, however, it was the Trojans turn.

On their next two drives, the Trojans cut the Aggie lead to a field goal thanks to another touchdown from lane, and a rushing score from Texas native Bryan Jackson, making the score 24-21 early in the fourth.

The Aggies struggled to find any footing following those scores, punting and then missing a field goal off of the back of a Dalton Brooks interceptions, giving the Trojans another shot at the lead.

USC took advantage of that mistake, driving down the field for a third touchdown connection between Lane and Maiava, giving the Trojans their first lead of the game.

Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) throws the ball against the Texas A&M Aggies in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

But just when it looked like things had taken a turn to for the worse for the Aggies, Reed answered, driving the Aggies down the field, completing three of his four passes for 31 yards, and rushing for 34 yards and a score to put the Aggies back on top at 31-28.

The Trojans had one more shot to steal the game away from the Aggies, and that's exactly what they did, marching right back down the field to score on a Maiava touchdown pass to take the lead back for good.

Offensively, the Aggies were led by the arm of Reed, who completed 24 of 41 passes for 257 yards and three scores. Owens led the way on the ground with 56 yards on 13 carries, giving the Aggies over 400 yards of total offense for the game.

On the other end of the field, the Aggies held USC in check for a good portion of the game but fell apart in the second half allowing 400 yards of total offense from the Trojans, despite three interceptions through the air off of Maiava.

Following the loss Aggies will now head into the offseason hoping to take the next step forward and truly contend for an SEC Championship.

Join the Community:

You can follow us for future coverage by subscribing to our newsletter here. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @AllAggiesOnSI & follow us on Twitter at @TAMUAggiesSI

MORE TEXAS A&M AGGIES NEWS:

5-Star 2026 OT Sets Texas A&M Aggies Visit

Would NIL Deals Have Kept Johnny Manziel At Texas A&M Longer?

A Year-By-Year Breakdown of Mike Evans' Football Career

Texas A&M Aggies' Myles Garrett Reaches Major Career Milestone

Texas A&M Aggies Transfer DL Commits to SEC Program