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No. 23 USC, Miller Moss mount game-winning drive stun No. 13 LSU 27-20

Lincoln Riley and the Trojans are leaving Las Vegas with a win.

No. 23 USC stunned No. 13 LSU in a thrilling contest at Allegiant Stadium in Nevada on Sunday night with a 27-20 win to open the season. Trojans quarterback Miller Moss led them on an eight-play, 75-yard game winning drive that lasted just more than 90 seconds late in the fourth quarter that Woody Marks sealed with a 13-yard touchdown run.

That score was set up by wide receiver Kyron Hudson, too, who pulled in a one-handed 20-yard grab with just 18 seconds left. That brought the Trojans into the red zone, thanks to a targeting call that Hudson drew while making the catch.

Moss finished throwing 27-of-36 for 378 yards and one touchdown in the win, which marked USC's first as a member of the Big Ten conference. The Trojans intercepted LSU one final time to seal the win after their final touchdown, too.

The two teams went into halftime tied up 10-10 on Sunday night after a battle in the first 30 minutes. Garrett Nussmeier had 191 of his 304 yards in the first half and he found wide receiver Kyren Lacy seven times for 94 yards and a touchdown in the first half. But it was USC and Hudson that made the biggest play of the first half.

Hudson hauled in a wild one-handed grab that he somehow managed to keep from moving when he hit the ground in what was an early Catch of the Year candidate.

The Trojans made it back down to the red zone to open halftime, too, but had to settle for a second straight field goal. That allowed LSU to jump back up. The Tigers scored on a 13-yard completion to Aaron Anderson in the third, and then they came up with a massive fourth down stop to get the ball back midway through the fourth quarter.

After several stalled drives, USC quarterback Miller Moss mounted a quick three-play drive that he capped with a perfect 28-yard toss to Ja’Kobi Lane to get the Trojans up 20-17 late in the fourth.

Though LSU ran down the field immediately, USC stopped them in the red zone and forced a field goal that tied the game up with just less than two minutes to go. That set up Moss’ final drive that gave the Trojans the win and handed LSU it’s fifth consecutive opening-game loss.

LSU will return home to host Nicholls next week. USC will host Utah State next in its home opener before traveling to No. 9 Michigan on Sept. 21.

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  • Featured

    Final: USC 27, LSU 20

    The Trojans are victors and the Tigers lose their season-opener for the fifth straight season.

  • With just eight seconds left, USC's Mason Cobb picked off LSU's Garrett Nussmeier to seal it.

  • Touchdown Trojans!

    Woody Marks takes away the suspense of a last-second field goal by sprinting right through the LSU defense for a touchdown. There's only eight seconds left in the game.

  • Kyron Hudson catches a ball deep in LSU territory and it looks like they're going to call targeting on LSU to add another 15 yards onto the play. The Trojans should be in prime range for a game-winning field goal after a review.

  • The Trojans are at the LSU 42 with 18 seconds left after four complete passes quickly moved them down the field.

  • LSU 20, USC 20

    USC came up with a pair of stops to force an LSU field goal, and we're tied up again.

    The Trojans will have a shot to win it here. It's 20-20 now with 1:47 left.

  • LSU in scoring position

    We've reached the two minute warning, and LSU is suddenly in scoring position again. They're in the red zone now, where a field goal would tie the game up.

  • USC 20, LSU 17

    And there we go. Miller Moss just led USC on a three-play touchdown drive and took a huge shot to Ja'Kobi Lane after drawing an offside to put the Trojans back in the lead.

    USC is up 20-17 now with 5:44 left in the game.

  • USC's defense holding strong

    Once again, USC's defense came up with another stop and the Trojans will get the ball back. We'll see if Lincoln Riley can mount a better drive this time after the last one fell apart.

    It's LSU 17, USC 13 with 6:57 left.

  • USC stopped again

    The Trojans made it down inside the LSU 35, but they opted to run it on third and 6 and got stopped in the backfield. They then went for it on fourth and 9, and the Tigers almost intercepted it.

    That was a rough end to what was an otherwise very solid drive for USC and Lincoln Riley. LSU will take over now near midfield.

  • USC gets the stop

    And the Trojans got the stop. They'll get the ball back now at their own 15 yard line now with 13:25 left in the game.

  • End 3: LSU 17, USC 13

    LSU has the ball and is driving again to start the fourth quarter. If USC can't get a stop here quickly, the Trojans might be in trouble.

  • LSU getting the ball back

    That series was awful for the Trojans. They tried some sort of reversal that nearly ended up in a fumble, and were backed up nearly to the goal line before having to punt.

    LSU is back in control here late in the third.

  • LSU 17, USC 13

    LSU finally ripped off a huge run after John Emery made it 39 yards down the middle to set up an eventual 13-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Anderson.

    The Tigers are back in the lead now after that 78-yard, seven play drive. It's 17-13 now with 3:42 left in the third.

  • USC 13, LSU 10

    USC made it all the way down into the red zone again, thanks to a 41-yard reception from Kyle Ford early in the drive, but the Trojans stalled out again. Michael Lantz drilled a 35-yard field goal just now to put them in the lead.

    It's 13-10 now with 7:13 left in the third.

  • LSU punts it back

    And LSU can't get anything going either, so USC will get the ball back. A pretty slow start to the second half so far.

    USC will start at its own 23 yards line with 11:27 left in the half.

  • USC punts right away

    Well that was quick. LSU just shut down the Trojans and forced a punt not even 90 seconds into the quarter, so the Tigers will now take over at their own 27.

  • Second half is underway

    LSU has kicked off, and the second half is underway

  • Halftime Stats: USC 10, LSU 10

    LSU

    QB Garrett Nussmeier | 20/24, 191 yards, 1 TD

    RB Josh Williams | 7 carries, 27 yards

    WR Kyren Lacy | 7 catches, 94 yards, 1 TD

    TE Mason Taylor | 6 catches, 47 yards

    USC

    QB Miller Moss | 13/15, 176 yards

    RB Woody Marks | 7 carries, 33 yards, 1 TD

    WR Zachariah Branch | 3 catches, 47 yards

    WR Duce Robinson | 1 catch, 38 yards

  • Halftime: USC 10, LSU 10

    USC just made it 63 yards down the field in about a minute to set up a final 29-yard field goal attempt before halftime, but they missed. The clock management wasn't great on that drive, either, and the Trojans didn't take a single shot to the end zone.

    So it's now 10-10 at halftime.

  • My point about the defensive improvement from both teams still stands after the first half, but it’s also worth pointing out how impressive QBs Miller Moss and Garrett Nussmeier have been. Nussmeier is 20-of-24 for 191 yards and a TD while Moss is 13-of-15 for 176 yards.

  • LSU 10, USC 10

    Tigers kicker Damian Ramos just drilled a 45-yard field goal, and we're tied again.

    It's 10-10 now, and USC will get the ball back with 1:08 left in the half.

  • USC 10, LSU 7

    USC just marched all the way down the field after Zachariah Branch ran the kick back 46 yards (and nearly broke it open for the touchdown), but LSU came up with the stop on 3rd and goal.

    That forced the Trojans to settle for a 22-yard field goal. They lead now 10-7 with 4:21 left in the half.

  • Performances from receivers Kyron Hudson and Kyren Lacy are the story of the game so far, but don't look past the defensive improvements that each team appears to have made over the offseason.

    USC hired DC D'Anton Lynn from UCLA and LSU hired DC Blake Baker from Missouri as they looked to improve defenses that were moribund at times in 2024. They're holding their own so far tonight against very good offenses. And that's a great albeit extremely early sign for each team.

  • LSU 7, USC 7

    And there's LSU with the answer. Nussmeier just hit Kyren Lacy for a 19-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone that he managed to bring in off his helmet. We're tied now 7-7.

    Lacy is up to 60 yards and a score on five catches, and we've still got 7:02 left in the second quarter.

  • USC 7, LSU 0

    Thanks to Kyron Hudson's wild catch, the Trojans are on the board first. Woody Marks found the end zone on a 2-yard run, and USC is suddenly up 7-0.

    That was an 8-play, 87-yard drive that lasted just shy of 4 minutes.

  • Kyron Hudson Catch of the Year?

    Kyron Hudson just pulled off what could easily go down as the Catch of the Year for the Trojans. Hudson somehow managed to haul in a deep ball with just his right hand while spinning backward between a pair of Tigers defenders. It looked like the ball moved when he hit the ground, but the play stood.

    Click here to read more on Hudson's incredible catch.

  • After 1: LSU 0, USC 0

    That first quarter was so quick. We'll head to the second now still scoreless 0-0.

    LSU had the ball for all but 3:17 of the first quarter, but the Tigers are set to punt to start the second.

  • USC punts

    USC got a first down early after a pair of solid passes from Miller Moss, but LSU stopped them quickly and will now get the ball back.

    It's still 0-0 with 4:29 left in the first quarter.

  • USC stops LSU on 4th & goal

    LSU had the perfect opening drive, and somehow came up short. USC just stopped the Tigers on 4th and goal at the 3 to keep this game tied up 0-0.

    Garrett Nussmeier still went 7-of-9 for 65 yards on that opening drive and hit receiver Kyren Lacy four times for 41 of those yards. But no points.

  • And we're off

    USC has kicked off, and this game is officially underway.

  • Ben made it to Las Vegas!!

  • DirecTV pulls ESPN, Disney

    Well, some fans may have trouble watching LSU-USC tonight. DirecTV just pulled ESPN and other Disney networks amid a contract dispute with the company. That includes ABC in markets where Disney owns the channel.

    Click here to read more about the DirecTV-Disney dispute.

  • College football Week 1 winners and losers: Florida's loss to Miami is an ominous sign for Billy Napier

    Click photo to read story. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
    Click the photo to read more about the early winner's and losers from Saturday's action. (AP/John Raoux)
  • No. 19 Miami shows it may be the class of the ACC in blowout of Florida

    Click photo to read story. (Chris Leduc/Getty Images)
    Click the photo to read more about Miami's huge win over Florida on Saturday. (Chris Leduc/Getty Images)
  • Texas QB Arch Manning throws, runs for first touchdowns of college career on back-to-back possessions

    AUSTIN, TEXAS - AUGUST 31: Arch Manning #16 of the Texas Longhorns reacts after scoring a rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Colorado State Rams at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on August 31, 2024 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
    Click the photo to read more about Arch Manning's debut touchdowns with the Longhorns. (Tim Warner/Getty Images)
  • 'This one will leave a mark' — Clemson's season-opening flop against Georgia brings same old questions for Dabo Swinney

    Click photo above for story. (Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
    Click the photo to read more about Clemson's rough loss against Georgia on Saturday. (Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
  • No. 1 Georgia kicks off season with utter domination of No. 14 Clemson in 34-3 rout

    Click the photo above to read the story. (Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
    Click the photo to read more about Georgia's blowout win over Clemson on Saturday. (Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
  • The game doesn't start for about another 30 minutes, so catch up on what happened yesterday in the meantime.