USC running back Woody Marks charged into the end zone with eight seconds remaining to give the No. 23 Trojans a 27-20 victory over No. 13 LSU in Las Vegas on Sunday night.
The Trojans got the ball back with 1:47 left after LSU tied the game on a Damien Ramos field goal. USC calmly moved down the field despite having just one timeout and had a chance to score the game-winner when Miller Moss found Kyron Hudson on the sideline with 13 seconds left.
Hudson was hit inside the 30-yard line and LSU’s Jardin Gilbert was penalized for targeting the head on the hit. Gilbert’s helmet-to-helmet contact moved the ball inside the 20-yard line and set up Marks’ 14-yard TD as it looked like USC would be looking for a game-winning field goal attempt.
LSU had one last chance after Marks’ TD, but quarterback Garrett Nussmeier was intercepted by Mason Cobb on the Tigers’ first play of the drive.
LSU has lost five straight Week 1 games
In a statistic that seems too far-fetched to be real, Sunday night’s loss is the fifth straight Week 1 loss for LSU since the Tigers went undefeated in 2019 en route to a national title.
LSU opened the 2020 season with a 44-34 loss at home to Mississippi State and then suffered a 38-27 loss at UCLA to start the 2021 season. The first game of the Brian Kelly era began with a missed extra point and a 24-23 loss to Florida State in New Orleans, and the Seminoles went on to beat the Tigers by 21 points in 2023 en route to an undefeated season.
The Tigers have been scheduling big games for Week 1 thanks to the huge payoffs that come with neutral-site games and the College Football Playoff’s increased importance on non-conference wins. With the expansion of the playoffs to 12 teams this season, LSU is far from out of playoff contention. And there’s a lot of good things Tigers fans can take away from this game.
Nussmeier proved he’s a worthy successor to 2023 Heisman winner Jayden Daniels, completing 29 of 38 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns. Nussmeier had an immediate connection with star receiver Kyren Lacy (seven catches for 94 yards) and looked calm and determined in the pocket.
The Tigers’ defense wasn’t overwhelmed, either. LSU had three first-round draft picks on offense last season, but it wasn’t a factor in the SEC title game because of a defense that gave up six yards per play. The secondary still needs some work, but the unit showed promise in defensive coordinator Blake Baker’s first game in charge. USC rushed for just 69 yards, though Moss threw for 378 yards on just 37 pass attempts.
USC achieves a resounding victory
The Trojans also made a change at defensive coordinator in the offseason after firing Alex Grinch during the 2023 season. USC hired UCLA coordinator D’Anton Lynn to run the defense during the offseason and the coordinator change was evident Sunday. The Trojans looked much more physical and were much better tacklers than they have been in recent seasons. Yes, LSU racked up 421 yards of offense, but it was a strong first performance for USC’s defense.
Moss also looked like a worthy successor to 2022 Heisman winner Caleb Williams. Moss threw six touchdowns in his first start in the Holiday Bowl a season ago and completed passes to 10 different players on Sunday night.
Given the way USC’s defense looked, you can’t blame Trojans fans for thinking about the College Football Playoff in USC’s first season in the Big Ten. And we’ll find out soon enough if USC is playoff viable. The Trojans play at Michigan in three weeks before also playing Wisconsin and Penn State during the first five games of the season.