LAS VEGAS— Lincoln Riley had a flashback to three years ago when he coached Oklahoma. The Sooners were driving against archrival Texas in a tie game when a 33-yard run into the end zone with 3 seconds left beat the Longhorns.
Knowing that a field goal was all No. 23 Southern California needed Sunday night, Riley thought back to that play. A run was called for Woody Marks, who rushed 13 yards up the middle to score with 8 seconds left and beat No. 13 LSU 27-20.
“I told someone on the headset, ‘It wouldn’t surprise me if he creases this,’” Riley said. “And, of course, it happened.”
Miller Moss passed for 378 yards and a touchdown and his 20-yard completion to Kyron Hudson and a subsequent targeting penalty on LSU with 18 seconds to go set up the winning score by Marks in the season opener for both teams. It was Marks’ second TD run.
“We worked really hard throughout the offseason to build the identity of a tough team that really cares about each other,” Moss said.
Moss outdueled LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, who completed 29 of 38 passes for 304 yards with two touchdowns and an interception on the final drive. Moss was similarly efficient in going 27 of 36 in a battle of QBs who waited their turns after sitting behind the two most recent Heisman Trophy winners, LSU’s Jayden Daniels and USC’s Caleb Williams.
USC, in its first season of Big Ten Conference play, sent a message with this victory in the teams’ first meeting in 40 years that the Trojans could be a factor after going a disappointing 8-5 last year.
“That was some pretty good Big Ten football today,” Riley said with a smile.
And it came against a Southeastern Conference opponent hoping to show it belongs in the College Football Playoff. LSU will still have its chances to make that case, but this is the Tigers’ third consecutive season-opening loss under coach Brian Kelly and fifth straight overall. LSU also had its four-game winning streak going back to last season snapped.
The Tigers represented about 60% of the crowd, an Allegiant Stadium announced record gathering of 63,969 that sometimes felt like Baton Rouge West. There was some star power, too, with LSU greats Shaquille O’Neal and Daniels with his Heisman Trophy in tow. Former USC Heisman winners Marcus Allen and Matt Leinart also were on hand.
Two tremendous catches helped define the first half.
Hudson leapt high and back, reaching his right hand out to somehow bring the ball toward his other hand and into his body for a 24-yard completion to LSU’s 19-yard line. The play stood after video review, and it set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Marks to put the Trojans in front 7-0 four minutes into the second quarter.
LSU’s Kyren Lacy answered with his own acrobatic catch, twisting and just getting his right foot inbound for a 19-yard touchdown to tie the game midway through the period.
Both teams also missed opportunities — the Tigers were turned away on downs after driving to the USC 3, and Trojans kicker Michael Lantz missed a 29-yard field goal to the right as the first-half clock expired. The Trojans could’ve had an extra 30-40 seconds on that final possession, but Riley opted not to call timeout before LSU tied the game on 45-yard field goal by Damian Ramos with 1:08 left.
The game went back and forth with the Trojans taking a 20-17 lead with 5:44 left in regulation when Moss found Ja’Kobi Lane for a 28-yard touchdown. A 31-yard field goal from Ramos tied it, but left 1:47 on the clock.
It was too much time as Moss led the Trojans on an eight-play, 75-yard drive to win.
