In the first bowl game under coach Mike Elko, the Texas A&M football team fell to the USC Trojans in the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl 35-31. The Aggies choked a late 17-point lead — a feeling all too familiar for the 12th Man. 

“The story of the game is the story of our season,” Elko said. “What we didn’t do was get good enough at football, and that’s ultimately my responsibility. So we are fundamentally not good enough. We are just not good enough right now.”

The Trojan offense received the ball to begin the contest but were halted by the one-man army that is Aggie sophomore linebacker Taurean York. The defensive captain recorded a tackle-for-loss on the very first play from scrimmage.

After fielding the punt, the Maroon and White marched down field before facing an all too familiar fourth-and-one. The Aggie faithful in attendance were delighted as there was no failed run up the gut but rather a successful quick out to senior wide receiver Jahdae Walker to move the sticks.

Despite overthrowing 6’6” junior WR Noah Thomas on first-and-goal, redshirt sophomore QB Marcel Reed found him in the endzone on third-and-goal from the USC seven-yard line to give A&M an opening lead.

Now trailing 7-0, USC sophomore WR Makai Lemon burst out of his own endzone on the ensuing kickoff, hurdling an A&M defender and eventually reaching his own 46-yard line to give the offense an advantageous starting position.

USC redshirt sophomore QB Jordan Maiava followed the excellent return with a poor scramble that saw him run into the sights of A&M junior defensive end Cashius Howell, who brought down the Trojan for a 13-yard sack, killing all momentum for the school from Los Angeles.

A&M handed the ball right back as Reed failed to thread the needle on an aggressive downfield shot, which saw him intercepted by USC redshirt sophomore safety Kamari Ramsey on third down.

The Trojans then had their third three-and-out of the first quarter, punting the ball right back to the Aggies. But they failed to do anything with the extra possession following the interception.

With their next possession, the Aggies again looked for a jackpot shot. This time, Reed found his receiver hitting Walker for a 40-yard catch down to the USC 37-yard line.

A few plays later, Reed looked to get Thomas his second touchdown of the game, hitting him in the endzone. However, the ball bounced off the Aggie receiver and into the hands of the Trojans redshirt senior S Akili Arnold, who returned the ball to USC’s 26-yard line. 

The Trojans capitalized off the turnover, fighting down field with a combination of air and ground attack all the way to the Aggies’ 30-yard line. Then on second-and-five, Maiava found sophomore WR Ja’Kobi Lane on a shallow crossing route, outrunning every Aggie defender and reaching the endzone to tie the game 7-7.

The A&M offense had a quick three-and-out, giving the ball right back to USC. However, senior cornerback BJ Mayes killed the Trojans’ momentum after intercepting a Maiava pass and returning it to the Aggie 24-yard line. 

Another A&M punt followed by a missed USC 39-yard field goal saw both teams go into half tied at seven a piece.The Fightin’ Farmers received the ball to start the second half and came out firing on all cylinders, with three separate 15+ yard passes pushing the Aggies toward the Trojan five-yard line. Reed then threw a beautiful fade ball to Thomas, who used his 6 ‘5 frame and stellar leaping ability to haul the touchdown and give A&M the lead, 14-7.

The Cardinal and Gold couldn’t get anything going, punting right back to the Aggie offense. A 36-yard catch by graduate tight end Shane Calhoun and a pass interference call brought A&M up to the USC eight-yard line for first-and-goal. 

The Aggies wound up going backwards and settled on a 29-yard field goal by graduate kicker Randy Bond to make it a two-score game, 17-7. On their next possession, it was Howell again making the Trojans pay, this time by deflecting a Maiava pass before catching it himself and reaching the USC nine-yard line on the interception return.

The Maroon and White took advantage of their starting field position, taking only three plays until Reed found senior WR Jabre Barber in the endzone to extend A&M’s lead to 24-7.Despite trailing by three possessions, the Trojans refused to fold. A four-play sequence that consisted of a 23-yard catch by redshirt senior WR Kyle Ford and two pass interference calls got USC down to the A&M 17-yard line, which let Maiava find Lane for his second receiving touchdown of the night.

Now trailing 24-14, the Trojans forced a quick Aggie punt, getting the ball back in the offense’s hands. Coach Linclon Riley’s team nickel-and-dimed its way down the field, reaching the A&M one-yard line before freshman back Bryan Jackson brought USC within striking distance, 24-21.

Leading by just three, A&M failed to get anything meaningful going on offense. Forced to punt, redshirt freshman punter Tyler White nailed USC down on its own five-yard line only for Maiava to give the ball right back, throwing his second interception of the game — this time to sophomore S Dalton Brooks.

Starting at the USC 38-yard line, A&M’s offense only gained 17 yards before attempting a 39-yard field goal. This time, Bond missed wide right as the cards now fully leaned in Trojans’ favor. 

Fully settled in, the USC offense worked its way down field thanks in part to another electric play by Lemon: a 33-yard catch down to the A&M 30-yard line. Then, on third-and-eight, where some teams might have tried to set up a field goal on the following down, the Trojans went for the score..

Lane found his way open in the endzone for the third time on the night, giving the Trojans their first lead over the Aggies, 28-24. 

Trailing for the first time, offensive coordinator Collin Klein called the perfect balance of running and passing plays on a crucial drive for A&M. Reed capped off the drive with a 20-yard keeper on a fake jet sweep, as the Nashville, Tennessee native scampered into the endzone to give A&M its lead back at 31-28. 

With just 1:49 remaining on the clock, and needing at least a field goal to tie and send the game to overtime, the Trojans battled downfield before finding themselves facing another third-and-long. But Lane came to the rescue once again, this time breaking free after the catch to the Aggie 13-yard line as only 17 seconds remained in the contest.

After yet another red zone grab by Lane, USC found itself on A&M’s two-yard line with victory within reach, but a delay of game penalty pushed them back five yards. The Trojans went all-in as Maiava found Ford on a slant to take the lead back 34-31 with just eight seconds remaining.

There would be no miracle for the Fightin’ Farmers, however. They went bankrupt as the clock struck zero. The Aggies end the season 8-5, a poor finish for a team that was once 7-1, as eyes now shift towards the 2025 season and what Elko has in store for Aggieland.

“I told our guys in the locker room,” Elko said. “I think this is the reality of our situation. I think we learned how to become accountable. I think we learned how to care for each other. I think we learned how to practice hard. I think we learned what work ethic looks like. None of those things existed in this program when I got here, not one of them … So the challenge is, when we get back here in January, that everything has to get turned up. We are where we need to be from a culture standpoint. Now we have to become a good football program, and so that’s the next step that we have to take.”