No. 23 USC Trojans upset No. 13 LSU Tigers in Las Vegas - ESPN
LAS VEGAS — Woody Marks scored on a 13-yard run with 8 seconds left to give No. 23 Southern California a 27-20 win over No. 13 LSU on Sunday night.
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 play set up the winning score by Marks in the season opener for both teams.
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.
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. 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