News release from Texas A&M Athletics:
LAS VEGAS – The Texas A&M football team dropped a back-and-forth affair to USC, 35-31, Friday night at the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl inside Allegiant Stadium.
After a 19-yard rushing score from Marcel Reed put the Aggies (8-5) back in front, 31-28, with 1:49 remaining in the contest, the Trojans (7-6) answered with a 7-yard touchdown pass in the closing seconds to take a 35-31 advantage. The Maroon & White’s last chance came up short as the hook and lateral was unsuccessful as time expired.
The two sides played to a 7-7 tie in the first half before Texas A&M exploded for 17 straight points in the third to take a 24-7 lead with 5:12 left on the clock. Reed added his second and third passing touchdowns of the night during the stretch, connecting with Noah Thomas and Jabre Barber for a pair of 5-yard scores. USC responded with three consecutive touchdowns to take its first lead of the night, 28-24, with 4:30 left in the contest.
Reed matched a career-high with three passing touchdowns on the night, finishing 26-of-42 for 292 yards. The redshirt freshman also added 46 yards on the ground to go along with one score. Barber led the Aggie receivers with seven catches for 48 yards, while Thomas added a pair of touchdown catches to go along with five catches for 29 yards.
Defensively, Texas A&M matched its season-high with three interceptions as Dalton Brooks, Cashius Howell and BJ Mayes each recorded a pick. Jaydon Hill logged a career-high nine tackles, five of which were solos, while Mayes followed with eight.
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Texas A&M Football Post Game Notes
USC 35, Texas A&M 31
Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas, Nevada)
Team Notes
- Texas A&M racked up over 400 yards of offense for the seventh time this season, putting up 443 yards on the night.
- The Aggies were 5-of-6 in the red zone, including four touchdowns.
- The Maroon & White’s second quarter interception marked the ninth game the Aggie defense has picked off a pass this year.
- Texas A&M’s three picks on the night marked the fourth game this season with multiple interceptions as 10 different Aggies have recorded a pick this year, while the season total was upped to 16, the most since 2013 when the Aggies had 17 picks.
- The Aggie defense broke up six passes on the night, marking the sixth time this season they have tallied five-plus breakups.
Individual Notes
- Freshman QB Marcel Reed finished the game 26-of-42 passing for 292 yards, matching his career-high with three touchdown passes. He added 46 yards and a touchdown on the ground, running the ball nine times.
- Climbing A&M’s freshman records, Reed’s 1,864 passing yards and 147 completions on the season are each good for second, while his 15 passing touchdowns rank third.
- Junior WR Noah Thomas registered the third multi-touchdown game of his career with 7- and 5-yard grabs in the end zone. The pair of scores upped his career total to 15 touchdown receptions which puts him in a tie with Malcome Kennedy (2011-14) for 10th all-time at Texas A&M.
- Finishing the night with five receptions, Thomas has caught a pass in 19 straight games.
- Senior DB BJ Mayes picked off a pass in the second quarter for his fourth interception of the season, the most by an Aggie since Armani Watts (2014-17) picked off four passes in 2017. He finished the game with a career-high seven tackles.
- Junior DL Cashius Howell recorded the first interception of his collegiate career when he broke up a pass and came up with it to set up an Aggie touchdown in the third quarter. He added five tackles in the game, including a sack for 13 yards lost.
- Graduate DB Jaydon Hill led the defense with a career-high nine tackles in the game.
- Sophomore DB Dalton Brooks recorded his first pick of the season and the second of his career.