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    • Woody Marks’ TD Run With 8 Seconds Left Gives No. 23 USC Football 27-20 Win Over No. 13 LSU
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    Woody Marks’ TD Run With 8 Seconds Left Gives No. 23 USC Football 27-20 Win Over No. 13 LSU

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    LAS VEGAS (AP) — Lincoln Riley had a flashback to three years ago, when he was coaching Oklahoma.

    The Sooners were on the verge of tying the game against arch-rival Texas when they made a 33-yard run to the endzone with 3 seconds left on the clock, beating the Longhorns.

    Knowing that a field goal was all No. 23 USC Football needed Sunday night, Riley thought back to that play. A run was called Woody markingswho ran 13 yards up the middle to score with 8 seconds left and beat No. 13 LSU 27-20.

    “I said to someone on the headset, ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if he wrinkles this,'” Riley said. “And of course he did.”

    Miller’s 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 left set up Marks’ winning score in the season opener for both teams. It was Marks’ second TD run.

    “We’ve worked really hard during the off-season to create the identity of a strong team that really cares about each other,” said Moss.

    Moss outpaced 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 just as efficient, completing 27 of 36 passes in a battle of QBs biding their time after sitting behind the two most recent Heisman Trophy winners, LSU’s Jayden Daniels and USC’s Caleb Williams.

    USC, joining the Big Ten Conference for the first time, signaled the Trojans could be a force to be reckoned with with the win in the teams’ first meeting in 40 years after a disappointing 8-5 last year.

    “That was a pretty good game in the Big Ten 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 still has a chance to prove that, but this is the Tigers’ third straight season-opener loss under coach Brian Kelly and their fifth straight overall. LSU also saw its four-game winning streak since last season snapped.

    “We didn’t play complementary football,” Kelly said. “But what concerns me the most is the personal fouls, the penalties that are selfish. They’re undisciplined penalties. That comes down to me. We pride ourselves on having a disciplined program, but we clearly didn’t do a good enough job because it affected the game.”

    The Tigers accounted for about 60 percent of the crowd, an announced record attendance of 63,969 at Allegiant Stadium, which at times 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 were also in attendance.

    Two great catches defined the first half.

    Hudson leaped high and back, extending his right hand to somehow bring the ball to 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 up 7-0 with four minutes left in the second quarter.

    LSU’s Kyren Lacy responded with an acrobatic catch, spinning the ball and just getting his right foot downfield for a 19-yard touchdown to tie the score midway through the period.

    Both teams also missed opportunities – the Tigers were denied on downs after driving to the USC 3, and the Trojans’ kicker Michael Lantz missed a 29-yard field goal to the right as the first-half clock expired. The Trojans could have had an additional 30-40 seconds on that final possession, but Riley elected not to take a timeout before LSU tied the game with a 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 time when Moss found the ball Ja’Kobi Lane for a 28-yard touchdown. A 31-yard field goal by Ramos tied the score, but left 1:47 on the clock.

    It took too long, as Moss led the Trojans on an eight-play, 75-yard drive to win.

    Next

    The Trojans carry their statement win into Saturday’s home opener against Utah State. Tickets start at $55.

    BUY USC USA UTAH STATE TICKETS

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