CNN
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The No. 23 USC Trojans scored a touchdown with just eight seconds left in the game to secure a convincing 27-20 victory over the No. 13 LSU Tigers on Sunday.

Running back Woody Marks sliced ​​through LSU’s defense from 13 yards out and scored the game-winning touchdown in the final seconds to give USC a late lead in the Vegas Kickoff Classic.

It took a miracle to tie the score. LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier threw an interception, giving the Trojans a famous victory in what was the first meeting between the teams in 40 years.

“We’ve worked really hard this offseason to build the identity of a strong team that truly cares about each other,” USC quarterback Miller Moss said, via the program’s website.

It was a fitting end to a thrilling game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, which saw the two teams go up and down the field, scoring against each other, interspersed with some moments of brilliance.

It was billed as a battle between two quarterbacks waiting their turn to earn the starting job. Both USC’s Moss and LSU’s Nussmeier were slated to sit behind the two most recent Heisman Trophy winners, Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams, both of whom were drafted in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

The first moment of magic came on USC’s first scoring drive of the second quarter when Moss threw a pass downfield that Kyron Hudson acrobatically scooped up and took with one hand, somehow making the catch despite his awkward body position. The Trojans would cap off the drive with a two-yard touchdown run from Marks to open the scoring.

But the Tigers came back strong, with LSU’s Kyren Lacy answering with his own acrobatic 19-yard touchdown catch to even the score.

The teams alternated for the remainder of the game, keeping the 63,969 in attendance — which included some big names like new Washington Commanders starting QB Daniels and Shaquille O’Neal, as well as USC Heisman winners Marcus Allen and Matt Leinart — on the edge of their seats.

Tigers kicker Daniel Ramos tied the score at 20-20 with 1:47 left in the fourth quarter, but Marks’ late touchdown run gave the Trojans the win and provided a stylish start to their debut season in the Big Ten.

“That was some pretty good Big Ten football today,” a smiling USC head coach Lincoln Riley said afterward.

Moss finished with 378 passing yards and a touchdown, while Nussmeier had 304 passing yards, two touchdowns and that late interception.

After the loss, LSU head coach Brian Kelly lamented his team’s lack of “complementary football.”

“What concerns me the most are the personal infractions, the punishments that are selfish,” he said, according to the USC website. “They are undisciplined punishments. That falls on me.

“We pride ourselves on having a disciplined programme, but we clearly didn’t do a good enough job because it affected the match.”