Bowl games in the modern era of college football are a dicey proposition, and this one was no exception. Following departures to the transfer portal and the NFL Draft, and with an additional six starters unavailable due to injury, it was an at-times makeshift Texas A&M squad facing a similarly diminished USC roster. There were plenty of mistakes, but the Aggies looked like they had done enough to pull out the victory. But what can only be described as a defensive collapse in the final 1.5 quarters saw the Aggies fall to USC 35-31 in the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl Friday night at Allegiant Stadium.

Final from Vegas.

Aggies 31, USC 35

— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) December 28, 2024

The Aggies scored on their opening drive to go up 7-0, but then a pair of first half interceptions (including a would-be TD pass) stalled the offense, and the teams went into halftime tied 7-7. The Ags then seemingly took command in the third quarter, scoring 17 points to go up 24-7 as Marcel Reed looked as dialed in as he has in months. Even after USC came back and took the lead, Marcel Reed led a TD drive to re-take the lead with less thwn two minutes remaining. But an abysmal defensive performance down the stretch which allowed USC to score touchdowns on four of their final five drives continued, allowing the final nail in the coffin as the Trojans scored a TD with just seconds remaining to seal the victory.

Regardless of who was or wasn’t available in this game, it was a frustrating sight.

The Aggies finish the season 8-5, losing their final four games against Power Conference opponents, and a once promising season ends on an all too familiar note. There are reasons for optimism for the future, but it’s also safe to say Mike Elko still has a lot of work to do in order to turn this program around.