With eight seconds left, USC running back Woody Marks bowled his way into the end zone, giving the No. 23 Trojans a 27-20 victory over No. 13 LSU on Sunday night in Las Vegas.

The Trojans got the ball back with 1:47 left after LSU tied the game on a Damien Ramos field goal. USC calmly stormed down the field despite only one timeout and had a chance to score the game-winning point when Miller Moss found Kyron Hudson on the sideline with 13 seconds left.

Hudson was hit inside the 30-yard line and LSU’s Jardin Gilbert was penalized for targeted attack. Gilbert’s helmet-to-helmet contact put the ball inside the 20-yard line and set up Marks’ 14-yard touchdown when it looked like USC was going for a game-winning field goal attempt.

LSU had one last chance after Marks’ TD, but quarterback Garrett Nussmeier was intercepted by Mason Cobb on the Tigers’ first play of the drive.

LSU has lost five games in a row in Week 1

The statistic seems too crazy to be true: Sunday night’s loss is LSU’s fifth consecutive Week 1 loss since the Tigers went undefeated en route to the national title in 2019.

LSU opened the 2020 season with a 44-34 home loss to Mississippi State and followed it up with a 38-27 loss at UCLA to start the 2021 season. The first game of the Brian Kelly era began with a missed extra point and a 24-23 loss to Florida State in New Orleans, and the Seminoles beat the Tigers again by 21 points in 2023 en route to an undefeated season.

The Tigers have big games scheduled in Week 1 because of the high payoffs they can get from neutral-site games and the increasing importance of non-conference wins in the College Football Playoff. With the playoffs expanding to 12 teams this season, LSU is far from out of the playoff race. And Tiger fans can take a lot of good things from the game.

Nussmeier showed he is a worthy successor to 2023 Heisman winner Jayden Daniels, completing 29 of 38 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns. Nussmeier immediately connected with star receiver Kyren Lacy (seven catches for 94 yards) and looked calm and determined in the pocket.

The Tigers’ defense wasn’t overwhelmed either. LSU had three first-round draft picks on offense last season but wasn’t a factor in the SEC title as the defense allowed six yards per play. The secondary still needs improvement, but the unit showed promise in defensive coordinator Blake Baker’s first game. USC ran for just 69 yards, although Moss threw for 378 yards on just 37 pass attempts.

USC wins clear victory

The Trojans also made a change at defensive coordinator in the offseason after firing Alex Grinch during the 2023 season. USC hired UCLA coordinator D’Anton Lynn to run the defense in the offseason, and the change was evident Sunday. The Trojans looked much more physical and were far better tacklers than they have been in recent seasons. Yes, LSU did gain 421 yards on offense, but it was a good first outing for the USC defense.

Moss also appeared to be a worthy successor to 2022 Heisman winner Caleb Williams. Moss threw six touchdowns in his first start in the Holiday Bowl a season ago and threw passes to 10 different players on Sunday night.

Given USC’s defense, you can’t blame Trojans fans for thinking about the College Football Playoffs in USC’s first Big Ten season. And we’ll soon find out if USC makes the playoffs. The Trojans play at Michigan in three weeks before also facing Wisconsin and Penn State in the first five games of the season.