USC
1-0
UNLV
0-1
Team Stats
UNLV 0, USC 3
USC - McGrath, Chase 46 yd field goal 4 plays, 1 yards, TOP 0:45
UNLV 0, USC 6
USC - McGrath, Chase 38 yd field goal 10 plays, 60 yards, TOP 4:49
UNLV 7, USC 6
UNLV - THOMAS,L. 71 yd run (PANTELS,Evan kick), 2 plays, 75 yards, TOP 0:41
UNLV 7, USC 9
USC - McGrath, Chase 29 yd field goal 12 plays, 81 yards, TOP 4:17
UNLV 14, USC 9
UNLV - KEYS,Kendal 31 yd pass from ROGERS,Armani (PANTELS,Evan kick) 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:40
UNLV 14, USC 12
USC - McGrath, Chase 47 yd field goal 4 plays, -6 yards, TOP 1:02
UNLV 14, USC 19
USC - Malepeai, Vavae 2 yd run (McGrath, Chase kick), 8 plays, 79 yards, TOP 2:17
UNLV 14, USC 26
USC - St. Brown, Amon 43 yd pass from Daniels, JT (McGrath, Chase kick) 4 plays, 69 yards, TOP 1:19
UNLV 14, USC 33
USC - Ware, Aca'Cedri 15 yd run (McGrath, Chase kick), 4 plays, 59 yards, TOP 1:19
UNLV 21, USC 33
UNLV - FAUOLO,Giovanni 5 yd pass from ROGERS,Armani (PANTELS,Evan kick) 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 4:33
UNLV 21, USC 36
USC - McGrath, Chase 36 yd field goal 8 plays, 57 yards, TOP 3:27
UNLV 21, USC 43
USC - Malepeai, Vavae 20 yd run (McGrath, Chase kick), 5 plays, 43 yards, TOP 1:41
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
No. 15 USC Overcomes Slow Start to Defeat UNLV in Opener, 43-21
September 01, 2018 | Football, Features
Daniels was 22 of 35 passing for the Trojans (1-0), with fellow freshman St. Brown making seven receptions for 98 yards. The former Mater Dei High School teammates connected for their first college touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter, with St. Brown getting a step behind cornerback Jericho Flowers on a post route to give USC a two-possession lead over the Rebels (0-1).
Aca'Cedric Ware rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown, and Vavae Malepeai scored the first of two touchdowns on a 2-yard run late in the second quarter that gave USC a lead it would not relinquish.
Chase McGrath, another Mater Dei product, kicked five field goals to tie a school record, and outside linebacker Porter Gustin had 1 1/2 sacks and recovered a fumble after undergoing knee surgery on Aug. 8.
UNLV used early big plays to hang with the defending Pac-12 champions for three quarters. Lexington Thomas gained 71 of his 138 yards rushing on a touchdown run after faking a reverse to put UNLV ahead 7-6 late in the first quarter.
Armani Rogers threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Kendal Keys to go up 14-9 after UNLV extended the drive with a 36-yard run by Evan Austrie on a fake punt.
Rogers was 12 of 27 for 97 yards and two touchdown passes, adding 82 yards rushing despite being sacked five times.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
USC didn't do much to impress voters in the short term. However, Daniels' improvement over the course of the game bodes well for third-year head coach Clay Helton, especially with road games against the Cardinal and Texas up next.
UP NEXT
USC: Opens Pac-12 play at Stanford on Saturday. The Trojans beat the Cardinal twice last season, including a 31-28 win in the conference title game.
