On Friday, the Trojans wrap up the 2024 season facing off against SEC foe Texas A&M in the Las Vegas Bowl. USCFootball.com publisher Ryan Abraham shares his three keys to victory for USC’s battle against TAMU.

LAS VEGAS — Before every USC football game this season USCFootball.com publisher Ryan Abraham will share his three keys to a Trojan victory. This week, USC faces off an SEC foe in Las Vegas for the second time this season, battling Texas A&M to finish the season in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Heading into the game Ryan associates a number with each of his keys to victory.

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KEY 1 – ONE as in at least 1 tackle for loss by Eric Gentry, Despite only playing in four games this season, Gentry still leads the Trojans in tackles for loss with 6.5, one more than safety Kamari Ramsey. With USC’s linebacker back for the bowl game, I want to see him being disruptive in the backfield and generate at least one more tackle for loss to add to his team lead.

KEY 2 – ZERO as in 0 interceptions for Jayden Maiava.  The Texas A&M defense averages one interception per game and USC throws an interception per game. When those interception totals start to climb is where the Trojans get in trouble.

In the last game against Notre Dame, Maiava did a nice job taking care of the football until the final minutes when he threw a pair of pick-sixes. To get the win over the Aggies, Maiava will have to play clean and keep the ball out of harm’s way for the entire 60 minutes.

KEY 3 – ONE as in no more than 1 fourth-down conversion for the Aggies. The USC defense is one of the worst in the country at giving up fourth-down conversions, averaging 2.8 allowed per game. Texas A&M ranks No. 114 in the country, converting just 1.4 fourth downs per game.

The Trojans gave up three fourth-down conversions in the finale against Notre Dame, and the Aggies converted three in their finale against Texas. This USC defense needs to get off the field, and to do so, it has to start getting some stops on fourth down.

Make sure you stay tuned to USCFootball.com for tons of videos, photos, interviews and analysis from the game against Texas A&M.