USC vs. LSU live score, updates, highlights from Week 1 college football game

USC vs. LSU live score, updates, highlights from Week 1 college football game

One of college football’s better Week 1 matchups is set for Sunday night, and it brings together a pair of teams each replacing a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback drafted early in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

USC is facing off against LSU at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas to kick off its season. The No. 23 Trojans will embark on their post-Caleb Williams era in the matchup, with junior Miller Moss stepping in as starting QB. Moss, a redshirt junior, waited behind Williams for his shot to start, and his time has come entering 2024. 

Last season, USC went 8-5, but the program now sees a major shakeup in its schedule as it joins a new conference in the Big Ten. And the Trojans will start the new season with a tough matchup in SEC powerhouse LSU, which ranked No. 13 in the preseason AP Poll.

In a similar boat with the Trojans, the Tigers are replacing 2023 Heisman winner Jayden Daniels at quarterback. Junior Garrett Nussmeier, also a redshirt junior, will fill Daniels’ shoes as the starting signal-caller after the Tigers went 10-3 in 2023.

Both USC head coach Lincoln Riley and LSU head coach Brian Kelly left for their current teams in 2021, each hoping for the chance to guide a famed program to a national championship. 

The Sporting News is tracking live scoring updates and highlights from USC’s Week 1 matchup with LSU in Las Vegas. Follow along below with the game as it plays out. 

STREAM: Watch USC vs. LSU live with Fubo (free trial)

USC vs. LSU football score

  Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 F
USC 0 10
LSU 0 10

USC vs. LSU live updates, results, highlights from Week 1 college football game

(All times Eastern)

9:50 p.m. โ€” Kyle Ford puts the juice back in this game. A Moss-Ford completion puts USC inside the LSU 40-yard line. 

9:48 p.m. โ€” Offense has slowed on both sides. The Trojans punt it away, but LSU doesn’t make much more progress. The ball is going to USC for the second time in the quarter already. 

9:35 p.m. โ€” The second half is under way. USC starts with the ball and begins the drive with a six-yard run from Woody Marks. 

9:27 p.m. โ€” For everything that’s been made about Moss and Nussmeier replacing superstar quarterbacks, they both produced pretty good numbers in the first half. 

Halftime: USC 10, LSU 10

9:12 p.m. โ€” No good. Miller Moss gets the Trojans within field goal range, but Michael Lantz misses the kick. This game remains tied at 10 heading into the break. 

9:08 p.m. โ€” USC has just over a minute to work with before halftime. Moss starts the drive with a nine-yard completion to Hudson. 

USC 10, LSU 10

9:04 p.m. FIELD GOALโ€”The Tigers get inside the USC 30-yard line, but can’t complete the drive. Damian Ramos knocks a 45-yard field goal through to knot it up once again. 

8:57 p.m. โ€” Kyren Lacy is having a day. Make it seven catches for 94 yards for Lacy, plus the touchdown. He’s emerged as Nussmeier’s go-to receiver in this game. 

USC 10, LSU 7

8:53 p.m. FIELD GOALโ€” LSU’s defense makes a stand, sacking Moss to then limit USC to three points instead of seven. 

8:47 p.m. โ€” Now, we’re rolling. Duce Robinson gets in on the big plays, as Miller Moss finds him for a 38-yard gain that sets up 1st & Goal. 

8:43 p.m. โ€” Lacy got an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after his touchdown, which is enforced on the kickoff. Zachariah Branch gives USC a boost with a 46-yard return. Here’s a look at what earned Lacy the penalty:

USC 7, LSU 7

8:37 p.m. TOUCHDOWNโ€”There’s been yet another big-time catch. Kyren Lacy turns around in mid-air, grabs a pass and gets a foot in the end zone for his fifth catch of the game and six points for LSU. It’s a 19-yard score from Nussmeier to Lacy. 

8:33 p.mโ€” Looking to match USC on the scoreboard, Nussmeier has found Mason Taylor for three catches and 25 yards on this drive. The Tigers are at the USC 19-yard line. 

USC 7, LSU 0

8:25 p.m. TOUCHDOWNโ€” Hudson’s catch is confirmed, and USC draws a pass interference on the play after. That sets the Trojans up for their first score of the evening, as Woody Marks punches it in. 

8:19 p.m. โ€” Kyron. Hudson. The USC junior makes an otherworldly one-handed catch over two LSU defenders, and we have an early catch of the year candidate!

End of first quarter: USC 0, LSU 0

8:12 p.m. โ€” Third-down defense is quickly becoming a theme. USC gets a key stop on 3rd & 6 that closes out the first quarter, and the Trojans offense will return to the field.  

8:08 p.m. โ€” After a 13-play opening drive that resulted in zero points, the Tigers are chipping away once again. They have a pair of first downs, including a nine-yard completion to Kaleb Jackson. 

8:03 p.m. โ€” Both defenses have already come up big. USC gets a first down on an eight-yard catch from Lake McRee, but on third down, LSU is all over Miller Moss and Woody Marks. The Trojans punt it away. 

7:57 p.m. โ€” Picking between either six points or a loss of downs, LSU got the latter. Nussmeier’s pass is incomplete to CJ Daniels, and the Tigers turn it over despite a solid opening drive.

7:55 p.m. โ€” Kyle Parker is stopped on the USC three-yard line, which sets up 4th & Goal. Brian Kelly is once again opting to go for it.

7:51 p.m. โ€” LSU is driving early. Lacy snags his third pass already to convert on 4th down, then his fourth on an eight-yard gain. The Tigers have 1st & Goal coming up. 

7:47 p.m. โ€” Nussmeier got the ball rolling with two 15-yard completions to Kyren Lacy, but USC got a stop on 3rd & 3. LSU is going for it though, even this early in the contest.

7:45 p.m. โ€” The Tigers receive the kickoff, and the game is under way in Las Vegas.

7:41 p.m. โ€” If you’re watching the game and see a dog in the booth, that would be Kirk Herbstreit’s. 

7:12 p.m. โ€” The reigning Heisman Trophy winner is in the building. Daniels, who Nussmeier is replacing at QB for LSU, is at tonight’s game and was in the Tigers’ locker room pregame.

6:30 p.m. โ€” Now an hour out from kickoff, here’s a look at Allegiant Stadium, where each team has its primary color in an end zone.

6:02 p.m. โ€” This is the first time USC and LSU have met since 1984, and it’s just their third all-time matchup. 

5:45 p.m. โ€” LSU is favored by four points heading into tonight’s Week 1 matchup. Luckily, Allegiant Stadium is fully enclosed and climate controlled, because it’s over 100 degrees in Las Vegas. 

How to watch USC vs. LSU

  • Date: Sunday, Sept. 1
  • Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
  • Location: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
  • Live stream: ESPN+, Fubo

USC vs. LSU will air on ABC on Sunday night. The network will broadcast the game from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. local time). 

Viewers seeking a streaming option can turn to ESPN+ or Fubo, which offers a free trial to new users.