Austin, TX
Texas A&M vs USC preview: Scouting report, predictions for Las Vegas Bowl
Texas A&M football: A closer look at next opponent, USC
Tony Catalina sits down with Trojans Wire’s Adam Bradford to talk Aggies-Trojans.
All that’s left in the season for Texas A&M football is the Las Vegas Bowl. With one game left, the Aggies head west to take on the USC Trojans for the first time since 1977.
Texas A&M (8-4, 5-3 SEC) dropped out of the US LBM Coaches Poll at the end of the season, while the Aggies’ next opponent is fighting to finish above .500. USC is 6-6 overall and is 11th in the Big Ten at 4-5.
BUY TICKETS TO TEXAS A&M VS USC
Will A&M take care of business in the final game of 2024? Can they send off Year 1 under head coach Mike Elko on a good note? How will the Aggies fare down three key defenders up front? Can Elko and the Aggies secure a nine-win season for the first time since 2020?
Here’s a full scouting report for the Texas A&M Aggies vs the USC Trojans:
Texas A&M vs USC in Las Vegal Bowl
When: 9:30 p.m. Friday.
Where: Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
TV: ESPN.
Radio: 1370 AM in Austin; 1150 AM, 93.7 FM in College Station.
Line: Texas A&M is favored by 3½.
Weather: Allegiant Stadium is a dome, rendering the weather to be a nonfactor.
Texas A&M vs USC history
All-time: USC leads 3-0.
Last meeting: 47-28 USC win (1977).
Most memorable meeting: It hasn’t been an extensive history between the two programs, and it hasn’t been a joyous one for the Aggies either. The latest matchup came in the 1977 Bluebonnet Bowl, played annually in Houston.
The final meeting between the Aggies and Trojans was also the last time A&M played in the bowl game. A&M lost to USC, 47-28, aided by a then-bowl record four-touchdown pass performance from USC’s Rob Hertel. Trojans’ running back Dwight Ford broke a school record with 94 rushing yards.
Know the foe: USC
Last game: 49-35 loss to Notre Dame.
Players to watch: Thanks to increased player movement, it’s oftentimes hard to get a beat on who will and won’t play in non-playoff bowl games. However, looking at the Trojans’ offense, their passing attack was led by sophomore wide receivers Makai Lemon and Zachariah Branch. The duo have combined for 93 receptions, 1168 yards and four touchdowns. Branch is in the transfer portal and is not expected to suit up against the Aggies.
The Trojans started the year with Miller Moss at quarterback, but thanks to USC making a switch, sophomore Jayden Maiava is the starting quarterback now. He has made the last three starts for the Trojans, while Moss has entered the transfer portal, reportedly joining Louisville ahead of the 2025 season.
As a starter, Maiava has totaled 840 passing yards, seven touchdown passes and three interceptions.
Central Texas connections: The USC Trojans football team is a national brand, and with that comes an extensive reach on the recruiting trail. As a result, the Trojans’ roster has its fair share of Texas natives. In total, 11 players call the Lone Star State home, including junior tight end Lake McRee who is from Austin and played at Lake Travis.
When Texas A&M has the ball
It will be interesting to see how the Aggies handle the Las Vegas Bowl, with 19 players reportedly in the transfer portal and at least Nic Scourton already forgoing the bowl game for NFL aspirations.
What Aggies fans can expect to see is Marcel Reed getting plenty of work with him being viewed as the unquestioned starting quarterback heading into the new season for the first time.
Also, preseason-projected starting running back Rueben Owens made his first appearance against the Longhorns in Week 14 following a knee injury that made him unavailable for most of the year. It will be interesting to see if they once again give him game action to close out the year.
Look for the Aggies to work in young players such as freshman wide receiver Ashton Bethal-Roman who finished the year with four receptions, 44 yards and one touchdown in limited action as they head into next season.
When USC has the ball
The Trojans’ passing game is well-documented. They enter the game with the 10th-best passing attack in the nation, averaging 291.7 yards a game. Maiava will be looking for Makai Lemon for much of the evening, while Austin native Lake McRee is also a viable option.
Even with all the attention being paid to their passing game, senior running back Woody Marks tallied 1,133 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns this year, and will be a problem the Aggies will need to contend with as well.
Texas A&M vs USC key matchup
Aggies’ defensive backs vs Trojans’ receivers
A&M’s secondary will have its hands full with this Trojans passing attack, and it will be up to Will Lee III, Dezz Ricks and BJ Mayes to limit the big-play ability of USC’s passing attack.
While teams have had success running on the Aggies recently, the Trojans’ strength lies in the passing game, and A&M should be prepared for an aerial attack during the season finale.
Texas A&M vs USC predictions
Tony Catalina: It’s hard to get a beat on how these non-playoff games will go with all the changes and uncertainty. However, Mike Elko has a chance to get his ninth win of the season, and there is still enough talent in the program and coming back that I think A&M is able to find a way. Texas A&M 27, USC 20.
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How the SEC’s softball dominance could carry it through to the Women’s College World Series
The Oklahoman’s Jenni Carlson shares the top storylines she’s following through the NCAA softball tournament, starting with the SEC’s biggest strengths.
What’s an NCAA softball tournament without a weather delay?
Just four pitches into the second game of the 2025 Super Regionals, there is a weather delay in the matchup between No. 6 Texas and No. 11 Clemson at Red & Charline McCombs Field in Austin, Texas.
Clemson’s Alex Brown led off the game with a single and Maddie Moore fell behind 0-2 before lightning struck within eight miles of the stadium, causing the umpires to have to call a lightning delay. The game cannot start until at least 30 minutes following the last lightning strike.
Here’s the latest on the weather updates from Texas-Clemson from the Austin Super Regional:
Texas-Clemson weather updates
All times Eastern.
9:39 p.m.: Another lightning strike, reset the clock and add 30 more minutes.
9:21 p.m.: Texas’ softball social media tweeted out that there was another lightning strike at 9:21, meaning the clock resets to 30 minutes from the strike.
9:07 p.m.: The Texas-Clemson matchup in the Austin Super Regional has entered a weather delay just four pitches into the game.
Austin, TX
'terrace mountain residence' cantilevers over austin with design by a parallel architecture
a parallel architecture Shapes Space Through Material
The first glimpse of A Parallel Architecture’s newly completed Terrace Mountain Residence suggests a defiance of gravity. Sited above the wooded slopes of Westlake Hills suburb of Austin, Texas, the home seems to hover between sky and earth. The approach begins with a suspended bridge and ends at a glass-framed threshold that opens to the city skyline beyond. The architects, working closely with Arrowhead Construction, guides the structure into a dialogue with its terrain, not through imitation but by contrast. Steel and glass are braced against the softness of tree canopies and stone.
Materiality shapes the home’s atmosphere. A Parallel Architecture draws from a palette of concrete, steel, and local stone, all anchored by dark-stained wood elements that warm the otherwise elemental geometry. At once muscular and restrained, the home’s outer shell opens selectively, revealing framed glimpses of Austin’s shifting daylight. Interior transitions, between the entry bridge, central living space, and stepping outdoor terraces, are expressed through changes in texture and light, rather than walls.
images © Chase Daniel
terrace mountain Residence opens onto austin landscape
Suspension becomes a recurring theme throughout A Parallel Architecture’s Terrace Mountain Residence. The team positions the main living areas above a sloping terrain, leaving the ground untouched and shaded beneath. From this raised perch, the structure cantilevers gently over an infinity pool that seems to dissolve into the hill country. The reflection pond that flows beneath the house does more than echo its silhouette. It threads through the site like a quiet architectural counterpoint, drawing the landscape into the design with a sense of rhythm and ease.
The heart of the dwelling lies in a luminous volume that houses the living room, kitchen, and dining space. Here, the architects work with interior designer Allison Burke to maintain a restrained interior language, allowing large panels of glass to turn the city into an active backdrop. The kitchen is centered around a singular marble island, almost monastic in its precision, and balanced by cabinetry that disappears into the surrounding walls.
the Terrace Mountain Residence hovers above the wooded slopes of Westlake Hills in Austin, Texas
Descending Into Landscape
In the main suite of the Terrace Mountain Residence, A Parallel Architecture offers an intimate composition of proportion and detail. A fireplace floats at the center of the room, less a barrier than a suggestion, gently separating the sleeping area from a sitting alcove. Dual bathrooms and closets recede discreetly along the perimeter, their presence registered more by surface and material than enclosure.
Along the lower level, the architecture extends downward without losing its clarity. The design team organizes this part of the home around the slope itself, creating guest suites and a double-height media room that open directly to the outdoor terrace. The change in elevation is embraced, not masked. Inside and outside, the shift in grade becomes a way to introduce shade and intimacy among the surrounding foliage.
The landscape design complements the home without overstating its presence. Much of the natural site is preserved, allowing native plantings and shaded groves to surround the exterior. An infinity pool, set along the home’s axis, acts as both a mirror and a margin. It reflects the open sky and defines the boundary of the terrace. The outdoor kitchen is tucked within a breezeway, kept close but visually quiet.
a floating bridge that leads to a glass-framed threshold overlooking the city skyline
a reflection pond threads beneath the house to create an integration between architecture and terrain
the concrete, steel and wood structure opens onto framed views of the surrounding landscape
Austin, TX
Watershed Health rolls out large-scale data sharing platform across Austin, Texas, region
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