USC vs. Texas A&M in the Las Vegas Bowl: Live updates, start time

When Bryan Jackson first arrived at USC last January, he was still a few months away from his 18th birthday. The bright-eyed freshman running back had graduated high school early in hopes of starting at USC. And it was immediately clear how quickly the ground was moving beneath his feet.

But Jackson, a 230-pound power back, decided not to let the speed consume him. He watched closely as Woody Marks, the Trojans’ workhorse and Jackson’s roommate on the road, struggled through an outstanding season. He took note of Marks’ every move, how he arrived early and stayed late, how he took care of his body, how he watched a movie and put everything away for when his moment finally came.

At the time, it seemed like Jackson would have to wait a while with Marks at the helm and sophomore standout Quinten Joyner waiting in the wings. But Marks opted out of the bowl game and Joyner entered the transfer portal, and suddenly the keys to USC’s backfield for Friday’s Las Vegas Bowl against Texas A&M were in the hands of one of the youngest players on USC’s roster, a straight-A freshman times 30 years 20 bears his name.

“It’s an opportunity for me,” Jackson said recently, “one of the greatest opportunities of my life.”