USC 45, No. 22 Nebraska 42: Cody Kessler passed for 321 yards and three touchdowns as the Trojans outlasted the Cornhuskers in the National University Holiday Bowl in San Diego.

Javorius “Buck” Allen rushed for 152 yards and two touchdowns and Adoree’ Jackson also scored twice – once on a reception and the other on a kickoff. Nelson Agholor caught seven passes for 90 yards and one score and Su’a Cravens had an interception for USC (9-4).

Tommy Armstrong Jr. passed for 379 yards and three touchdowns and also rushed for one for Nebraska (9-4). Armstrong scored on a 15-yard run and tossed an ensuing two-point conversion pass to Kenny Bell to bring the Cornhuskers within three with 6:52 remaining but their final two possessions came up empty.

Kessler hit Jackson with a 71-yard catch-and-run score to give the Trojans a 31-17 advantage in the third quarter and Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah answered with a 20-yard scamper before Allen scored on a 44-yard jaunt to get USC’s lead back to 14. Kessler connected with Bryce Dixon on a 20-yard TD to make it 45-27 with 2:03 left in the quarter before Armstrong found Jordan Westerkamp wide open on a 65-yard scoring play to bring the Cornhuskers within 11.

Armstrong threw first-quarter touchdown passes to Bell and De’Mornay Pierson-El to give Nebraska a 17-10 lead with USC’s touchdown occurring on a 98-yard kickoff return from Jackson. Kessler threw a tying touchdown pass of 17 yards to Agholor early in the second quarter and Allen scored on a 2-yard run as the Trojans led 24-17 at halftime.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Nebraska’s Kieron Williams blocked the punt of USC’s Kris Albarado in the third quarter to set up a field goal. … Jackson caught three passes for 73 yards and returned three kickoffs for 131 yards. … Cornhuskers OT Alex Lewis caught an apparent backward pass and advanced it for an 8-yard score but the officials ruled that the pass from Armstrong wasn’t backward.