NCAA Game Summary - Nebraska vs. USC

San Diego, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Cody Kessler had three touchdown passes and Javorius Allen ran for two scores as 24th-ranked Southern California held off No. 25 Nebraska, 45-42, in a wild Holiday Bowl.

Kessler finished 23-of-39 for 321 yards with an interception. Allen carried the ball 26 times for 152 yards for the Trojans (9-4), who won their sixth bowl game in the last seven tries. Adoree' Jackson scored on a 98-yard kickoff return and caught a 71-yard TD pass.

"We make it entertaining for everybody," USC coach Steve Sarkisian said. "I think it sends a pretty good message of the type of program that we have. That we're an exciting brand of football."

The Cornhuskers (9-4), guided by interim coach Barney Cotton, nearly rallied from an 18-point, second-half deficit in a game the teams combined for 1,040 yards.

Instead of attempting the tying field goal, Nebraska ran the ball on 4th-and-3 from the USC 31 with 2:35 left. De'Mornay Pierson-El rushed to the left, but Leon McQuay III came from across the field to make the tackle for a 1- yard gain.

Nebraska was down to one timeout, which allowed USC to run out most of the remaining time.

The Cornhuskers got the ball at their 32 following a punt and a 15-yard USC penalty with 17 seconds left. Kenny Bell was able to get out of bounds at the Nebraska 44 with one second left. USC players had already flooded the field before a video review showed Bell fell out of bounds.

Tommy Armstrong Jr.'s final pass went short of the end zone and was knocked out of bounds by USC receiver Nelson Agholor.

"I think they were everything we thought they would be, they were physical and skilled," Cotton said of the Trojans. "I thought it was a good battle out there. It was a heck of a football game."

Armstrong completed 32-of-51 for 381 yards with three TDs and an interception. Ameer Abdullah rushed 27 times for 88 yards and a score, while Pierson-El had eight receptions for 102 yards and a touchdown.

Cotton, who has been on the staff as an associate head coach for the past seven seasons, replaced the fired Bo Pelini. The Cornhuskers let Pelini go on Nov. 30 despite winning at least nine games in each of his seven seasons at the school. Mike Riley, who spent 14 seasons at Oregon State, was named the new Cornhuskers coach earlier this month and watched the game from a skybox.

Poor pass coverage led to Jordan Westerkamp's 65-yard TD reception with 24 seconds left in the third quarter that brought Nebraska within 45-34.

Nebraska came up just short on a 4th down pass from Armstrong to Bell with 11:39 left, but the Cornhuskers got the ball back after a punt and their sophomore QB made a sparkling play to get his team closer. Armstrong hit Abdullah for 33 yards, and later on 4th-and-2 from the USC 15, faked a pitch during an option run and rumbled 15 yards to the end zone.

Armstrong's pass to Bell for the 2-point conversion had Nebraska within 45-52 with 6:52 remaining.

USC went 3-and-out on its next possession, but instead of going for the tie, McQuay made the big stop.

Drew Brown kicked a 34-yard field goal to get the scoring started, but Jackson returned the ensuing kickoff 98 yards. Jackson found a seam up the middle and cut to the right, and made a celebratory flip just as he reached the end zone with 4:06 elapsed.

Nebraska went back in front less than three minutes later. The Cornhuskers were flagged for an ineligible man downfield on what looked like a lateral that wound up going for a touchdown. Offensive lineman Alex Lewis was alone on the left side and appeared to be behind the line of scrimmage when he caught the ball and rumbled to the end zone on a third-down play. After a false start pushed the ball back to the 13, Bell made a diving catch on the right side of the end zone to give Nebraska a 10-7 edge.

Andre Heidari split the uprights from 42 yards away to tie the game, but Nebraska soared ahead again with 1:25 left in the opening quarter on Armstrong's 9-yard TD connection to Pierson-El.

The Trojans had eight penalties in the first quarter, but they managed to go ahead 24-17 with 6:39 left in the half on Allen's 2-yard TD run. Before that, Agholor caught a 17-yard TD pass.

Armstrong then moved his team deep into USC territory, but his pass across the field was picked off by a diving Su'a Cravens at the 12. Replays appeared to show the ball hit the ground as Cravens was making the grab, although the call was confirmed after a video replay.

USC widened the gap to two TDs when Jackson caught a short pass on the right side of the field, then outraced defenders for a 71-yard scoring play three minutes into the third quarter.

Abdullah cut the deficit to 31-24 just over two minutes later on a 20-yard TD run to the right, but a 44-yard run up the middle by Allen with 8:06 left in the third restored the two-score margin.

USC's Kris Albarado had a punt blocked later in the third quarter, but the Cornhuskers only turned it into three points. Nebraska faced a fourth down at the 2 and decided to go for a TD, but the snap from center went off Armstrong's facemask and Abdullah was tackled in the backfield. The Cornhuskers got a reprieve thanks to a false start penalty, which led to Brown's 24-yard field goal.

The Trojans needed just two plays to expand their lead to 45-27. Kessler hit freshman JuJu Smith with a 45-yard bomb, and Bryce Dixon was left alone over the middle for a 20-yard scoring reception with 2:03 remaining.