Alamo Bowl: USC WR Jaden Richardson offers late catch of the year candidate

Alamo Bowl: USC WR Jaden Richardson offers late catch of the year candidate
Alamo Bowl: USC WR Jaden Richardson offers late catch of the year candidate

TCU cornerback Channing Canada seemed pretty confident he had successfully defended USC wide receiver Jaden Richardson. Then the field judge gave him the bad news.

On a push in the end zone by Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava, seemingly destined to bounce out of bounds, Richardson handed over a late contender for catch of the year honors with a one-handed issue in the Alamo Bowl. It was the first touchdown of his two-year career at USC.

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To be fair to Canada, who confidently made the incomplete gesture, it sure looked like the pass was incomplete. The referee, however, saw Richardson put his left foot down just as the ball arrived.

The result was a go-ahead touchdown for USC, which entered the game 9-3 and looking for reason for optimism after a second year in the Big Ten.

Richardson, a redshirt senior, joined the program as a transfer from Tufts in 2024 and entered the bowl season seventh on the team in receiving yards with 117. He was a secondary part of the Trojans’ offense at best for most of the season, but Biletnikoff Award winner Makai Lemon and No. 2 receiver J’Kobi Lane opted to skip the Alamo Bowl, leaving behind many objectives.

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Richardson certainly made the most of what he got, as did true freshman Tanook Hines, who had 163 receiving yards on six receptions in three and a half quarters.

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