Miller Moss Leads USC In 2nd Half Comeback

No. 13 USC comes alive for 38-21 thrashing of Wisconsin

Trojans outscore the Badgers 28-0 in the second half to notch their first Big Ten win Saturday at the Coliseum

USC quarterback Miller Moss looks to fire a pass against Wisconsin on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
USC QB Miller Moss sets to fire a pass downfield against Wisconsin earlier today at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)

Luca Evans (OC Register)  —  LOS ANGELES — For years buried in the deep sand of USC’s quarterback room, biding time until the ball fell into his hands, Miller Moss would internalize a consistent message preached by his head coach.

A team, Lincoln Riley would tell the group, looks to its quarterback for their identity.

For an entire half, in Saturday’s home opener against Wisconsin, USC looked utterly lost in every possible facet. Coverages were blown. Punts were muffed. Offensive-line assignments were blown, passes were dropped, Moss himself was picked off on an ill-advised throw, and USC trudged into the tunnel – on their home turf – to a cacophony of boos ringing out around the Coliseum.

But this USC team, Moss emphasized last week, is tough. And they are tough, in many ways, because of their veteran leader behind center, the kid who didn’t press Riley for snaps and didn’t run and entrenched himself at the center of his program. And after that listless first half, Moss absorbed blitzes and blows in the second half in firing lasers short and long, captaining 13th-ranked USC to a complete momentum shift in a 38-21 win over Wisconsin.

Sophomore wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane had a breakout performance, often keeping USC’s offense afloat with 10 catches for 108 yards. Moss finished 30 of 45 for 308 yards, three touchdowns, one interception and one twisting fourth-quarter rushing touchdown to give the Trojans a 31-21 lead.

On the subsequent drive, a tipped pass fluttered into linebacker Mason Cobb’s hands for his second interception of the year, the linebacker promptly whizzing 55 yards and tumbling into the end zone for the backbreaker.

This program was primed for an exorcism Saturday, a chance to shed a week and a year’s worth of frustration in front of an announced sold-out crowd at the Coliseum. His program had played a “C-level game,” as Riley put it, against Michigan the week prior, and yet fought valiantly in a 27-24 loss.

Motivation was there, for the taking, coming off a heartbreaker. Motivation was there, for the taking, with the return of Alex Grinch, the much-maligned defensive coordinator making his return to the Coliseum as Wisconsin’s safeties coach. Motivation was there, for the taking, with Saturday pride, the program’s first Big Ten home opener.

They came away haunted, in the first half, by a laundry list of unforced errors that led to jeers at the Coliseum. In the first quarter, after a dot of a first-drive touchdown ball from quarterback Miller Moss to Ja’Kobi Lane (8), Wisconsin receiver Vinny Anthony responded by dusting USC cornerback Jacobe Covington for a 63-yard score.

Moss was picked off. Branch misplayed a punt. USC tackle Elijah Paige and left guard Emmanuel Pregnon attempted to block the same Wisconsin rusher on one second-quarter play that led directly to Moss getting crunched in a forced-fumble sack. He lay spread-eagle, for a moment, USC stunned with a 21-10 deficit in a first half in which everything that could’ve possibly gone wrong did.

Momentum quickly changed hands in the third quarter, though, as a punt dribbled out of a Wisconsin returner’s hands directly into the waiting arms of USC long snapper Hank Pepper. And Moss went to work, relying heavily on Lane, who absorbed hits over the middle all afternoon and popped up with joy buzzing through every vein of his 6-foot-4 frame.

After two massive first-down tosses, Moss found Lane again on a perfectly-placed floater from the six-yard line to cut Wisconsin’s lead to four. A drive later – and a second straight drive-stopping tackle from stalwart USC safety Kamari Ramsey – Moss hung in against a blitz and lofted a 32-yard beauty to sophomore Duce Robinson, who stretched for every inch his 6-foot-6 frame could muster to pull the toss to earth.

Moss stood tall again a few plays later in the red zone, absorbing an all-out Badger blitz and whizzing a strike in the tightest of end-zone windows for Robinson to give USC the lead.

And in the fourth quarter, as the game hung in the balance, Moss kept a play-action look and spun away from Wisconsin’s Hunter Wohler. He twisted away, extending just over the goal line as he was crunched to the turf in a sheer display of toughness, the Badgers’ hopes of a comeback left in the dust with Wohler.

Moss was taken briefly to the medical tent after the rushing touchdown but returned to play.

While USC came away with a spread-beating win, the first half was hardly how USC hoped to open Big Ten play at the Coliseum.

It was also a reminder of how quickly the Trojans could fall into the pattern of inconsistent, disappointing play that constantly plagued them a year ago.

ocregister.com

___________

TrojanDailyBlog members —  We always encourage you to add factual information, insight, divergent opinions, or new topics to the TDB that don’t necessarily pertain to any particular moderator post or member comment.

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UtahTrojan
Noble Genius
UtahTrojan
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September 29, 2024 10:20 am

I was proven wrong yesterday and did not see the end of the game until this morning. This team has got to play a full 60 minutes, I don’t have enough meds for this shit. Moss has truly turned into a leader.

USC1988
Noble Genius
USC1988
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September 29, 2024 11:36 am
Reply to  UtahTrojan

Was expecting a slow start … but not that slow. MM needs to take care of the ball better and stop falling down when barely grazed (that just gets simpletons like Danielson into the ‘Welcome to the Big 10’ BS). But he keeps getting better and better, what a leader.
Lane, Hudson, and Duce continue to star. Soon keying on Branch will not happen but Zach got to get it figured those kicks. When Lemon gets back give that dawg a bone, he is tough as nails.

Golden Trojan
Major Genius
September 29, 2024 8:01 am

College Game Day will be out to the West Coast next week for the Miami at Cal game! Huh? Yeah it will be rockin’ in Berkeley at 6am!

USC1988
Noble Genius
USC1988
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September 29, 2024 11:37 am
Reply to  Golden Trojan

That show ran its course 10 years ago

John Weld
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Noble Genius
John Weld
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September 29, 2024 7:43 am

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TrojanRon
Noble Genius
TrojanRon
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September 28, 2024 11:56 pm

USC should move up in the polls as #10 Utah was just upset by unranked Arizona. Earlier, #6 Ole Miss fell to Kentucky. Fight On!

USC1988
Noble Genius
USC1988
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September 29, 2024 11:38 am
Reply to  TrojanRon

Goatboy Kiffin lol … plays someone with a pulse and loses at home. Typical. Born loser.

RialtoTrojan
Noble Genius
RialtoTrojan
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September 28, 2024 11:00 pm

I was thinking about what someone said late during the game (here at TDB) that this might be the new normal tanking the first half and adjusting in the second.
This may make sense because our coaches on defense are new to the big 10. The problem is they need to figure things out sooner. The pattern needs to end. Watch mor film log the tendencies and come out swinging. USC doesn’t need to be coy in the B1G. One thing is for sure the refs are just as bad if not worse than the PAC 12 refs.

Golden Trojan
Major Genius
September 29, 2024 7:45 am
Reply to  RialtoTrojan

Time will tell if this is a pattern or not. Michigan won by the same score 2 weeks in a row, probably won’t continue. Last week, 110 thousand fans and a big strong team put USC on their heels. As for yesterday, it seems 12:30 starts at the Coli are too early for LA. The crowd arrives late and half asleep. The players may have felt the same and stiff from last week. The great news is the coaches can change up the game plan at half time on both sides of the ball and the players respond. Next weeks… Read more »

USC1988
Noble Genius
USC1988
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September 29, 2024 11:39 am
Reply to  Golden Trojan

SC games should be at 4 and 6 … end of story

Jamaica
Noble Genius
Jamaica
Online
September 28, 2024 9:53 pm

Got to stop wasting the 1st half of football having to come from behind. Hope Gentry’s neck injury isn’t serious.

Jalenbuck1
Genius Member
Jalenbuck1
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September 28, 2024 6:46 pm

not sure it was a thrashing, I wonder if the early start times is affecting them, 2nd half was a thrashing.

Chris
Major Genius
Chris
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September 28, 2024 5:50 pm

College football fans are great. Just jumped on a Georgia board to see if they are equally crazy , turns out they are more crazy. They want Kirby to clean house and fire everyone. New QB, better D, all of it. This game will be close in 4th qtr. Georgia is way too good to roll over.

USC1988
Noble Genius
USC1988
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September 29, 2024 11:42 am
Reply to  Chris

Good call there … DeBoer looked like death those final minutes.
Saban quitting saved Milroe’s career, now way under him does that kid play like this. Most exciting player in college football! Except maybe that Boise back. Let’s portal that kid next year!!

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