By Kyle Golik
It’s tough enough to try to be able to be the starting quarterback at Southern California and it is only compounded by the standard head coach Lincoln Riley has set in his short career. To me, it is college football’s top glamor position and one where mediocrity is not acceptable.
Junior quarterback Miller Moss seemed poised to be the next one. Moss set a Southern California bowl record with six touchdown passes in the Holiday Bowl, and followed up in a titanic neutral site clash with LSU in Las Vegas where Moss completed 27 for 36 passes for 378 yards and a touchdown.
The anticipation leading up to Michigan was Southern California seemed ready for the rigors of Big Ten play and had all the pieces to challenge for conference supremacy. It looked like the Trojans had the defending national champions in a vulnerable position after the ambush Texas had executed two weeks prior and with an impromptu quarterback change, it seemed like a golden opportunity for Southern California.
What the Trojans learned in The Big House was in the Big Ten, games are won in thenches and the quirkiest things happen. If you would have told Riley Michigan would only get 32 yards passing through the air, he would probably like his chances.
Southern California had plenty of chances and took advantage of opportunities to challenge deficits of 14-0 and 20-10 at various junctions of the game, but seemingly two things couldn’t happen for Riley’s known potent offenses: they couldn’t protect Moss and Moss himself couldn’t execute in the critical moments.
One of the major talking points during the preseason, including at Big Ten Media Days, was Southern California was bulking up in the trenches, something Moss welcomed. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen as Moss got hit 10 times and was sacked four times.
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Michigan linebacker Josiah Stewart had a Lawrence Taylor-esque performance with four quarterback hits, three tackles for losses, two sacks, and a forced fumble, who treated the Trojan tackles like an out of order subway turnstile that gave no recourse, and it forced Riley to make changes on the offensive line throughout the game.
Moss seemed to overcome the ferocious Wolverine pass rush in rallying back the Trojans. It really seemed when Moss connected with wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane on a 24-yard touchdown pass to put Southern California up 24-20 midway through the fourth quarter, it seemed the Trojans had broken through.
Moss had some really good throws and decisions he made throughout the game. On the Duce Robinson touchdown in the third quarter, that may have been the cleanest pocket Moss had to operate in all day, the read, the throw was on. The play for me that impressed me the most was on the Jay Fair touchdown near the end of the third quarter. Michigan nickel back Zeke Berry blitzed Moss, and typically in the past three seasons where Michigan has had one of the best defensive units, that pass was either incomplete or the defensive back got the sack. Moss was able to make the quick read and throw to Fair for the touchdown.
On the flip side, the Will Johnson pick-six was by far and away the worst. Moss was completely baited by Johnson, who is one of the few corners who could jump the throw like he did and make the interception. While it was Moss’ lone turnover, Moss flirted with the interception fire a few times during his brief tenure as the Trojans starter, but opposing teams haven’t been able to make him pay like Johnson was able to. This throw was not recognizing where Johnson was on the field, and that was the fatal error.
Following the game, Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore said defensive coach Wink Martindale predicted Johnson would make a splash play, “It’s funny you say that. Two drives before that, Wink’s like, ‘He’s going to get one. They’re going to test him. He’s going to get one.”
Will Johnson pick 6! pic.twitter.com/o0kfJ0LyTC
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) September 21, 2024
I felt Moss had a share of being culpable on the Trojans final play to Ja’Kobi Lane where the throw and receiver were both short to gain on the fourth and nine. The situational awareness by both players cost the Trojans what slim opportunity they had to comeback against Michigan late in the fourth quarter.
Moss took ownership during postgame, “Defense played their ass off. We didn’t help them out in the first half,…we gotta be better, especially me,” Moss said, “We just didn’t settle in offensively till halfway through the second quarter. . . .I feel like I cost our team in a big way, turning the ball over.”
It’s easy to pick on Moss, considering the following the offensive line was barely able to protect him and their deficiencies weren’t exclusive to the passing game, the running game was abysmal. Outside of Woody Marks 65-yard run in the third quarter, the ground game was not a factor.
I asked Moss about his relationship with Riley at Big Ten Media Days back in July, “I think it’s hard to really gain coach Riley’s trust without being thrown into the fire, fully. Obviously like you can play lights out in practice,” Moss said. “To fully own coach Riley’s trust, I think you have to be thrown into the fire, have live bullets coming at you. Me and coach Riley have been through a lot together and I think that has only strengthened our relationship.”
I feel Moss has Riley’s trust, and this was Moss’ first time the bullets have been able to penetrate his proverbial shield. While Moss took a lot ownership for the Trojans shortcomings in Ann Arbor, Riley now has to fix what is wrong around Moss because he is the answer for the Trojans.
