When No. 23 USC takes the field on Sunday to face No. 13 LSU in Las Vegas, it will do so with a new face at quarterback. With Caleb Williams off to the NFL, longtime backup Miller Moss is the heir to the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback as the Trojans look to reach the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history.
Moss made his lone start in the 2023 Holiday Bowl against Louisville, where he set a bowl record with six touchdown passes as part of a 372-yard day in the 42-28 victory. Moss entered fall camp as the heavy favorite to win the starting job and beat out UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava, who joined the Trojans after originally committing to Georgia out of the portal.
Moss, a former four-star prospect from the 2021 recruiting cycle, enrolled at USC before Riley’s arrival from Oklahoma. Moss saw limited action during his first three seasons, completing 43 of 59 passes for 542 yards and three touchdowns in a reserve role before his breakout bowl performance.
Two weeks before the Holiday Bowl, USC five-star quarterback Malachi Nelson, who many viewed as a top candidate to become Williams’ replacement, entered the transfer portal and enrolled at Boise State. Nelson just lost the starting quarterback competition to Maddux Madsen and will start this season as the backup.
Riley has a track record of developing quarterbacks, and getting Moss up to speed as the full-time starter could be the difference in USC having success in its first season as a member of the Big Ten or falling behind in the largest league in college football.
This will mark the first time under Riley that a starting quarterback will make his regular-season debut against a ranked opponent. Here is how Riley’s other quarterbacks fared in their…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/tracing-lincoln-rileys-qb-success-stories-in-first-regular-season-starts-as-miller-moss-debuts-vs-lsu/
Author : Cameron Salerno
Publish date : 2024-08-29 16:19:42
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