Fatigue was setting in. Faith, ever fragile, was fading. USC’s revamped defense had held tough. Its new starting quarterback had looked comfortable. But USC’s grasp on its season opener had been slipping away since halftime. One drive, done in by a botched trick play. Another swallowed up by a fourth-down swat.
Still, Miller Moss remained undeterred. More than nine months had passed since the quarterback’s memorable Holiday Bowl debut, long enough to wonder if his six-score performance was merely a bowl-season mirage. But at no point since, nor in any moment Sunday in his second-ever start, did Moss himself waver. Not even as Louisiana State defenders barreled towards him on third down in the fourth quarter, forcing him to fling a prayer into the corner of the end zone.
That prayer would find its answer, along with a few others Sunday, landing softly in the hands of Ja’Kobi Lane for a touchdown that turned the tides in a tide-turning sort of win for USC. Poise turned to jubilation for Moss, as he pumped his fists, roaring to the highest reaches of Allegiant Stadium, his gutsy performance having secured USC a season-opening, 27-20 victory over LSU.
It marked USC’s first win over an SEC opponent in nearly 20 years. But more importantly, for Lincoln Riley, it was proof of concept that the changes he made have indeed put USC closer to the College Football Playoff.
“We know what we’ve been building,” the Trojans coach said. “I know we’re making progress.”
More was still needed after that stunning score, as its defense held on against LSU deep in its own territory, forcing a game-tying field goal, and Moss maneuvered the Trojans down the field, completing five of six, before Woody Marks burst through a crease for his second touchdown run.
USC wide receiver Kyron Hudson makes a one-handed catch for 24 yards in front of LSU safety Major Burns and linebacker West Weeks, left, during the first half Sunday.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
After an offseason of uncertainty and unanswered questions, Sunday made for a resounding response against the 13th-ranked Tigers, the first time in his three regular seasons at USC that Riley beat a team ranked higher than his own.
He had his new defensive coordinator, D’Anton Lynn, to thank in part for that, as USC’s defense held an opposing offense to 20 points or less for the first time since last September. The Trojans still gave up 421 yards, but LSU averaged a mere 6.6 yards per play, a major improvement from much of last season.
USC’s tackling, a sore spot for the better part of a decade, was night-and-day different. The run defense, which was regularly run over last season, held LSU to 117 yards on the ground, much of which came on four plays.
“This new defensive identity is way different,” defensive end Braylan Shelby said. “We knew what we had. We knew what we had to do. And we just went out there and did it.”
Moss took full advantage of those stops when he got them, completing 27 of 36 passes for 378 yards and a touchdown. Where LSU kept conservative with quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, Moss let it rip early and often, completing 12 passes of 20 yards or more.
But it was his poise late that was especially eye-opening. Twice on USC’s clinching drive, Moss snuck a bullet pass between two defenders. Earlier in the game, he threw into a crowd of LSU defenders to find wideout Kyron Hudson for a leaping, one-handed grab.
“I got a lot of belief in him,” Riley said. “He’s a tough competitor, man. That’s what he’s proven.”
USC wide receiver Zachariah Branch avoids a tackle attempt by LSU linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. after making a catch in the first half.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Nussmeier seemed well on his way to proving himself Sunday, too, as he moved the Tigers methodically down the field early. Getting rid of the ball quickly, he initially neutralized USC’s pass rush with a barrage of short and intermediate passes, extending four drives in the first half to eight plays or longer.
But after a 13-play LSU drive to open the game, USC’s defense came up with a critical stop on fourth down, inside their own 3-yard line. Lynn dialed up a inside linebacker blitz, and Mason Cobb delivered, forcing an errant throw to end the drive.
The moment would loom large, as neither team led by more than a touchdown the rest of the evening.
USC managed to punch it in just once in the first half, after two drives were stopped deep in the red zone. The first, jump-started by an electric return from Zachariah Branch, stalled at the five-yard line and resulted in a field goal. The second, in the final seconds of the first half, wasn’t so fortunate, as new kicker Michael Lantz missed an easy kick from 29 yards.
It was exactly the sort of setback that might have sent USC spiraling in the past. Not Sunday.
“Our identity really showed through,” Moss said.
Even after LSU mounted a third-quarter touchdown drive, USC’s defense regrouped and clamped down, holding LSU to just 16 yards over its next two drives.
“There’s a vibe and a confidence about that group right now, and we’re just only going to get better,” Riley said. “It was cool to see in that moment, in that arena, us believing it as much as we did.”
And if Sunday is any indication, belief won’t be limited to USC’s locker room for long.
