Miller Moss learned a tough truth about being the starting quarterback at USC over the past month: Being the starter at the most important position on the field will lead to a tidal wave of criticism when things go wrong. To be sure, Moss did make some key mistakes in the Trojans‘ recent run of losses. Moss could have made some better throws late against Penn State. His interception at Maryland was a pivotal play in a close loss. He is not exempt from blame when considering why this USC season has fallen short. Yet, his superb performance against Rutgers on Friday night should be instructive for anyone who wanted Jayden Maiava to replace Moss at quarterback.
Some USC football fans got ahead of themselves in the offseason when they said Miller Moss would be better than Caleb Williams. This line of thought emerged because everyone saw Moss throw checkdowns and play responsible football in the Holiday Bowl against Louisville. He did things Caleb didn’t do. He ran the offense instead of playing hero ball. It was attractive and exciting to see a quarterback trust Lincoln Riley’s system. The Moss hype train gained momentum after the very impressive Week 1 showing against LSU.
Yet, for all of Moss’ strengths, it was always true that, believe it or not, he wasn’t Caleb Williams. He was not a No. 1 overall NFL draft pick. He wasn’t even a first-round draft pick. We all had to realize who Miller Moss was … and wasn’t. Friday against Rutgers, the truth about Miller Moss emerged in full. Let’s talk about that truth after USC’s comfortable win:
FIRST THINGS FIRST — RUTGERS IS BAD
We have to start our discussion by acknowledging the obvious: Rutgers is bad. The Scarlet Knights gave us a warning about how bad they were when they lost at home to UCLA. That should have served as a big, red, flashing light indicating how weak Greg Schiano’s team and defense truly were. We won’t suggest that Miller Moss took down a quality opponent in this game. We’re not going to go overboard in our praise of Moss. We’re not going to slip into hyperbole and embellishment. However, Moss’s excellence still serves to underscore some very important points about this team and about USC football on a broader level.
OFFENSIVE LINE CONTROLS THE GAME
Yes, Rutgers is bad. That said, USC’s offensive line did dominate in the trenches. Guys owned their assignments and matchups. This is how USC is supposed to look.
All of this reinforces the basic truth we have been preaching about from the rooftops all offseason: If the offensive line is right, it all comes together beautifully and the Trojans get their intended result.
LINCOLN RILEY SYSTEM
Isn’t it notable that when the offensive line kicks butt, the USC offense comes together and no one is complaining about Lincoln Riley? Funny how that works. Hashtag #Math.
Riley’s play-calling really wasn’t the main issue in recent losses. It was the offensive line not stepping up in game-defining moments. Hopefully we can all see that now. Genius play-calling won’t hold with bad offensive line play. The line is what needed to be sorted out, not Riley’s play mixture.
MOSS GOT HELP, FINALLY
We pounded the table all summer on this point: Miller Moss needed help. Give him help and he will thrive. Don’t help him and he will struggle. It was — and is — that simple. Against Rutgers, Moss’s 10 teammates helped him out a lot, better than in any other non-Utah State game this season.
Moss was not holding this team back. The other 10 guys — mostly the offensive linemen — were holding the team back. As soon as the line improved, Moss soared and put up video-game numbers. These things are related. (Math!)
WOODY MARKS, MAGNIFIED
The offensive line playing great enabled Woody Marks to be exponentially more effective. Imagine that! These things are not that complicated after all!
BIG PICTURE
The big picture at USC hasn’t changed from the past few weeks, but maybe now that we have seen Miller Moss play a great game (albeit against a bad defense), we can understand what this program and Lincoln Riley need to do.
USC dominated Rutgers. That doesn’t mean USC is ready to dominate a good opponent, but it does mean that when USC can establish dominance, it can be ruthlessly potent and brutally effective. Can Riley and his staff upgrade the roster — chiefly the O-line — to the extent that USC can outplay good opponents? That is the task in front of this coaching staff.
CLOSING COMPARISON
An average USC team beat a bad Rutgers team by 22. The hope for USC is that it can improve its roster to the extent that next year, a 42-20 win will come against an above-average opponent.
USC played a B-level game against Rutgers. We will know that USC has returned to elite status when it wins 42-20 against a quality opponent and plays A-level football.
A good comparison: USC hammering Notre Dame in 2022 at the Coliseum. Another good comparison: USC blowing the doors off Washington State (winning by 27) in 2003.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Miller Moss performance against Rutgers should quiet his critics
