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Hoping to return to national elite, USC defense, Miller Moss face first test against LSU

LOS ANGELES — For as long as he can remember, Miller Moss always wanted to play for Southern California.

He got to witness USC’s quarterback legacy be carried by Matt Barkley and Sam Darnold, and the hometown kid appeared to be in line to be the next signal-caller when the four-star recruit walked onto campus in 2021.

Moss had to sit behind Kedon Slovis and Jaxson Dart his freshman year, and even though both departed the program at the end of the season, then came the hiring of Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma. A few months later, Riley brought in Caleb Williams, his former quarterback with the Sooners, reigniting the program in his two seasons in Los Angeles with a Heisman Trophy and proving why he was selected first overall in the 2024 NFL draft.

At any point, Moss could have been like the plethora of quarterbacks in recent years to transfer to a team they had a realistic shot of starting for. No one would have blamed him for doing so.

But Moss was undeterred. He knew he would get a chance.

Now it has arrived. Moss will be the starting quarterback for No. 23 USC faces No. 12 LSU in Las Vegas on Sunday to open the 2024 season, the first in the Big Ten for a storied program out to prove it’s return to being a national power.

In a fast-paced, constantly evolving world, patience worked.

“I tried to approach it just like, if I keep doing the right things, if I keep showing up to work hard, if I keep investing in my team and myself, then my time will come,” Moss told USA TODAY Sports. “It’s worked out to this point.”

As much as Riley said it was a battle for the starting job between Moss and UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava, Moss practically solidified his spot on the depth chart after his breakout performance in the 2023 Holiday Bowl.

Playing in place of Williams, Moss threw darts and torched Louisville for 372 yards and a…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/hoping-return-national-elite-usc-110158910.html

Author : USA TODAY Sports

Publish date : 2024-09-01 11:01:58

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