USC Football: Lincoln Riley Explains New Starter Miller Moss's Holiday Bowl Opportunity

Miller is ready for his opportunity as the QB1

Today will be the final time we see your 2023 USC Trojans as we know them. Your Trojans are set to take on the ACC runner-ups, the 15th-ranked Louisville Cardinals. 

The Trojans are entering this game losing four of their last five games, one of which included their demoralizing regular season finale loss to their cross-town rivals, the UCLA Bruins. 

This time, the Trojans won't have their Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, Caleb Williams, for this game. Instead, they will have their backup quarterback, sophomore Miller Moss, under center. 

USC head coach Lincoln Riley spoke with The Los Angeles Times' Thuc Nhi Nguyen on Tuesday and said he believes Moss is ready for the challenge ahead of him. 

“He understands the opportunity that’s here,” Riley said Tuesday during the pre-bowl news conference. “You could argue he’s been waiting for three years for an opportunity like this. He’s very ready to play and guys are ready to play around him.”

(per Thuc Nhi Nguyen of The Los Angeles Times)

This will be the first time Moss will be the QB1 in his college career. He didn't need to worry about all of that before, as they were fortunate enough to have Willaims at the helm. It is Moss's team, and they'll need him to play like it. 

In limited action in 2023, Miller threw for 309 yards, one touchdown, zero interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 80.9. Williams won't be out there to save the day, so the team and Riley will look to Moss, and by all indications, they seem to have total confidence in their new QB1. 

I guess you can say it's "Miller Time" for the USC Trojans.