USC Football: Miller Moss Ready For First Season As Full-Time Starter

Moss is optimistic USC can compete for a CFP national championship.

Dec 27, 2023; San Diego, CA, USA; USC Trojans quarterback Miller Moss (7) gestures during a running play against the Louisville Cardinals in the second half at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports / Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Redshirt junior USC Trojans quarterback Miller Moss, who had been languishing as now-Chicago Bears No.1 draft pick Caleb Williams' backup for years, is finally going to get his shot leading the Cardinal and Gold this fall.

Lincoln Riley's new-look squad is hoping to improve on its 8-5 finish to the 2023 season under Miller, and with a revamped defense. The 21-year-old seems to have the goods to potentially deliver in that department.

With Williams unavailable, Moss made his debut start during the 2023 Holiday Bowl, throwing six touchdowns and earning the offensive MVP award while guiding the club to a 42-28 victory.

During a recent appearance on "Next Up With Adam Breneman," Moss unpacked his own preparations to replace Williams this year.

“I think the biggest thing for me is trying to be whoever this team needs me to be to put us in the position to have success,” Moss said. “We had certain shortcomings the year before and I think those areas need to be addressed, and I try my best. But we also have a great supporting cast of leadership.”

“I don’t think that responsibility solely falls on my shoulders,” Moss added. “I think, yes, I’m a big part of that, and I want to be a big part of that. But I think there’s a general, great supporting cast of leadership on this team that we can all rely on.”

Moss is also optimistic USC can compete for a CFP national championship.

“I think it’s all about how we come together as a team and how we face adversity. I think that’s one thing that we didn’t do well last year. Once we had kind of a couple tough games, you saw that team, in the face of difficult circumstances, wasn’t able to respond well. I think that’s really the crux of whether our team will succeed. Because those moments come up in games. There are very pivotal inflection points in those games where you go one of two ways. I think training ourselves and putting ourselves in those difficult situations as much as possible, so when the time comes, we can have that correct response. I think that’s the biggest thing for us.”

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