LOS ANGELES — Miller Moss began his long-awaited first press conference as the man stoic as ever, downplaying a titanic individual moment as any good leader would, until a shout from across the field brought a perfect dash of irony.
Never mind three years of sprouting in other quarterbacks’ shadows, scrapping and learning with a Heisman Trophy winner on USC’s Howard Jones Field when he could have been running first-team offenses across the country. Never mind three years of grinding for a starting shot that had finally materialized, two days after Christmas, a Holiday Bowl that could make his future. He was treating this Dec. 27, Moss began during Friday afternoon’s media availability, like any other game –
And then freshman wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane, pushing open the door to Howard Jones to make his exit, saw Moss and let out a gleeful rallying cry.
“Miller Time!”
And Moss burst into a grin for a moment, before launching back in.
“Obviously excited about the opportunity, but not gonna make it more than what it is,” Moss finished.
What it is, though, is plenty, both for him and for a jumbled roster in the midst of transitioning away from a slate that fell flat of expectations, both internal and external. The Holiday Bowl against Louisville, technically, is the final send-off for this 2023 group; really, though, as college football waits for no man, this USC bowl game is more akin to a preseason showcase for a transitionary 2024 season.
This roster is somewhat of a skeleton crew, a gathering of returners and youngsters bereft of the transfer-portal infusions that will replace departing starters. Caleb Williams is headed, for all intents and purposes, for an NFL Draft stage, and starting running back MarShawn Lloyd and receiver Brenden Rice could skip the bowl game alongside him. New defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn has hit the recruiting trail with aplomb, but he will wait in the wings in San Diego as he won’t call plays or trek the field against Louisville.
It leaves a chance for a few who have tantalized in limited minutes. Think freshman running back Quinten Joyner and receiver Lane. Think Moss, most of all, the longtime USC backup finally handed the keys to Coach Lincoln Riley’s offense, mentioning he “had more say” in the game plan against Louisville.
“I come out here every day and try to earn it and try to prove it,” Moss said, “so, it’s just, next opportunity.”
And a chance, too, for a host of defensive stalwarts like safety Jaylin Smith or edge rusher Jamil Muhammad who have decided to return to USC in hopes of erasing the bitter taste of this 2023 season.
“You would hate to have to go into next season,” Muhammad said, “thinking about the L you took.”
Muhammad, in particular, chose to return for “unfinished business,” he said Friday. And after a breakout six-sack season in 2023, he has already bought into Lynn’s expressed plans for more size up front: imploring he had to get bigger, faster and stronger during the upcoming offseason.
“I just, I have a lot left out there that I deserve to prove to myself,” Muhammad said.
The future beckons, eagerly. Few stakes are riding on this Holiday Bowl, beyond the chance to impress a few potential San Diego recruits. But importance still looms large, as an audition, for veterans like Moss; looms large as a shot of soap, too, for returners to wash their hands of 2023.
“I think ultimately, just finishing strong, it’s a character thing at this point,” Smith said Friday. “It’s who you are as a person, how you want to respond and how you want to finish, and how you want people to look at you. And so, I think ultimately, this is a good challenge for us.”
“Our guys,” he continued, “things didn’t go our way, so bowl game coming up on the 27th – how will we respond?”