USC QB Miller Moss sets Holiday Bowl record in place of Caleb Williams as Trojans cruise past Louisville

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Amid heavy speculation that USC coach Lincoln Riley will dip into the transfer portal to find his 2024 starting quarterback, a current member of the roster just announced himself as a contender to take the role. In his first collegiate start, redshirt sophomore Miller Moss set a Holiday Bowl record six touchdowns, leading USC to a 42-28 victory over No. 15 Louisville.

Playing in front of an audience of 35,317 at PETCO Park that included former USC quarterbacks Matt Leinart, Caleb Williams and Cody Kessler, Moss looked like the heir to the Trojans signal caller legacy. He quickly shook off the nerves that were apparent during an opening three-and-out and, by halftime, had tied the Holiday Bowl record for touchdown passes (four). It gave USC a 28-14 lead after the Trojans found themselves down 7-0 in the opening minutes of the contest. 

The fourth was nothing short of attention-grabbing. Scrambling under pressure, Moss found wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane 31 yards away in the end zone to put USC back up by two touchdowns with less than 30 seconds until halftime. 

Moss then took sole possession of the Holiday Bowl record when he found Lane again — this time on a 12-yard strike — with 4:51 to play in the third quarter. He added a sixth touchdown pass on a 44-yard bomb to Duce Robinson at the 10-minute mark of the fourth quarter, putting the Trojans up by multiple scores for good against a Louisville squad that threatened to mount a comeback more than once, but never got over the hump. 

USC’s Holiday Bowl victory served as the Trojans’ first bowl game win since they beat Penn State in the Rose Bowl at the conclusion of the 2016 season. Prior to Wednesday, USC had lost three straight bowl games, including a pair of Cotton Bowl trips (2017, 2022) and a Holiday Bowl appearance in 2019. 

Moss makes case as USC’s future at QB

Moss was the only realistic option at QB1 for the Trojans. Star signal caller and 2022 Heisman winner Caleb Williams opted out of the game as most expect him to declare for the 2024 NFL Draft and thus bring an end to Williams’ collegiate career. Uncertainty at quarterback only intensified when true freshman Malachi Nelson — a five-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting cycle and the heir-apparent to Williams — entered the transfer portal in the weeks ahead of the Holiday Bowl.

However, if USC had any plans to seriously explore the transfer portal in finding its future at the position, they may be tabled — or at least toned down — after the performance Moss delivered on Wednesday. He ended the night completing 23 of 33 pass attempts for 372 yards, and his six touchdowns tied both a USC and Pac-12 bowl game record. Moss wasn’t rattled either; not when the Trojans struggled to find the scoreboard early and not when he committed his lone interception of the game at the 1-yard line early in the third quarter, negating a chance for USC to potentially put the game away. 

With the number of experienced signal-callers currently in the transfer portal, Riley and his staff will certainly have options as the program prepares for its inaugural Big Ten season in 2024. However, Moss just made it clear he can be a factor in whatever competition unfolds after making the most of his opportunity in San Diego.