Miller Moss shares his mindset ahead of bowl game

The Caleb Williams era is over for USC, with the former Heisman Trophy winner not playing in the bowl game against Louisville. Head coach Lincoln Riley is searching for a new quarterback in the NCAA transfer portal but has to deal with his current roster at the moment. Miller Moss is expected to get the start, the first of his college career.

Moss has been the Trojans backup all season but now has an opportunity ahead of him. He was asked about his mindset heading into the Dec. 27 matchup, saying nothing is going to be different from his perspective. The goal is to win and him being the starter is not going to change his preparation.

“I think — just try to treat it like any other game,” Moss said. “Obviously excited about the opportunity but not going to make it more than it is. We have a game to prepare for and do everything we can to win it.”

Just four games were played this season by Moss, with three coming in the opening portion of the schedule. He was efficient when called upon though, completing 23 of 32 pass attempts, going for 309 yards and a touchdown. Two rushing attempts resulted in touchdowns both times as well, proving his worth when a play breaks down.

The Holiday Bowl is going to be a little different. Moss will be running the entire offense for four quarters and not playing in garbage time. In a year where USC fell short of expectations, finding a way to close the season out with a ranked win would be huge for confidence inside of the program.

Moss can build personal confidence too. He is likely heading into a quarterback competition this spring with whoever Riley brings in from the portal.

Sure an experienced player might jump on board but Miller has plenty of hype coming out of high school himself a few years ago.

Moss played high school football at Mission Hills (CA) Bishop Alemany, where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 79 overall recruit in the 2021 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Opportunity awaits and nearly a month will pass before getting there. Moss is making sure he remains level-headed and prepares as he normally does. To him, getting a win matters more than anything else.