Yogi Roth knows the true progression of a USC quarterback.
Roth served as an assistant quarterbacks coach with the Trojans during the Pete Carroll heyday in the early 2000s.
He cites two examples. Matt Leinart sat behind Carson Palmer, then had to beat out Matt Cassel. John David Booty sat behind Leinart, then beat out Mark Sanchez.
Leinart and Booty each led the Trojans to Rose Bowl victories against Michigan as part of that run. Roth, who made the move from Pac-12 Network to Big Ten Network analyst this offseason and is the host of the Y-Option podcast – recognizes that potential for the same pattern with USC quarterback Miller Moss in 2024.
"If you go back to the last few times that USC and Michigan played each other — there was a commonality with both starting quarterbacks similar to this weekend," Roth told Sporting News. "They sat and waited their turn, waited for their time, then when they played they absolutely cut it loose.
"There were no growing pains on the field and there were freshman lessons to be learned," he said. "When you track SC in those golden years in our generation, the quarterbacks have played the best for the Trojans outside of Caleb Williams, sat, learned and then thrived.'"
Those are the modern-aged wrinkles with Moss' progression, too.
Moss did sit behind Williams – the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft – for two seasons. Moss – willing or not – has become the poster child for waiting your turn in an era where almost two-thirds of the Power 4 schools started a transfer quarterback in Week 1 and NIL deals have become part of the equation.
There is another major difference. This is not a Rose Bowl. No. 11 USC meets No. 18 Michigan at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday in the Big Ten opener for both schools. Moss will be running out of a tunnel where there is a mantra that reads, "Those who stay will be champions." That is the ironic twist in the next step for Lincoln Riley's next NFL prospect.
"It means more to me personally to be playing at SC than it would to be the quarterback at any other university," Moss told SN. "That is in large part due to me first growing up being a huge fan of the program and also just the history of the position that came before me. Both of those factors give me more of an appreciation for having this opportunity."
Miller emphasizes "personally" in the same tone as Michael Jordan from "The Last Dance," a one-liner that has become synonymous with proving doubters wrong. In this case, Moss proved himself right instead.
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Why Miller Moss stayed at USC
Moss grew up in Los Angeles, and his mother Emily was a professor at USC. He said he can "half remember" being five years old and watching Booty lead USC to a 49-17 victory against Illinois in the 2008 Rose Bowl. He had vivid memories of Matt Barkley leading the Trojans to a victory against Ohio State a year later – the first engraved childhood football memory. Moss loves the Trojans.
Moss starred at Bishop Alemany High School in Mission, Calif., and the four-star quarterback arrived at USC in 2021 along with Jaxson Dart. Riley took the USC job in 2022, and Williams followed. Dart transferred to Ole Miss. Moss had two opportunities to enter the transfer portal before the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
"I'm not going to sit here and say sitting there on a Saturday for three hours was sunshine and rainbows," Moss said. "I don't want to give that false perception. It was absolutely frustrating at times, but I think I was surrounded by the right people who allowed me to understand how important the development was."
Roth explains it like this: Moss is a competitor – and each time the thought of transferring crept in – there was a competitive thought at work. Which one is better?
"I think there is something really beautifully to be said about him — of not just sticking around," Roth said. "We've seen some guys stick around and get beat out — but sticking around and getting better. A lot of times when you stick around, you get worse. There is something to be said about that in this generation of quarterbacks, to sit, compete and then get your chance to thrive. He has done that."
Moss' thought process, to say the least, was different considering the age. He opted to stay as Williams' backup. What won out during that occasional inner monologue?
"The relationships I had at USC, the opportunity to play for Coach Riley and and the opportunity to play and compete with Caleb each and every day," Moss said. "What those things were going to do for my development as well as just being around my teammates, coaches and friends outside of my football always superseded another opportunity."
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How Miller Moss fits with Lincoln Riley at USC
Williams declared for the 2024 NFL Draft, and USC was rumored to be in the mix for some portal quarterback options such as Will Howard and Cam Ward.
That was before the Holiday Bowl against Louisville on Dec. 27, 2023. Moss passed for 372 yards, six TDs and an interception in a 42-28 blowout that offered the first hint he would start in 2024. He also emerged as a team leader.
"The attitude and the disposition that our team had in the bowl game carried over into those eight weeks of workouts, and that attitude that we had during those eight weeks carried over into spring ball," Moss said.
That carried over into the regular season. Moss led USC to a season-opening 27-20 victory against LSU at Allegiant Stadium in the season opener. Moss had 378 passing yards and a TD in that victory. According to Pro Football Focus, Moss is 15 of 21 for 339 yards, one TD and no interceptions on throws of 10 yards or more through two games. Riley made a bold statement on the "All Facts No Brakes with Keyshawn Johnson" podcast on Sept. 13.
"He has done a great job early in his career here, there's no question," Riley said. "He is really smart. He is one of the smartest ones – and maybe the smartest one that I've had, which is saying something, because those other guys understood the game. He's got a great mind for it."
That is lofty praise considering four quarterbacks who are starters in the NFL this season – Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts and Williams – played for Riley between Oklahoma and USC.
Mayfield, Murray and Williams won the Heisman Trophy, and Hurts was a runner-up. Mayfield, Murray and Williams were No. 1 picks, and Hurts has played in a Super Bowl. So naturally, Moss loves playing for Riley. Who wouldn't?
"It's not necessarily me fitting into his system but him being able to tailor his system to the quarterback that he has," Moss said. "Their offense at OU was different for Kyler than it was for Baker, and it was different for Jalen than it was for Kyler."
What does that mean for Moss? It is a different look for USC. Moss is more the traditional prototype – like Palmer, Leinart, Booty and Sanchez – who has found a rhythm in the Riley offense. That combination should play well in the Big Ten.
"I think Miller Moss allows Lincoln Riley to anticipate calls more than any quarterback he had other than maybe Baker Mayfield because he is not the freak athlete like the other three QBs are," Roth said.
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Will Miller Moss lead USC to a Big Ten championship?
At Big Ten Media Days on July 24, Moss took a question from a reporter who asked about the notion that West Coast teams would not be able to handle the cold, the wind and the physical style of the Big Ten when November comes.
"I don't know. We'll see," Moss said.
The reporter pressed, "Why does that perception exist?"
After a long pause, Moss said, "I'm trying to follow my media training here."
Moss might not have a Hollywood persona – but don't mistake that for a lack of personality. He might be a California quarterback, but there is a Big Ten grinder in there. He spent the offseason watching film of Big Ten opponents to spot the stylistic differences between those teams and the former Pac-12 schools.
"Miller has a very unique leadership skill-set," Roth said. "Why do I say that? It's different from Caleb Williams. Caleb Williams was a true one percenter in the history of college football being transfer portal, NIL, Los Angeles and lightning in a bottle under Lincoln Riley."
What Moss has is the viewpoint of someone who grew up there – so the trappings of the Hollywood scene are easier to resist. He has emerged as a leader and a teammate.
"We are all absolutely created equally and all trying to climb and get better together," Moss said. "That is what I try to emphasize to my guys, and that is what other leaders on the team have tried to do as well. I think that's created a good culture so far."
That love for USC – and willingness to wait his turn – has been a true separator for Moss.
"He put that front and center," Riley said on the "All Facts No Brakes with Keyshawn Johnson" podcast. "I think that's earned him the respect of our team, the locker room, really the entire program. That has been one of many catalysts for us."
Not that Moss is looking ahead. A victory against Michigan would vault USC into some Big Ten championship discussions, but Moss is quick to say, "Ohio State is not on our schedule."
The focus is on the present, and that means Michigan. This is a chance Moss has been waiting for since he can "half remember." It is not the Rose Bowl, but a victory would evoke the same memories a generation from now. Moss waited his turn, and every game is an opportunity to prove himself right. That is met with every day enthusiasm to meet a standard set by his predecessors.
"I mean shoot, what doesn't excite me?" Moss said. "You talk about Michigan. You talk about the opportunity to start our tenure as a Big Ten team with the defending national champions and an unbelievable opportunity against a great team in a great venue. You come to USC to play in games like that."
