Should The USC Trojans Make A Quarterback Change?

Everyone loves USC Trojans quarterback Miller Moss. He embodies what it means to be a Trojan. He grew up a fan. He committed to the program and stayed after a coaching change. He patiently waited his turn when Caleb Williams transferred over with Lincoln Riley.

He has done everything the right way, and from a statistical perspective, has played well this season.

• Miller Moss 2024 Stats : 1,954 yards, 14 touchdowns, 6 interceptions

However, when you look at the struggles that the 2024 offense has displayed, you can point to the QB play in many instances.

Miller Moss Decision-Making

Let’s start with the interceptions.

The six total interceptions may not look like a huge number through seven games, but almost every one of them has been critical.

All turnovers are bad, obviously, but not all turnovers are created equal. Field position, game clock, situation, etc., all come into play, and Moss’s interceptions, have been of the worst variety.

Let’s just look at the losses.

Against Michigan, he threw a pick-six.

Moss threw two interceptions in the Minnesota game. One came as the Trojans were driving with an opportunity to put the game away, but instead, it gave the Gophers life. However, I don’t put this one solely on Moss as pressure came screaming off the edge and hit him as he was releasing the ball. The 2nd INT was the game-ending interception in the end zone.

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His one interception against Penn State last week came in another potential game-winning drive. He overthrew Duce Robinson and sailed the ball into the hands of a Penn State defender. The Nittany Lions would go on to win the game in overtime.

In today’s game, his interception was another critical one. At the beginning of the 2nd half, USC was driving nicely and looking like they were on their way to taking a commanding 28-7 lead. Instead, Moss floated a ball directly to the Maryland DB who returned it 51 yards. The Terrapins scored on the next play, and instead of being 28-7, it was 21-14.

These critical mistakes have had a huge impact on every one of USC’s losses.

Scheme Fit With Lincoln Riley

Coming into the season, we were all excited to see Moss in this system because we knew that he would play more within the system, instead of going off-script as much as someone like Caleb Williams did.

This is certainly true, and while Moss does do some things really well, there certainly seems to be a layer missing within the offense.

Having a mobile quarterback, and the ability to be a threat with your legs, has always made the Lincoln Riley offense more dynamic. You saw it with Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts, and Caleb Williams. Miller Moss is more mobile than people give him credit for, but he rarely uses that mobility to push plays downfield.

Now that doesn’t mean that Moss can’t still have success within this offense, and he certainly has over the course of the year. But with how the offensive line has played so far, it forces him to play absolutely perfect from the pocket, which, as I laid out in the above section, he has not been able to do.

A Change To Spark A Turnaround For USC Trojans

Sitting at 3-4, the season feels lost. There are more questions than answers at this point. Sometimes, it is necessary to make a change in order to spark some life into a team.

Now that is not to say that Moss is not beloved by his teammates and a tremendous leader. We know that he is.

But based on performance, the current state of the program, and scheme fit, why not hand the keys to Jayden Maiava and see what he can do?

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The former Mountain West Freshman of the Year is built for the Lincoln Riley offense. He has a cannon arm and is extremely athletic. At 6’4 and 220 pounds, he might actually be the most physically gifted QB that Riley has ever had.

Throw on the 4th quarter of the Utah State game when he came in after USC began to rest their starters. There were moments where it looked like Caleb Williams was still playing in the Coliseum.

Lincoln Riley has to do something to jump-start this program and get them to a place of progress. Does Maiava give him that?

At this point, what does he have to lose?

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