We took your calls on the USC channel at The Voice of College Football. Tim Prangley hosted the show.
The 2023 Holiday Bowl, as one phone caller put it, was a seemingly meaningless game the Trojans turned into a supremely meaningful game. A night which, at its outset, felt like another blowout loss (after Louisville went up 7-0 and USC missed a field goal) turned into a hugely positive, hopeful, and transformative moment for this football program.
Other USC fans who called into our show with Tim Prangley at The Voice of College Football made a lot of other great points. We responded to our wonderful callers and took your questions for over two hours in a very long, information-packed season finale show. We will continue to have our Friday evening call-in shows throughout the offseason, but none will be as long as this bowl-game bonanza, with two hours and 15 minutes of USC football discussion.
Spend some of your holiday (bowl) weekend catching up on all the hot topics surrounding USC football, and consider joining the USC channel of The Voice of College Football as a member.
Miller Moss rose above several USC quarterbacks with his epic bowl performance against Louisville.
Miller Moss delivered a special and historic USC bowl performance this week. His six-touchdown display against Louisville in the Holiday Bowl is obviously one of the greatest bowl performances by a USC quarterback.
We can debate where Moss’s performance ranks, but we know it’s up there.
“Since (Pete) Carroll’s departure in 2009, USC has still put together five 10-win seasons, still impressive for the average program. However, the time between Carroll and Lincoln Riley tends to be brushed aside for the All-Americans who came before and after, especially at the quarterback position. In the spirit of Miller Moss’s six-touchdown performance in the Holiday Bowl on Wednesday, here’s a trip down memory lane for USC’s bowl quarterbacks since 2010.”
We hope you enjoy the gallery. We would point out that Sam Darnold’s comeback in the 2017 Rose Bowl against Penn State is hard to top as the best USC quarterback bowl performance of all time.
An almost perfect middle ground of the consistency between gatorade and mayo, egg nog was poured on the winning coach of the DIRECTV Holiday Bowl for the first time in 2023. That meant Lincoln Riley was the first coach to take nog to the noggin Wednesday after his USC Trojans beat Louisville.
Depending on your feelings about un-spiked nog, this was either the most disgusting thing you’ve seen, or something you’d be down to try.
Be honest: You were not expecting Miller Moss to be that good in the Holiday Bowl for USC. You certainly did not expect Moss to throw four first-half touchdown passes. You did not expect him to throw for over 215 yards in the first half. You did not expect USC to score 28 points before halftime. This was with Caleb Williams and a number of other players out of the game due to NFL draft opt-outs or the transfer portal.
Moss surpassed everyone’s expectation. He made a very strong claim for the No. 1 quarterback spot at USC going into 2024.
Now what? Is Will Howard to USC no longer going to happen? Does USC need another quarterback in the transfer portal?
Reactions poured in very quickly after Moss lit up San Diego — and the Louisville defense — in the first half of the Holiday Bowl:
The Louisville SB Nation site Card Chronicle reached out to us before the 2023 Holiday Bowl. USC prepares for a game Louisville is expected to win. The main story is Miller Moss, and the long-term impact of this contest is uncertain.
“Expect a lot of short, ball-control passes with Miller Moss to establish a rhythm and some confidence. Also expect USC to run the ball early and see if its offensive line can form a tougher identity. USC’s O-line disappointed this season. Lincoln Riley will want to test that unit and see if it can mash a little in San Diego. If USC can run the ball really well in this game, that would build confidence heading into the offseason and the Big Ten. If Louisville’s front four plays a great game, it’s hard to see how USC will win.”
There’s a lot more on this game, but also on the bowl system and Alex Grinch as well.
Our thanks to Card Chronicle for the conversation before USC’s last football game of 2023.
The 2004 Holiday Bowl contains widely recognizable figures.
With the USC Trojans and Louisville Cardinals facing off in the 2023 Holiday Bowl, the memories are beginning to come back for this bowl game in San Diego. The Holiday Bowl has featured a lot of exciting and colorful matchups over the years, making the game one of the better late-December (non-January) bowls.
One of my personal favorites is the 2001 game between Texas and Washington. Another favorite is 2014, when USC edged Nebraska. The 2000 edition between Oregon and Texas was spectacular, a delicious duel featuring Chris Simms of the Longhorns and Joey Harrington of the Ducks.
However, if I had to pick one Holiday Bowl above the others, it would probably be the Cal-Texas Tech showdown in 2004. The coaching matchup was fantastic: Mike Leach for the Red Raiders and Jeff Tedford for the Golden Bears from Berkeley.
Aaron Rodgers and Marshawn Lynch were on that 2004 Cal team, which engaged USC in a classic at the Coliseum a few months earlier. The Golden Bears had a 10-1 record entering the game amid a fantastic season, but they lost to the Red Raiders, 45-31.
Texas Tech quarterback Sonny Cumbie lit up the Cal defense, throwing for over 500 yards with three touchdowns and 40 completions on 60 pass attempts.
Even though Cal lost, seeing the Lynch-Rodgers pairing was a fun sight. The Mike Leach-Jeff Tedford battle was also a terrific one to watch on the Holiday Bowl platform.
Knowing that Aaron Rodgers and Jeff Tedford are still relevant football figures today, 19 years later, enhances the memory of that 2004 Holiday Bowl. In a certain sense, that game still lives today in ways that other past Holiday Bowls do not.
USC and Louisville will create a new Holiday Bowl memory on Wednesday in Petco Park.
It seems the Holiday Bowl isn’t a big deal, but we don’t know that for sure.
Just how important is this 2023 Holiday Bowl for USC? Everyone knows it is really important for Miller Moss, the quarterback who will get to play the full game and demonstrate what he can do on the field as the unquestioned leader of this offense. There’s no Caleb Williams. There is no Malachi Nelson. This is Moss’s game. Maybe Moss is playing for the chance to be USC’s starting quarterback on opening day in 2024, when the Trojans face the LSU Tigers in Las Vegas. Maybe Moss is not playing for his USC status, but to give other schools and coaches a good piece of game film before entering the transfer portal.
We don’t know if Moss will enter the portal, but it could be that Moss will play this game for USC and then reconsider his options. Lincoln Riley and USC haven’t yet signed Will Howard or any other transfer portal quarterback. Moss might have made his decision behind the scenes, but nothing has been made public just yet. It’s clear this game is big for Moss.
What about the rest of the USC Trojans?
Defensive players might be playing for roster spots in this game, since new coordinator D’Anton Lynn will be evaluating players. Lynn won’t coach the Trojans, but he will certainly take notes on who does well and who fails. Who does Lynn think will be part of the 2024 roster, and who will Lynn ask to enter the transfer portal and find an opportunity elsewhere? These are the kinds of questions which will tell us how important the Holiday Bowl is.
Also: Will a loss turn off more recruits and portal prospects, or will a loss tell players that the roster is weak, meaning that new and incoming players might have a better chance of starting in 2024? That could work both ways. A loss might not be a negative for USC in terms of building its roster for next season.
Ultimately, we will know more about the importance of this Wednesday night game on Friday and Saturday.
Miller Moss will have a chance to earn high marks on a report card.
The USC Trojans and quarterback Miller Moss face the Louisville Cardinals in the 2023 Holiday Bowl on Wednesday. It’s a tough matchup for Moss, which could set him up for failure. Yet, that’s just the way it should be for Moss.
It wouldn’t really mean much for Moss if he went up against an opponent with a pillow-soft defense, such as Syracuse or Wake Forest. Lighting up a not-that-great defense would only carry so much value for other college programs, not to mention NFL scouts. If Moss is going to elevate his stock — either as USC’s quarterback heading into 2024, or as a potential transfer prospect at another school — he needs to show he can play well against a legitimately good, tough defense.
Louisville’s defense, under coordinator Ron English, is legitimately good.
As we noted a few weeks ago, “Imagine a world in which USC had Louisville’s defense, not Alex Grinch’s defense, in 2023. This 2023 Louisville defense shut out opponents in the first quarter in 11 of 13 games. If USC’s defense had shut out UCLA’s offense in the first quarter on November 18, the Trojans very likely would have won that game against the Bruins.
“Louisville’s defense was similarly strong in fourth quarters this year as well as first quarters. The Cardinals allowed more than seven fourth-quarter points in only one game this season, to Kentucky. If USC had that kind of a defense in 2023, the Trojans would have a 10-2 record, not a 7-5 record. They wouldn’t have beaten Notre Dame, given how bad the USC offense was. They probably wouldn’t have beaten Oregon, given that they trailed 29-7 before scoring a few cosmetic touchdowns.”
Moss has a tough assignment. He needs to pass a difficult test in order to prove he is ready to be a QB1 — for USC or anyone else. It’s good for Moss this challenge is substantial. If he aces this test, we can know with added certainty that Moss is ready to lead a college offense in 2024.
Miller Moss is auditioning for a QB1 role in 2024.
Get familiar with USC’s Holiday Bowl starting quarterback Miller Moss.
Life comes at you fast in college football, especially in 2023. One moment, Miller Moss was part of a quarterback room with former Heisman Trophy Winner Caleb Williams and former five-star recruit Malachi Nelson. Now he’s the only scholarship QB on the roster and aiming to take charge.
The Southern California native is elated for the chance to step up and lead the USC Trojans (7-5) into battle as their starting quarterback against the No. 15 Louisville Cardinals (10-3) in the Holiday Bowl at Petco Park in San Diego.
Speaking with the media, Moss explained some of the key differences in his preparation as the starting quarterback, versus what it was like as the No. 2.
“It’s obviously different,” Moss stated. “I think the only real difference is that I have more dialogue and say with Coach Riley over the game plan. But aside from that, I attack my preparation the same way.
“Because in that role as No. 2 quarterback, you always have to be prepared. So I’ll prepare the same way. I’ll lead the same way. I’m just excited again for this opportunity.”
When it comes to Malachi Nelson transferring: “I mean obviously everyone has to do what’s best for themselves,” . “We’re happy with the group we have here and whoever wants to be here is here and we’re excited to come together in that way.”
On playing against Louisville: “They’re a really good, solid team [and] obviously they had success this year. They’re good up front, they’re good in the secondary, so I’m excited to play against a good opponent.”
This will be Moss’ first career start at USC. In three games this season, he has completed 23 of 32 passes for 309 yards and threw for a touchdown against Nevada. Moss also has two rushing touchdowns on the year.
“I worked my whole life for this,” Moss said. “So I’m just excited to step into this role, and I’m very confident in our team.”
For the USC fans freaking out at the possibility of Miller Moss also transferring out with Malachi Nelson, I’ll say this..
Miller Moss is one of those kids who is going to be extremely successful with or without a NFL contract. Playing time has never dictated his stance as a… pic.twitter.com/I4r7FsldcP
Moss, before coming to USC, was a four-star quarterback at Bishop Alemany High in Mission Hills (California).
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound redshirt sophomore was the No. 112 player in the 2021 class and the 15th-rated quarterback behind Caleb Williams, Quinn Ewers, Drake Maye, JJ McCarthy, Jaxson Dart and Kyle McCord, among others.
The Trojans only have a few days to go before they kick off against the Cardinals, with the Holiday Bowl set for December 27.
You can get in for a very cheap price at the Holiday Bowl in sunny San Diego.
With Caleb Williams not playing, the 2023 Holiday Bowl between USC and Louisville took on a distinctly different feel. Imagine a scenario in which Caleb Williams was playing his last college game for USC. That would have been a very hot ticket in San Diego for the Holiday Bowl. Instead, this game at Petco Park won’t carry quite as much buzz.
Also keep in mind that Louisville fans had expected to go to the Orange Bowl, given that Florida State was expected to make the playoff after going 13-0. When the Seminoles were snubbed, that kicked them down to the Orange Bowl and pushed Louisville out of the New Year’s Six.
It’s true that San Diego is as attractive a bowl location as one could possibly imagine, but USC and Louisville would have preferred to be elsewhere.
The good news: This has made ticket prices very affordable for the Holiday Bowl. At SeatGeek, you can find a lot of tickets with good sight lines for well under $100.
[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Holiday Bowl tickets at Seat Geek” link=”https://seatgeek.pxf.io/B0V7yW”]
The 2023 Holiday Bowl is next Wednesday, December 27, at Petco Park, the home of the San Diego Padres. The game starts shortly after 5 p.m. local time in San Diego and will be televised by Fox Sports.
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