Miller Moss shines as USC beats Louisville in the Holiday Bowl, 42-28

The USC Trojans are at Petco Park in San Diego to take on the No. 16 Louisville Cardinals in the DIRECTV Holiday Bowl on Wednesday night. The Trojans are without a ton of production and talent with opt-outs, transfers and injuries. Follow along with WeAreSC as we provide running updates of all the big plays and scores.

USC – Louisville pregame

The Trojans are thin at just about every position in this one.

* Quarterback Miller Moss will get the start as the Trojans are without Caleb Williams. But it’s in the defensive back seven where the attrition is most evident. USC has just four scholarship linebackers available: Mason Cobb, Eric Gentry, Garrison Madden and Chris Thompson Jr. And Thompson is currently in the transfer portal. And in the defensive secondary, Prophet Brown and Jacobe Covington are the only true scholarship cornerbacks available. Tre’Quon Fegans and Jaylin Smith could help there and at nickel. And Max Williams, Bryson Shaw and Anthony Beavers will man the two safety positions.

* True freshman Elijah Paige will get the start at left tackle for the Trojans. In putting him there, veteran Jonah Monheim will slide over to right guard. Jarrett Kingston, who missed the season finale against UCLA, will start at right tackle. Emmanuel Pregnon and Justin Dedich will start at left guard and center, respectively.

* Caleb Williams, Brenden Rice and Calen Bullock are all in attendance. None will play in this one. Rice and Bullock have both officially announced their intention to enter the 2024 NFL Draft. Williams hasn’t made an official statement, but he is fully expected to leave school early and enter the upcoming draft.

* USC announced four different captains for this game. It’ll be Miller Moss, Tahj Washington, Chris Thompson Jr. and Bryson Shaw serving as captains.

First Quarter

* USC wins the coin toss and elects to receive the opening kick.

* The Trojans go three-and-out on their opening possession.

* Louisville goes 71 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown on its opening drive. It’s 7-0 Louisville. The Cardinals rushed seven times for 48 yards and a score.

* Makai Lemon with the first big play for USC with a 40-yard catch and run. But the drive stalls when Duce Robinson drops what should have been a third-down conversion. The Trojans settle for a 38-yard field goal attempt that Denis Lynch hooks wide ride.

* Max Williams with a huge play on the first snap of Louisville’s drive. Williams comes on a bit of a delayed blitz and forces a fumble on a sack. The Trojans recover and take over at the 19-yard line.

* Big-time catch-and-run by Tahj Washington who catches a third-down pass short of the sticks but makes a great move on a defender and gets into the endzone. USC ties it at 7 with 4:25 remaining in the first quarter.

Second Quarter

* Louisville quarterback Jack Plummer sustains an injury to the pinky on his throwing hand and heads to the sideline. Backup Brock Domann is in for a few snaps, but Plummer returns fairly quickly.

* USC cornerback Prophet Brown with a big hit for a third-down stop and the Trojans force a Cardinals punt. USC will take over at its own 20-yard line with 10:20 remaining in the second quarter, still tied 7-7.

* Moss connects with Washington again for a touchdown, this time on a well-thrown slot fade for a 29-yard score. That catch puts Washington over 1,000 yards receiving for the year. USC takes a 14-7 lead with eight minutes left in the first half.

* Kyron Hudson blocks a punt and USC is in business again following a Louisville three-and-out. Trojans take over at the Louisville 18-yard line.

* And Hudson gets rewarded for his special teams play. Moss finds him for a nine-yard touchdown pass that somehow found its way through three Louisville defenders. It’s 21-7 USC with 6:30 left and the Trojans are really playing well in all three phases right now.

* Louisville gets a rushing touchdown from backup quarterback Evan Conley, who takes it in from nine yards out. USC defense showing signs of fatigue on that drive with so many players out. That drive started with a 32-yard run and now the Cardinals are up to 133 rushing yards. It’s 21-14 USC with 1:56 remaining in the first half.

* Moss throws it up into the endzone and true freshman receiver Ja’Kobi Lane comes down with the contested catch. That’s Lane’s first career touchdown reception for the Trojans. Moss now has four passing touchdowns in the first half and USC leads 28-14 with 19 seconds left before halftime.

* Jamil Muhammad and Tyrone Taleni split a sack on the final play of the first half as the Trojans put an exclamation point on a 28-14 lead over the first 30 minutes of this one.

Halftime Stats

Score – USC 28, Louisville 14
Total yards – USC 241, Louisville 183
Passing yards – USC 218, Louisville 60
Rushing yards – USC 23, Louisville 123
3rd downs – USC 2-for-4, Louisville 5-for-8
Average yards per play – USC 10, Louisville 4.8
Turnovers – USC 0, Louisville 1
Sacks – USC 2, Louisville 0

Third Quarter

* USC stuffs the Louisville offense on three plays to open the second half and Zachariah Branch nearly gets loose on the punt return. He takes it back 23 yards to the Louisville 42-yard line. Trojans take over there with 13:39 remaining in the third quarter, still up 28-14.

* Moss is intercepted in the endzone and Louisville brings the ball all the way back to the USC 39-yard line.

* Louisville capitalizes on the turnover as running back Isaac Guerendo punches in his second short touchdown. It’s 28-21 USC with 9:43 remaining in the third quarter.

* Moss to Lane for the second touchdown connection for those two tonight. That’s a 12-yard jump ball that Lane hauls in to push the USC lead back to 14. It’s 35-21 USC with 4:51 remaining in the third quarter.

* Miller Moss has set a Holiday Bowl record with his fifth passing touchdown.

* Louisville is going to face a 4th-and-1 from the USC 11-yard line on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Fourth Quarter

* Guerendo goes into the endzone for his third touchdown of the game. He’s up to 153 rushing yards in this one. It’s 35-28 USC with 12:51 remaining in the game.

* Moss throws his sixth touchdown pass of the game as he hits Duce Robinson deep down the middle for a 44-yard score. It’s 42-28 USC with 10 minutes remaining.

* Huge break for USC there as Louisville’s Jadon Thompson caught a short pass with room to pick up a fourth-down conversion but stumbles and goes down before picking up the first down. USC takes over at the 12-yard line with 4:48 remaining in the game, leading 42-28.

* USC can’t run the clock out and has to punt.

* USC safety Anthony Beavers finishes this one off by punching out a fumble that is recovered by Mason Cobb. The Trojans have the ball with 1:25 remaining, leading 42-28 and can kneel on this win.