USC Trojans quarterback Miller Moss is following in the footsteps of the sport’s giants. Without delving into the full history of USC quarterbacks, look no further than the player he’s replacing, Heisman Trophy winner and number one overall NFL draft pick Caleb Williams. It’s hard enough to be a first-year starter, but even more difficult to replace a transcendent talent that captivated the nation by storm and imbued a fan base with hope that they could win every game they played. 

Here’s a reality check for the USC faithful: USC was 18-8 during Caleb Williams’s tenure. As transcendent as he was individually, it often wasn’t good enough. Sure, it won them some ball games along the way. Still, the offensive talent as a whole was more complete and experienced than the current construction of USC’s offensive talent, especially along the offensive line. Quarterback play alone isn’t enough to get where this team and the faithful expect to be.

“People, you know, seek a lot of negativity around our team, and it is what it is, and I hope they keep that same energy going forward,” Moss said after Monday’s practice in response to The Athletic’s USC writer Antonio Morales’ question about what this rough patch has taught him. 

USC has lost three games in a row. Still, Miller Moss ranks No. 12 in the country and No. 3 in the Big Ten in passing yards. He’s tied with other notable names like Jaxson Dart, Will Howard, and Avery Johnson with 14 passing touchdowns and has a touchdown run as well. Moss is also ranked No. 14 in passing yards per game and is completing 64% of his passes. By all accounts, that’s winning quarterback play. Moss isn’t Williams, but there’s only one of those, and those types of players don’t come around often, if ever.

“I think we’ve had really good spurts where you can see how elite we can be. But I mean, I don’t think we’ve put together four quarters . . . where we’ve been at our best level, operating at our most efficient,” said Moss about consistency. 

Moss’ assessment is fair both individually and from the macro view regarding the entire team. Moss has missed a key throw here and there. There have been untimely interceptions. Those plays matter and have an effect. But the other end of the spectrum is also true. He’s been hit nearly as much as any quarterback in college football. He’s been pressured comparatively to the most pressured quarterbacks in the country. He also has an efficient run game that could be very complimentary but isn’t used enough, causing more strain on the offensive line in pass protection, then, in turn, Moss.

Despite that, they’re throwing the ball at the highest rate in Lincoln Riley’s coaching history. If Moss isn’t the athlete, Williams and others before him were under Riley, and if the offensive line is young, injured, and inexperienced, why is USC throwing the ball more than any Lincoln Riley team ever? Especially with such a solid run game and having had second-half leads, it makes little sense.

Moss has delivered moments like in the drive against LSU to win the game. After a pick-six at Michigan, he responded and threw the go-ahead touchdown to score 14 unanswered. He had a whale of a second half against Wisconsin to will the team back from a double-digit deficit. Those moments matter as well. There have been three separate occasions where the USC defense has had a chance to essentially end ball games with a lead and has failed to do so. Is quarterback play being discussed if they’re successful on those drives?

Moss was more insightful and in-depth, but the ending of that quote is the takeaway. That’s the focus. Moss has full confidence in himself and his teammates, as he should. Focusing on the outside world won’t help USC win ball games. And if fans aren’t happy with the quality quarterback play that continually puts the team in a position to win and has won games with those efforts, that’s on them.

Why should Moss capitulate and give a cookie-cutter answer to appease the masses? That wouldn’t be sufficient for most people, either. Having the internal belief of a player who was willing to wait his turn and grow is still oozing from Moss, and he’s played well enough to feel that way. 

“It’s kinda a mind trick on you right now because people that watch the tape and watch how we’ve played and watched how we’ve progressed, that tells you one thing and then you go look at the record and that tells you another thing,” Lincoln Riley said on Monday.

That’s the truth in this case. Moss isn’t perfect, but he’s a damn solid quarterback that’s given this team a chance to win every game they’ve played and has responded time and time again when faced with adversity. There’s no magic wand to wave. USC is losing ball games as a collective. They’ve yet to play a four-quarter game top to bottom. Miller Moss may not be the solution to this desperate situation as a whole, but he’s not the problem.