Caleb Williams’ USC QB replacement comes one TD short of bowl record
Miller Moss, playing in place of Caleb Williams, had a Holiday Bowl to remember.
The quarterback threw for 372 yards and six touchdowns, earning game offensive MVP honors for leading USC (8-5) to a 42-28 win over Louisville (10-4) at Petco Park in San Diego on Wednesday night.
Moss’ six touchdown passes came one short of a major college bowl game record. LSU’s Joe Burrow threw for seven touchdowns in LSU’s 63-28 win over Oklahoma in a 2019 College Football Playoff semifinal in the Peach Bowl (in fact, all seven of Burrow’s touchdown throws came in the first half; Justin Jefferson caught four of those scores). Burrow’s seven touchdowns tied a bowl game mark originally set by Central Michigan’s Cooper Rush, who threw for seven touchdowns against Western Kentucky in the 2014 Bahamas Bowl.
Moss connected with receivers Tahj Washington and Ja’Kobi Lane for two touchdowns apiece. Duce Robinson and Kyron Hudson each had a touchdown reception.
Miller Moss Holiday Bowl highlights
Moss’ six touchdown passes broke the Holiday Bowl record of four touchdown passes held by four players, including Jim McMahon in BYU’s miracle 46-45 comeback win against SMU in 1980.
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Who is Miller Moss?
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Moss has played at USC for three seasons, but the redshirt sophomore finally made his first start at the 2023 Holiday Bowl.
Moss appeared in three other games this season, completing 23 of 32 passes for 309 yards and one touchdown. He appeared in five games during the 2022 season and two games in 2021. In all, he had thrown for 542 yards and three touchdowns entering his first start at the Holiday Bowl.
Moss played high school football at Bishop Alemany High School in Mission Hills, California. He was a four-star recruit, according to 247Sports. Jaylin Smith, the defensive MVP of the 2023 Holiday Bowl, also played at Bishop Alemany.
Why didn’t Caleb Williams play in the Holiday Bowl?
Just over two weeks after USC’s regular-season ended with a 38-20 loss to crosstown rival UCLA, head coach Lincoln Riley announced that the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner would not play in the Holiday Bowl.
Williams did not release a statement as to the reason why he was sitting out the bowl game, nor has he yet to declare his intentions to enter the 2024 NFL draft. The deadline for college players to make their 2024 draft decision is Jan. 15. Williams and North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye are projected to go 1-2 in USA TODAY Sports’ latest mock draft. The Chicago Bears — via a pre-2023 draft trade with the Carolina Panthers — currently hold the No. 1 pick.
Earlier this year, Williams’ father, Carl Williams, indicated that returning to school was an option if the teams at the top of the draft weren’t a fit for his son’s talents. The Bears are the only NFL team that has never had a quarterback throw for at least 4,000 yards in a season.