LOS ANGELES — All the signs were there during the first half inside the Coliseum on Saturday afternoon.
USC was undisciplined. The defense gave up a touchdown on an explosive play. Wisconsin, at times, was moving the ball with ease. The special teams made costly mistakes. And the Trojans appeared flat.
A week ago, after an emotional loss at Michigan, Lincoln Riley was confident this team would have a better response to its first loss of the season than last year’s Trojans. Through the first three games of the 2024 season, USC had done a lot to wash away the stench from 2023. But over the first 30 minutes of Saturday’s game against the Badgers, all the reminders were there.
USC has talked about being a player-led program and taking control of things on its own. It did more than talk about it in the second half. The Trojans went on the field and took over the game.
“The coaches kind of let us do our thing,” linebacker Mason Cobb said of the locker room at the half when the Trojans trailed by 11 points. “They don’t really step in too much when it comes to motivating us. The (vibe) in the locker room is just like, ‘You know that’s not us out there. We’re not playing like ourselves.’ For us, it’s just keep swinging. I feel like that’s our identity this year. No matter what happens, we’re not going to lay down. Just keep swinging till the clock runs out.”
Who knows what’s in store for this team over the next few months, but there’s one thing that keeps showing up this season, and it was on display during Saturday’s 38-21 win over Wisconsin. The Trojans are tough, mentally and physically. They aren’t perfect, but that trait is going to keep them in a lot of fights the rest of the way.
“They’re gonna battle,” Riley said of his team after it outscored the Badgers 28-0 in the second half. “They’re not going anywhere. We don’t panic. That’s a good quality to have because when you play the schedule that we play, you’re going to have some ups and downs and you have to be incredibly resilient and so far we have done that.”
USC (3-1, 1-1 Big Ten) has to play much cleaner football than what it’s put on tape the past two weeks. That much is clear, especially in a conference where programs are more than happy to let opponents beat themselves.
The USC team that played the first half is capable of losing to anyone on its schedule, with the possible exception of UCLA. The team that showed up for the second half is capable of beating anyone on its schedule.
So there has to be some consistency. The Trojans committed a lot of errors in the first half. Quarterback Miller Moss turned it over twice. Zachariah Branch looked lost as a punt returner, and that uncertainty led to a muffed punt that resulted in a Wisconsin touchdown. The defense was on its heels and corner Jacobe Covington got beat on a 63-yard touchdown pass early in the game.
It’s a dangerous game to play, but USC flipped a switch at halftime. The defense gave up just 82 yards of total offense and didn’t allow a point over the final two quarters. The offense executed better, led by Moss and receivers Ja’Kobi Lane and Duce Robinson. The special teams even contributed when long snapper Hank Pepper came up with a crucial recovery of a muffed punt that turned the tide of the game.
Every phase of the team contributed to the rally.
“It was these guys,” Riley said. “I think we came in knowing we beat ourselves in a lot of ways (in the first half). Wisconsin made some good plays. … We gave up explosive plays. We didn’t stop the run in the first half. We moved the ball pretty well offensively but had the two turnovers in plus-territory. We just really didn’t do anything very well, but we felt like a lot of it was under our control. We laid out exactly what the second half of the game should look like.”
One positive sign over the past two weeks is how USC — particularly defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn — has adjusted. The Trojans made five consecutive stops and gave up just one touchdown in the second half against Michigan last week and pitched a second-half shutout Saturday.
Riley said it’s a mix of Lynn having a good feel for how opponents want to attack USC’s defense while also knowing how he wants the defense to attack the opponent. He also understands what the Trojans do well. But there’s more to it.
“D’Anton and really our entire staff, those guys really communicate well, work well together and are very much on the same page about anything we need to improve, and so far we’ve been able to do that this season,” Riley said.
Lynn’s coaching has stood out this season, but it’s difficult to ignore the toughness and playmaking on that side of the ball. Safety Kamari Ramsey has been the leader in both departments.
After Moss hit Lane for a 6-yard score to trim Wisconsin’s lead to 21-17 midway through the third quarter, the Badgers mounted their best drive of the second half and marched down to the USC 33. On fourth-and-1, Ramsey rushed from the edge to take down the Wisconsin ball carrier in the backfield. On the very next defensive series, Ramsey blew up a Badgers receiver on a third-and-5 throw to force a punt. For a USC team that consistently has its toughness and physicality questioned, that was quite the message from Ramsey.
KAMARI. RAMSEY. pic.twitter.com/61ztM3YKQ2
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) September 28, 2024
Riley knows this goes beyond one player, but he has a saying about quarterbacks.
“The one thing we say in that room and always have is ‘Show me a tough team and I’ll show you a tough quarterback. Show me a soft team and I’ll show you a soft quarterback,’” Riley said.
USC’s coach has always believed teams tend to take on the identity of their quarterback. The Trojans have been in quite a few tough spots in just four games this season. They trailed in the fourth quarter against LSU. They were punched in the mouth against Michigan last week. They trailed by 11 at halftime Saturday.
Throughout it all, Moss has played with poise, and the team — following the lead of the quarterback — has remained calm in those adverse situations.
Moss carved up Wisconsin in the second half and made critical throws to Lane (10 catches, 105 yards and two scores) and Robinson (two catches, 40 yards and one touchdown). He took some more hits but kept punching back. And he even ran for a 7-yard score to put USC ahead 31-21 with 8:22 left in the game.
Two spins and it’s in 😲
Miller Moss extends the @uscfb lead with this maneuver. #B1GFootball on CBS 📺 pic.twitter.com/l96SUdNwuA
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) September 28, 2024
“Man, you see him get smacked, get back up and throw touchdowns,” Cobb said. “Like I said, we’re a team that’s going to keep swinging.”
And for the first time in a while, USC has the players and personality to return some punches.
(Photo of Miller Moss: Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
