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Miller Moss opened a lot of eyes with his performance on Sunday against the LSU Tigers. The USC football quarterback looked promising with the way he sliced through the Tigers' defense, especially when the Trojans needed him to deliver the most near the end of the contest. So good was Moss that former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel posed a question that left fans on the internet buzzing.
“Serious question….Does Miller Moss give USC a better chance at making the playoff than Caleb Williams?” asked Daniel after Moss led USC football to a 27-20 victory at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas against Brian Kelly's Tigers.
“He took over in the 4th QTR punctuated with this DIME C-2 Hole Shot,” added Daniel, who was referring to a crucial first-down catch USC receiver Kyron Hudson made off of a toss from Moss.
Serious question….Does Miller Moss give USC a better chance at making the playoff than Caleb Williams?
He took over in the 4th QTR punctuated with this DIME C-2 Hole Shot pic.twitter.com/YpzFpxDlpA
— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) September 2, 2024
When a commenter said that Daniel was merely trying to attention, the former Missouri Tigers quarterback said that he was genuinely wondering whether Moss would have done a better job than the top pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
“It’s really not,” said Daniel. “Wondering out loud. Miller knows exactly what Lincoln wants. Watch Caleb last year…1 read and onto the next”
In a separate post, which was a reaction to a supportive message he got from NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein, Daniel doubled down on his take.
“It’s really not engagement,” Daniel shared. “Just want to know what people think BECAUSE Miller Moss is running the offense exactly how Lincoln Riley wants. Caleb was 1 read and scramble every time.”
In the 2023 college football season, Williams' last with the Trojans, USC averaged 41.8 points per game — second best in the nation. The Trojans were also 11th nationally with 466.5 total yards per contest, but despite their high-powered offense, they went just 8-5 overall and 5-4 in conference play. Some told Daniel that Williams didn't have a good defense in 2023. Daniel agreed with that take, but maintained his personal observation that Moss looked like a better executor of USC head coach Lincoln Riley's vision for the Trojans' attack.
For what it's worth, Williams passed for 3,633 yards and 30 touchdowns against only five interceptions in the 2023 campaign.
Miller Moss could just be starting
The Trojans still became bowl-eligible and played at the Holiday Bowl, where Moss offered an encouraging glimpse of his capabilities as a starter. Williams did not play in that bowl game versus the Louisville Cardinals, thus leaving the keys to the offense to Moss, who stepped up in a memorable way. Moss went 23 of 33 for 372 passing yards and six touchdowns on his way to winning the Offensive Most Valuable Player award.
Several months after Moss shined in that bowl game, he authored another brilliant performance, this time right at the very start of a new season and as a full-time starter. Moss recorded 378 passing yards and a touchdown on 27-of-36 completions with a touchdown and zero turnovers versus LSU. He also marched the Trojans to a game-winning drive that ended with transfer running back Woody Marks navigating his way to a 13-yard rushing score and an extra point from Michael Lantz.
Moss and the Trojans have plenty of games to play this season, which should give Daniel more material to review if he wants to revisit his Week 1 claim about the quarterback as juxtaposed to Williams.
The Trojans will face the Utah State Aggies at home in Week 2.
