The nation’s most electric returner looked up to the sky as a second-quarter Wisconsin punt came hurtling in his direction. Zachariah Branch had fielded so many kicks just like it. But as this one drew closer and a decision drew near, for just a split-second the USC sophomore hesitated.
It was just long enough for disaster to strike. The ball, which careened off Branch’s outstretched arms, was corralled by Wisconsin. And with it, any hope of a smooth, bounce-back spot for USC in its Big Ten home opener bounced away.
What USC got instead was a confusing afternoon the Trojans and their coach would probably prefer to move past quickly, one filled with an equal mix of frustrating missteps, sloppy execution and second-half resolve. USC still managed to walk away with a 38-21 victory over Wisconsin, but it certainly didn’t seem that satisfying along the way.
Bouncing back after last week’s back-breaking loss to Michigan would require another masterful run of halftime adjustments from USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, whose defense allowed Wisconsin just 82 total yards in the second half. It also meant a steely comeback effort from quarterback Miller Moss, who turned around a sloppy start to lead three consecutive touchdown drives in the third and fourth quarters, even running the last one in himself.
Moss finished with 308 yards and three passing touchdowns and another on the ground. Though, he’d pay for that final score, hitting the ground hard as he crossed the plane into the end zone. The hit would land him briefly in the medical tent. But by that point, Moss had already led the Trojans back into a more comfortable late lead.
While Moss was being attended to, linebacker Mason Cobb would see to it that the game was put away. He took a tipped pass 55 yards to paydirt, putting the game finally out of reach in the fourth quarter.
Until Lynn’s defense clamped down and Moss excelled in the second half, turning a 21-10 halftime deficit into four unanswered touchdowns, little about Saturday’s game could be described as comfortable for USC.
Branch’s botched punt left USC on uneven ground to start Saturday, and the mistakes flowed from there. Moss threw a bad pick and gave away a fumble in the first half. The offensive line struggled to protect. Wideouts dropped critical passes. Even the defense, which eventually ironed itself out, seemed to slide back into bad habits, giving up four explosive pass plays as if to honor its former defensive coordinator, Alex Grinch, who was back coaching on the opposite sideline.
It was hardly how USC hoped to open Big Ten play at the Coliseum. But it was also a reminder of how quickly the Trojans could fall into the pattern of inconsistent play that plagued them a year ago.
USC got off to a promising start, with Moss dealing in a much cleaner pocket than he’d seen last week in Michigan. With time to throw, he fired a perfectly placed touchdown pass between two defenders on the Trojans’ opening drive, hitting Ja’Kobi Lane in the corner of the end zone for a 32-yard score.
It seemed like only a matter of time before USC settled into a smooth Saturday. Yet the poise from those first few plays didn’t last long.
Wisconsin’s Vinny Anthony blew past USC cornerback Jacobe Covington on the very next possession to reel in a 63-yard touchdown pass.
Two drives later, Moss let loose another deep ball, only for it to sail too far inside of wideout Zachariah Branch. The pass was picked off, ending a 10-play drive.
The mistakes started piling up from there, as two of USC’s next three possessions ended in similarly disastrous fashion. First, the botched punt return from Branch. Then, Moss was hit from behind late in the second quarter and the ball popped out to stop a promising drive in its tracks.
With USC trailing by two scores as the final seconds of the first half ticked away, boos rang out around the Coliseum.
But a few hours later, the crowd roared as Cobb rolled into the end zone, completing a comeback victory that should have never gotten to that point.
