LAS VEGAS—Miller Moss knelt and ran away.

The game won, he tossed the football in the air and ran toward the USC Trojans fans in Allegiant Stadium. He had earned the right to do that celebration in a cardinal-and-gold uniform, a fourth-year loyalist in a transfer-portal world biding his time for this opportunity.

The unlikely successor to No. 1 NFL draft pick Caleb Williams led the Trojans to their biggest win of the three-season Lincoln Riley era, connecting on clutch drives in a 27-20 thriller against the LSU Tigers — and leaving Tigers coach Brian Kelly banging on the table in anger afterward.

Moss was a four-star prospect who committed to his hometown school in June 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, coached by Clay Helton. He was recruited by Riley, who first acquired Williams from the Oklahoma Sooners and then signed five-star prospect Malachi Nelson in ’23. Even after Moss shone as the Holiday Bowl starter last season when Williams opted out, the Trojans brought in UNLV Rebels transfer Jayden Maiava as competition.

Moss held on, held the job and had his moment on Sunday night. There may be many more moments to come.

In a battle of Heisman Trophy alternate quarterbacks, who faced off against LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, Moss led two late touchdown drives. He threw a 28-yard dime of a touchdown pass to Ja’Kobi Lane on an automatic check from an LSU offside. He then led a game-winning 75-yard touchdown march in the final two minutes.

Moss completed five of six passes on the final drive, the most important of which was a second-and-15 sideline shot with 18 seconds left that he threw between the defensive backs to Kyron Hudson.

Hudson made the catch and held on to a nasty shot from safety Jardin Gilbert that was ruled a target. That got the ball to the 13-yard line and running back Woody Marks stormed in on the next play for the winning points with eight seconds left.

It was the second big catch of the game for Hudson, another fourth-year Trojan who was tangled up in a crowd of talented players at his position. His soaring, one-handed catch in the first half could be the Catch of the Year after a full week of college football, and it could hold up all season.

Moss finished the game 27 of 36 for 378 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions, meeting if not exceeding the expectations and demands of the moment. Tears filled his eyes when it was over. He suppressed his emotions when it was time to meet the media, but it was clear what the game meant to him.

“It was a thrill for our team,” Moss said. “We worked really hard during the offseason to build an identity of a strong team that really cared about each other. I think our identity really came through in the latter part of that game.”

This was certainly a different identity than the Trojans had displayed in Riley’s first two seasons, most notably a disappointing 8-5 last season. A program with a glass jaw showed it could take a hit. A terrible defensive team showed it could stop an opponent when it mattered. USC was a soft program, but there was nothing soft about what the Trojans did against LSU.

“We were a tough, determined, physical team that got it done in the end,” said Riley, who was hired as a surprise savior and became a piñata after the previous season was a bust. “I don’t coach for the media. I don’t coach for the headlines. We try to stay incredibly committed to it, regardless of what anyone on the outside says. Whether or not they agree with us is, frankly, irrelevant. I have a pretty good idea of ​​what pretty good looks like, and I know we’re making progress.”

The defensive improvement was astonishing Sunday night. A unit that gave up 34.4 points last season held LSU to 20. Most importantly, the Trojans were able to block the middle against the run, make stops in the red zone and get out of the way on third down — all problem areas in 2023.

With a pair of potential high draft picks at offensive tackle, LSU was expected to dominate the line of scrimmage. While Will Campbell and Emory Jones were tough to beat in pass protection, the Tigers rushed for just 117 yards, the fewest USC has allowed since Sept. 23, 2023.

“They had a right to be confident, but so did we,” Riley said. “We just chose not to say it in the media.”

Riley’s biggest coaching move was firing defensive coordinator Alex Grinch and replacing him with 34-year-old D’Anton Lynn, who was an impactful coach with the rival UCLA Bruins in 2023. Lynn put six ’24 transfers in the starting lineup against LSU.

Lynn took safety Kamari Ramsey around town and the sophomore produced a team-high nine tackles. Oregon State Beavers transfers Easton Mascarenas-Arnold and Akili Arnold combined for 11 tackles. Cornerback Greedy Vance Jr., who transferred from the Florida State Seminoles, had four tackles.

“Big changes on defense,” Riley said.

The game was more than a showdown between Heisman replacement QBs. It also featured third-year coaches who stunned the sport by making major, significant coaching changes: Brian Kelly from Notre Dame to LSU and Riley from Oklahoma to USC.

After two seasons, Riley needed this game more than Kelly. But that doesn’t mean the demanding LSU fan base will ignore the loss: that’s just the way they are.

Kelly is now 0-3 in season openers at LSU. They’ve all been high-profile matchups, twice against Florida State and now USC, so kudos to the scheduling effort. This wasn’t as bad as getting blown out by the Seminoles last season, but after one game this doesn’t look like another breakout team for Kelly in Year 3.

His third Central Michigan Chippewas team went 9-4, earning Kelly the job with the Cincinnati Bearcats. His third team there went 12-0 and earned a spot in the Sugar Bowl, earning him the job with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. And his third team in South Bend went 12-1, losing the BCS championship game to the Alabama Crimson Tide.

It makes no sense that LSU will perform better on offense this season after losing Jayden Daniels to the NFL, but the improvement on defense is non-negotiable. And LSU got most of it Sunday night, with several big stops and notably better play in the secondary. But the bottom line is this: The Tigers led 17-13 in the last half of the fourth quarter and gave up consecutive touchdown drives to lose the game.

“We had a couple guys play their asses off tonight, and here we are again”—Kelly paused to pound the table—”we’re here again talking about the same things. About not finishing when you’ve got an opponent in a position to finish them off.

“What we do on the sidelines is feel like the game is over. And I’m so angry about it. I have to do something about it. I’m not doing a good enough job as a coach.”

This was a return for Angry Brian, who had been periodically replaced by Zen Yoga Brian in recent years. Perhaps Kelly would be more effective when his face turned purple and his temper quivered. But as urgent as he sounded Sunday night, the 12-team playoffs give him and his team time to reboot and get better.

For USC, this is a great springboard into an adventurous inaugural Big Ten schedule. There are three trips to the Midwest or East in a five-week span, starting with the Michigan Wolverines on Sept. 21. And as usual, Notre Dame looms at the end.

When Moss committed to USC in 2020, no one could have imagined the Trojans would be playing a Big Ten schedule. And just nine months ago, no one could have imagined Moss would be USC’s starting quarterback on this journey into the unknown. But his loyalty and patience have paid off, and he’s earned his coach’s full trust going forward.