King Miller's emergence headlines winners and losers from USC vs. Northwestern

The USC Trojans cruised past Northwestern on Friday night with a commanding 38–17 victory. The win marks their seventh of the season and firmly positions the Trojans in the College Football Playoff conversation. We evaluate the winners and losers from the performance.

Winners

King Miller, RB

King Miller has emerged as the unlikeliest hero for the Trojans this season. While it’s well-documented that his early opportunities came as a result of injuries in the running back room, Miller is now earning his touches through his own playmaking ability. Nothing demonstrated that more than his electrifying 55-yard run, which came immediately after quarterback Jayden Maiava forced a fumble touchback to save the offensive drive. Miller would score on a 12-yard rush two plays later.

Wire-to-Wire Wins

The Trojans not only secured another conference victory, but once again did so without ever trailing. That’s becoming a defining trend for this team, as the win over Northwestern marks the third time this season USC has led wire to wire. For context, the Trojans managed just one such performance all of last year in the form of a home win against Rutgers.

Second Half Adjustments

For the second consecutive game, the Trojans’ defense made crucial halftime adjustments and completely stifled the opposing offense. After allowing two long rushing drives on Northwestern’s opening possessions, USC’s defense didn’t surrender a single touchdown in the second half, echoing their dominant performance against Nebraska. Defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn is clearly making the right calls at halftime, and the unit is responding well. Overall, the Trojans held Northwestern to under 300 yards of total offense, recorded two sacks, and notched their fifth game this season in which the opponent failed to score more than 20 points.

ALSO READ: Lincoln Riley wants to shut down any talk of him leaving USC for another job

Losers

Big Ten Scheduling

Northwestern traveled to Los Angeles for a Friday night matchup, a move the Big Ten has tried before, as Rutgers did the same last year. But this scheduling raises serious concerns as USC was coming off a short week, while Northwestern had a full bye week. The setup seems poorly planned and poses significant risks to player safety. While the Big Ten can’t avoid some challenges, like cross-country travel, player safety is entirely within their control. The fact that one team had two weeks of rest while the other had just five days after a road game is unacceptable, whether it was due to oversight or indifference. Neither explanation would be appropriate.

Lincoln Riley Coaching Rumors

Lincoln Riley’s name surfaced in coaching rumors this season, sparking concern among USC fans. Thankfully, the Trojan head coach addressed those speculations after the game, making his stance clear. With the momentum Riley has built, it’s natural for his name to come up in coaching chatter. Still, he remains an elite coach at an elite program, and there are no indications he’ll be departing anytime soon.