Lincoln Riley says Miller Moss' consistency was decisive factor in QB battle

If there is one thing that almost every coach in any sport craves, it is consistency. Knowing what you are going to get from a player is one of the keys to helping a coach succeed at any level.

That's apparently why USC head coach Lincoln Riley named junior QB Miller Moss his starter earlier this week. Speaking with the media on Tuesday, Riley praised both Moss and backup QB Jayden Maiava for their work during fall camp before touting Moss's consistency both on and off the field.

"I felt like we got to a point where we had seen, you know, enough of the guys and just felt like that was the right decision for the team," he said. "And it was close. It was close. Give Miller a lot of credit. I think he improved and handled the competition well. Jayden Maiava improved drastically which I think we all expected there will be some improvement.  It was a major, major jump for him, and really proud of how he handled the competition. I mean he was right there neck-and-neck with him the entire time which was a big, big move from the spring. You could tell his familiarity with the offense certainly helped.

"Jake Jensen continues to do some nice things, has been just great in the room but just consistently, Miller was still the best and still the guy that we feel like gives us this team the best chance to win and play well. And he's built off the momentum from the bowl game and from spring and you know I think he's playing at a high level and has done it very consistently.  And I think it's his consistency every day as a player, as a leader, operating the offense that, you know, certainly part of what makes him the player that he is."

It is telling that Moss is the more consistent player when compared to Maiava. That's because he's the far more inexperienced QB in terms of being a starter.

After all, Moss has made just one career start and that was in the 2023 Holiday Bowl win over Louisville. Meanwhile, Maiava started 14 games as a true freshman a season ago at UNLV.

That means that Maiava had a season's worth of experience in being a leader and a starter. However, Moss' experience in the USC system, a system he's been learning for three years, seems to have paid off.

Knowing what Riley wants out of his quarterbacks and knowing how to best execute Riley's system, Moss should have had the advantage over Maiava from the start, especially in practice settings. However, Riley indicated that he would be confident in Maiava if he had to take over the reins of the offense at some point.

"Extremely comfortable," he said.  "I’d go play anybody with him.  The way that he practiced and competed and he's a talented kid, he's got a really bright future here there's no doubt about that. It was a great battle and that's typically, the [quarterback] rooms I’ve been in when there are great battles, that makes both guys better and I think you could certainly say that about this competition."

Now, the question that begs to be answered is whether or not Moss' consistency will translate when the games count. We know what Maiava can do as a starter (albeit at the Group of 5 level) but we've never seen Moss lead a program for more than one game.

There will be little time for Moss to get his feet wet, as well. Starting out with a game against LSU and then one against Michigan two weeks later, the junior is going to have to take charge in a hurry if the Trojans are going to get off to a strong start in 2024.

Perhaps that's where his consistent demeanor and his leadership will rise to the top, though. When facing tough challenges, the hope is that Moss will meet the occasion with excellence the way he did against Louisville in the last game we say him play. That's where the consistency he's shown in fall camp must translate to when it really counts.