FIRST TAKE | Shannon reacts to Miller Moss' performance dominate in No. 23 USC win over LSU

it went down to the wire between Brian Kelly and Lincoln Riley two coaches in year three that could really use a win to kind of get their fan bases off their backs great final drive with the game tied to 20 Miller Moss to Zachariah Branch who's one of the most exciting players in the sport and then Moss to Kiren Hudson at SC is moving it the defense vastly improved too but Lincoln Riley knows offense 18 seconds to go Moss dropping back Hudson catches it and pays for it Kel Gilbert on the play for him he'll be ejected for targeting cuz that's going up top helmet to helmet so that'll Advance the ball all the way to the 13 yd line so now they're well within field goal range a little Chip Shot get out of Vegas with a win but instead SCS Woody marks to win it and the transfer from Mississippi State ends it and wins it for the Trojans it's great to have Miller Moss here on Sports Center tonight after that thrilling last Drive Miller you were five for six on that last drive just take me through that final drive in Vegas to win it and what was going through your mind yeah I mean I don't know try I'm not going to get too caught up in the in the stats or anything like that um obviously we put together a pretty solid two-minute drive at the end of the half so I think we felt good about that situationally and it was just our job to go out and execute I think we did a good job of that so what he Mark scores the touchdown there to win it I know when you were talking with Holly row you pulled him aside he came over to you you whispered in his ear what did you tell him uh I honestly can't remember I probably can't repeat it for live television um but you know he's a he's a he's a heck of a player um really really happy he's he obviously came over from Mississippi State really happy he's on our team uh heck of a kid and a heck of a player last couple things you threw for six touchdowns in the bowl game you wetted everybody's appetite but people weren't sure what SE was all about you Chang defensive coordinators what was this off seon like with all the drama all the chatter that you guys heard before this game tonight yeah yeah I mean I think a large part of this off season was us building an identity and I think it was identity of of of a team that really cares about each other a tough physical team and a team that's going to continue to respond to adversity and I feel like obviously we still have a long ways to go but I think that was on display tonight hey last thing for you you are the antithesis of the big time quarterback you didn't transfer you didn't pout you didn't run for an money you stayed you sat behind Caleb Williams and now it's all paid off what does the journey feel lik yeah I mean shoot it hasn't paid off yet but um you know still still a long ways to go I'm just I'm just really happy for the team I think the way we fought in battle tonight through uh through the ups and downs was awesome um and we're just going to continue to keep climbing you kept fighting aose for the school that of course he's under the gun yeah he was he was especially after last year he was yep Lincoln Riley has has a big win for USC it comes in the opener his third opener as the Trojans head coach the game is on a neutral feel but maybe these uh uh Trojans are better suited I like the new addition of Dean Lyn uh he's the uh son of my former teammate Anthony Lynn who's the head coach of the uh the Chargers at one point in time he was with the 49ers last year and if I'm not mistaken he might be the OC for the commander so that's his son they did an outstanding job the of winning this ball game give the uh the quarterbacks both quarterbacks played well Miller Moss came in we saw when Caleb Williams s out the bowl game Ojo he came in set a SC record through six touchdowns was named bold MVP same thing with nus Meer because both guys had to wait their turn both guys get transferred guy uh Caleb Williams transferred in Jaylen Daniels transferred in they win uh Heisman trophy so each guy waited their turn we saw foreshadow what Miller Moss was probably capable of doing in the uh in the bowl last year where he tossed six touchdowns and he won the uh Bowl MVP sir but what did like about what you saw oo you saw uh USC um had some terrible losses last year but they get off on a great on a good foot this year well listen before the season started I think both both coaches were under the gun I think both coaches under the gun for the third time in week one of the Season Brian Kelly has started 0 and one to start the season obviously last year defense was an issue with Lincoln Ry and USC then there were questions coming into this previous season the quarterbacks two Heisman quarterbacks are gone jayen Daniels is gone Caleb Williams is gone how are the quarterback GNA going to step up obviously we saw Miller Moss last year in the bowl game Step Up When cayb Williams decided not to play so you kind of got a small sample size of what to expect and you saw it tonight uh on the other side of the ball Garrett nme played really well he played really well both defenses played really well we saw a different UC USC defense as opposed to what we saw last year yeah very promising I think maybe also planed neutral site made it a little made it kind of even kill for both teams where one crowd wasn't able to dominate the game and affect the game where either team was on offense I think LSU they look good what I would have liked them to see them do is the way they started the game out getting Kyon Lacy the ball like he was him I mean he he kind of disappeared the rest of the game he did he disappeared the rest of the game you start the game on fire going straight down the field moving around I mean there there were a couple couple of penalties where there was there was some motion some some motion uh difficulties you know two people moving at the same time but if he's your best player you get him the ball you feature him but um listen either way it was a good game I I really enjoyed it from both teams both teams have two very very good quarterbacks I saw at the end of the game Garrett nme you know hanging his head looked like he wanted to cry there there's really nothing to cry about son nothing to cry about you you played one hell of a goddamn game they need to do a better job of pushing the ball down the field but that was a heck of a play um I forget his name number 10 he had two one-handed catches that second one really huge you saw the one in the middle of the field yeah and then they and then oo they got him got it with a targeted yeah but that was all on the corner yeah because the first of all you playing cover two you got a fun first of all you funnel the wide receiver in if you look if I'm not mistaken Oho I don't think they had an off back so now there's immediate threat so now I'm going to funn the wide receiver in but I'm going to S back to sink yes because I gotta help my safety because if I let him free release they're gonna do exactly what they did he didn't put his hands on it and they hit it with a hole shot yes sir now your safet is in a bind and he targets so now you get half the distance to the goal on top of a 20 yard completion if he had done what he was supposed to do funn him inside sink back because there's no immediate threat to the flag now that's a much a much more difficult throw to complete but give millos credit give the receiver credit that is a hell of a throw and catch because you know as a wide receiver oo you know that safety com oh he coming off that hash now oh he he he coming off that hash and he coming with bad intentions Mill M knows oo I gotta get this ball up and I gotta get it down sir I or that's a medicine ball yeah in other words the guy gonna come out there he gonna open the back door to the ambulance and put your ass in it so that's the medicine that you go the medicine that you gonna be received that's the medicine you're gonna get um but that that's a lesson I'm sure you know a lot of times it's not like they haven't rehearsed that o oo they know in a situation like that okay guys we're playing cover two f a little guy in there's no immediate threat there's no offset back you just see because I don't want him to get that ball up and down in the hole but uh that was a great throw that was a great great catch uh great concentration give the guy credit u butc played well um and this is what I think um Kyon Hudson is his name that's what we wanted to see from SC because we look they scor 40 and 50 points but they give it up 45 and 55 points defense was the issue defense was issue and they they played very very good defense tonight one game Let's they're in the big hey they're in the Big 10 now different G it's going to be interes and you know Ohio State you know Michigan you know they can run they can run M Michigan can run the ball you know they're gonna try to run the ball Ohio state has those athletes they're gonna spread you out they're gonna throw it they got an outstanding wide receiver yeah when is Ohio State not had an outstanding wide receiver or wide receivers for that matter but it's going to be interesting but you I I did like what I saw from SC they did a great job Miller Mo seems to be the real deal uh played against an SEC we know what the SEC represents um but give Toc credit there's a lot of pressure on Lincoln Riley he has to get it done he has to get it done with the pressure being on Lincoln rally what they showed tonight is a great measuring stick for where they want to go this is what you can Bild off of you can bid off of this you can compete against any goddamn body if you have that kind of offensive production and that type of defensive production that you had tonight I don't care who you line up across from if you play like you play like you played tonight you gonna be all right unless you play in Georgia the thing was though Joo look they gave up uh 421 total yards but they didn't give up any really big play big plays so that was the thing n my they made n my check down low you know low high percentage throws but they weren't big throws and so long hey I believe if I don't give you big play and you have to nickel and dime your way down the field I believe you'll make a mistake before you get the ball in the end zone so that's the thing most defens is like hey as long as we don't give up the chunk plays I like our chances if they want to go 15 plays you're not gonna consistently go 15 17 plays and get the ball in the end zone you gonna make a mistake we gonna get our hands up we gonna pull one out something's going to go wrong and so that's what the defense is pride them tell themselves look guys as long as we don't give up the big plays we're going to be just fine make them go the long way make them go 12 15 17 plays it's the onew plays it's the Tyreek plays that kill yeah every time so SC does it they win uh 2720 over LSU 23c uh number 20 number 20th rank uh LSU LSU loses like you mentioned oo Brian Kelly the those first games of the Hey listen three years in a row he's starting the season off 0 and one he he he's not getting off on the Good Foot now well look now you got Oklahoma in that division now you got Texas in that division you still got Alabama to deal with you got Georgia you got Old Miss Lane kein you got Tennessee hey ain't no dodging ain't no off weeks it ain't no dodging oh hell no ain't no off weeks n you hey hey hey give us old vanderbel you know we can always got some homecoming we got vanderbel right they hey they gonna be they gonna be your doctors and your lawyers and your account they ain't gonna be the whole lot of them ain't gonna be playing on Sunday so let's get them for homecoming when we play V Bill oh Mom you got to come down here we got [Music] homecoming for for e for e e for e foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] for fore spee e for e for for for foreign spee foree