Who’s played their way into meaningful snaps? – Press Enterprise

They were up by 46 when the halftime drone show started, free perhaps to rest on their haunches or trot out a troupe of toddlers and still preserve a blowout win over Stanford. And yet USC head coach Lincoln Riley grabbed his group’s attention in the locker room, tight end Lake McRee said postgame, with a declaration.

“You should be exhausted by the end of the game,” McRee recalled Riley saying, “regardless of how many snaps you’ve played – if it’s 0, if it’s 100.”

There is no pacing themselves, USC quarterback Caleb Williams said after Saturday’s 56-10 win over Stanford, even through three straight blowouts of overmatched opponents. He is trying to kill, and Riley wants them to kill, to set a precedent no matter the scoreboard and not “give anybody an inch,” as the head coach said.

And yet, USC’s starters have done their jobs well enough through three games – offense clicking on just about every cylinder, new-look defense stepping to the task, special teams exploding courtesy of one transcendent Zachariah Branch – that their participation has often no longer been required. Williams has thrown 12 touchdowns this season in about eight-and-some-change quarters, and the Trojans yanked most of their starters on offense after all of two quarters against Stanford.

It’s given ample opportunity to a slew of freshmen and veterans alike looking to make their mark, Riley relishing in rotating a large percentage of the roster through snaps. It’s born a squadron that’s kept a half-empty Coliseum enthralled, USC’s second-mightiest heroes making a case for increased opportunity: the Garbage-Time Avengers.

On paper, the tune–up portion of USC’s season is over. Coming out of a bye next week, they’ll head on the road for Arizona State and a titanic matchup with an enthralling Colorado team. Notre Dame, Utah, Washington and Oregon all loom beyond. So who’s played their way into meaningful snaps? Let’s examine.

QB Miller Moss, redshirt sophomore

In the third quarter of USC’s blowout over Nevada, during a timeout, a smattering of USC students in the Coliseum began clamoring for their golden boy with the golden hair: “Mill-er Time! Mill-er Time!”

Down below, in the huddle, Williams turned and pumped his fist in encouragement.

On paper, Moss is stuck in a truly unenviable situation: backing up the best quarterback in college football with Malachi Nelson, Williams’ heir apparent, waiting in the wings. But Moss has gotten plenty of run through three weeks  and played the entire second half Saturday, showcasing solid decision-making and poise in going 23-of-32 for 309 yards thus far.

Oh, and – in a hilarious fact for a known pocket-passing backup – he’s got more rushing touchdowns (two) so far than Williams (one).

Verdict: I mean, he’s backing up Caleb Williams, so Moss isn’t challenging for the starting job here. But if USC’s star QB ever got banged up, Moss has demonstrated he’s more than capable of keeping the Trojans competitive.

WR Duce Robinson, freshman

Robinson hasn’t contributed in any non-blowout situation, but get this – he’s second on the Trojans in receiving yards through three games, by virtue of being Moss’ go-to defense-stretcher in garbage time.

If USC didn’t have one of the deepest rooms in the nation, Robinson would be starting. At 6-foot-6, he’s got the catch radius and athleticism – a two-sport athlete who’ll play baseball for USC this spring – to be a threat over the middle and down the sidelines, and burst for a 71-yard touchdown against Nevada.

“To be honest, I kinda blacked out during it,” Robinson joked of the score on Wednesday.

Verdict: Will be difficult to force his way consistently into USC’s rotation, but Riley’s Air Raid scheme always has room for talent. Place bets on Robinson being used at times as a vertical threat for Caleb Williams.

RB Quinten Joyner, freshman

Like Robinson, Joyner has done a lot with garbage-time run through three games, outgaining returner Austin Jones as USC’s second-leading rusher so far.

“He got home-run speed … watch out,” receiver Mario Williams said of Joyner after the Nevada game.

Joyner was largely quiet, though, after being given the reins in the second half against Stanford, and is in a difficult situation in a running-back room where his strengths overlap with that of MarShawn Lloyd and Jones.

Verdict: Expect a few spot first-down carries here and there, but Joyner is squarely the number-three back on Riley’s depth chart.