Garbage-time heroes earning meaningful snaps

They were up by 46 points when the halftime 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 coach Lincoln Riley grabbed his group’s attention in the locker room with a declaration, tight end Lake Mcree said postgame.

“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 zero, 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 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 for 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 halfempty Coliseum enthralled, USC’S second-mightiest heroes making a case for increased opportunity: the Garbage-time Avengers.

On paper, the tuneup 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>> 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 in going 23 of 32 for 309 yards.

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

Verdict: He’s backing up 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 he’s second on the Trojans in receiving yards through three games, by virtue of being Moss’ go-to defensestretcher in garbage time.

If USC didn’t have one of the deepest rooms in the nation, Robinson would be starting. At 6-foot6, 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.

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 Williams.