USC overcomes mistakes to get past Wisconsin for Big Ten win

The nation’s most electric returner looked up as a Wisconsin punt raced his way in the second quarter. Zachariah Branch had thrown just as many kicks. But as it approached and a decision became closer, the USC sophomore hesitated for a split second.

It was an uncharacteristic error at the start of an error-filled afternoon, a fitting moment to explain away a largely disastrous first half. The ball bounced off Branch’s outstretched arms, slipped through the hands of another USC player and was eventually corralled by Wisconsin. And with that, any hope of a smooth rebound for No. 13 USC in its Big Ten home opener seemed to fade, fading into another sluggish start.

What USC experienced instead was a confusing afternoon that even the Trojans and their coach — and anyone in attendance in a sold-out Coliseum, for that matter — would likely have trouble explaining. It was a mix of frustration in the first half and iron determination in the second half. A slow, painful start marked by mistakes like Branch’s botched return gave way to a resounding, confident second half marked by the exact opposite.

USC climbed out of a halftime deficit, scored four unanswered touchdowns and walked away with a 38-21 victory over Wisconsin, its first in the Big Ten.

Bouncing back from last week’s shocking loss to Michigan required another masterful attempt at halftime adjustments by USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, whose defense allowed Wisconsin zero points and 82 total yards in the second half. It also took a courageous comeback charge from quarterback Miller Moss, who turned around a sloppy start and led three consecutive touchdown drives in the third and fourth quarters, completing the last one under his own control.

“After the way last week ended,” USC coach Lincoln Riley said, “it says a lot about the character of the guys in this room to have the first half go the way it did and then come back and play well.” They will fight. We’re not going anywhere. We’re not panicking.”

That was particularly true for Moss on Saturday. The redshirt junior didn’t look good starting against Wisconsin. He threw a careless interception and missed a bone-breaking fumble in the red zone. On offense, USC struggled to find its rhythm as receivers dropped critical passes and the offensive line missed key blocks, picking up where they left off last week.

Little worked. Which, Riley reminded, should feel familiar.

“It’s the second week in a row that we’ve been in the locker room and I’m like, ‘Okay, are we going to step up and play like we know we’re capable of?'” Riley said .

Moss remained calm throughout.

“It wasn’t like they were doing something that was world famous that we couldn’t execute,” Moss said. “We just knew we had to play our football and that would serve us well.”

That mark was certainly on display in the second half. Even as the pressure faded and the hits piled up, Moss delivered one big throw after another, hitting Ja’Kobi Lane in the corner for a touchdown on a drive and then finding Duce Robinson up the middle in the face of an all-out blitz on the closest.

Moss finished the game with 308 yards and three passing touchdowns and another on the ground. However, he was made to pay for the final score, spinning after one tackle before colliding with another while diving into the end zone and scoring the game-winning goal. He fell backwards through the air and his helmet hit the field.

“When you fly, sometimes you see things,” Moss said with a smile.

The hit sent him briefly to the medical tent. But the quarterback later brushed it off, even as his teammates marveled at his toughness.

“He’s a buddy,” Lane said.

“You see him get beat, get back up and throw touchdowns,” linebacker Mason Cobb said. “Man, we’re a team that’s going to keep going. That’s really our identity.”

That certainly wasn’t the first thing anyone would say about USC a year ago. Above all, no one would have thought USC’s defense was a resilient group.

And at the start of Saturday, this unit briefly seemed to slip back into bad habits. Wisconsin opened with an explosive passing score.

But the uneven performance was smoothed out at half-time, as was the case under Lynn. The defense refocused.

“To be honest, we just woke up,” defensive end Jamil Muhammad said.

And in the second half, USC shut down Wisconsin. Only one Badgers drive after halftime lasted more than four plays.

The difference at this point was undeniable in every way. Moss found his way. The defense found its courage. The early errors disappeared.

While Branch blocked a punt in the first half, Wisconsin made a save in the second half, giving USC a much-needed break in the third quarter.

USC scored shortly after. Wisconsin never did it again.

It was a stunning turnaround by the Trojans considering what had gone wrong early on. When asked what happened in the halftime locker room to spur that change, Riley grinned.

“Just a really, really good speech,” he said.

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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.