LOS ANGELES – On April 23, 1910, Theodore Roosevelt stood in front of a crowd of thousands at the heart of Paris, France and delivered what’s widely considered one of the finest speeches in human history.
Embedded in a long soliloquy of Roosevelt’s ideals on democracy and globalization, at a time when the former president was embarking on a larger speaking tour of Europe, came the iconic passage of that has stood the test of American civilization itself.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better,” Roosevelt uttered, then. “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming.”
This summer, upon his graduation from USC, Miller Moss stitched a message into the back of his ceremonial robe.
“MJM,” it read, in golden italics inscribed on a cardinal-red neckline. “Man in the Arena.”
Six games into Moss’s long-awaited season as the Trojans’ starting quarterback, USC’s man in the arena has stumbled, the golden sheen from Moss’s star-making moment in December’s Holiday Bowl fading with each smack he’s taken into on-field turf. His customary eye black has been smeared, Moss absorbing his fair share of hits behind a developing offensive line. His arm has been tested, Moss’ passer rating dipping to 133.0 on the season despite a handful of standout performances, ranking 71st in the country of 115 qualified passers.
The past couple losses to Minnesota and Penn State have brought his rockiest games yet, Moss uncorking a number of customarily gutsy throws but missing a couple deeper back-shoulder tosses last Saturday as an eventual 33-30 defeat hung in the balance. And with a late shot before the end of regulation to connect with Duce Robinson on a slant to set up a workable field goal, Moss plain overthrew the 6-foot-6 sophomore, pushing the game to an eventual overtime loss.
“Six inches high,” Moss said, simply, when the doer of deeds was asked what happened on the toss Saturday.
Still, as a clamor has risen from social-media critics for Riley to swap out Moss for more-mobile UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava, Riley has remained steadfast across the past couple weeks at every opportunity in declaring Moss USC’s man. He’d had a couple “loose decisions” against Penn State, Riley pointed out, and noted it’d be important for Moss’s accuracy to climb in the second half of the season.
But he had put USC in position to win “a lot of games,” Riley affirmed.
“He, like anybody, some of the things he needs to do better, he owns it,” Riley said Tuesday, when asked his confidence in Moss as USC’s starter. “I promise you, he wants it more than anybody with what he puts into it.”
“He’s our leader. He’s our starter. There’s zero question about that.”
There was a sort of modern-day Roosevelt in Moss’ words, a century later, when he was asked how he and the program could look past the what-ifs still lingering from three close losses. If it was easy, the quarterback said, everyone would do it. A quick-processing signal-caller who is going on three years in Riley’s system, Moss has affirmed in the past he’s happy to be “an extension” of Riley as a quarterback; that extends, too, to the program’s messaging.
Related Articles
USC football at Maryland: Who has the edge?
USC football eyes Georgia recruits while local powerhouses wait
Once consumed by hoop dreams, USC’s Devan Thompkins has found his fit at defensive tackle
USC linebacker Eric Gentry announces he’ll redshirt after ‘series of concussions’
USC’s Anthony Lucas out for season, leaving defensive line thin
That relationship hasn’t been perfect in 2024, though, as USC’s offense has fallen short of the explosive-play potential it displayed in 2022 and 2023 with Caleb Williams at the helm. Moss is averaging just 6.9 yards per attempt in 2024, below the national average and good for 83rd in the country entering Saturday; he’s frequently had little time to look deep behind that young offensive line, and has struggled to find a go-to target within a young receiving corps when he has.
Saturday brings a challenger coming at the perfect time in Moss’s season, as Maryland’s cornerbacks are aggressive – starters Glendon Miller and Jalen Huskey each have three picks in six games – but are prone to big plays, the Terrapins’ secondary giving up 14.5 yards a catch. It’s a prime opportunity for Moss to demonstrate growth in avoiding mistakes, and for the man in the arena to keep slinging.
“I think he’s been great, and he’s going to continue being the leader that he is,” Robinson said Tuesday. “And I can’t wait to go out this second half of the season and show the world what we can do.”