The 23rd-ranked Trojans outscored the 13th-ranked Tigers 14-3 in the fourth quarter to steal a win in the desert.

Inside Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday night, USC rallied behind new quarterback Miller Moss to upset LSU 27-20. With USC entering the post-Caleb Williams era, every eyeball in the country was firmly fixed on the Trojans’ quarterback and Moss did not disappoint.

In a battle between 2 quarterbacks who stuck it out with their respective teams, backed up transfers who came in and jumped over them, and then earned starting jobs later, Moss was brilliant. The Trojans’ new defense had its moments, as did the new-look LSU defense. It was the only game on the college football schedule on Sunday night and it was a wonderful showcase.

But 1 side had to lose. Unfortunately for LSU, the defeat marked the fifth consecutive loss in a season opener — the worst streak for the program since it dropped 5 straight from 1991-95.

Here are 3 takeaways from the game.

Miller Moss aces his debut

Moss bet on himself and, so far, that bet is paying off.

Late in the fourth quarter, the redshirt junior quarterback connected with wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane for a go-ahead, 28-yard touchdown. The score gave USC a 20-17 lead over the Tigers with 5:44 left in the game.

It was a tremendous play from Moss, who recognized the hot man coming off the edge to his right, then delivered an absolute dime to Lane once the LSU safety turned his hips and gave him airspace to go over the outside shoulder.

That touchdown throw was Moss’s first and only score of the night, but make no mistake, the Trojans had the best quarterback on the field.

Moss completed 27 of his 36 passes for 378 yards and twice drove the Trojans to a fourth-quarter lead in his second career start. He showed a clear grasp of the offense, a laser for an arm, and really nice anticipation. The 2-minute drive to go and win the game was a masterclass — 8 plays, 75 yards, 1:39 off the clock. Moss worked the sideline and hit windows well.

There were questions about how Moss would look after blowing the doors off Louisville’s defense in last year’s Holiday Bowl. He answered every question in 4 quarters.

Lincoln Riley has another one, folks.

(LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier played well, too. This isn’t a “one was good, one was bad” situation. He went for 304 yards and completed 29 of his 38 passes with 2 scores.)

LSU defense starts hot but fades

The Tigers held USC to just 1 touchdown on its first 4 trips to the red zone. For the game, the Trojans were just 3-for-9 on third down. Through the first 3 quarters, LSU had allowed only 13 points. They finished with 7 tackles for loss and 2 sacks.

But in the fourth quarter, LSU got gashed 1 too many times. Moss had 5 explosive pass plays in the frame. Two of USC’s 3 chunk run plays came in the fourth quarter. The Trojans were able to crease LSU a couple of times and spoil the return of defensive coordinator Blake Baker.

LSU is probably better than it was a year ago on the defensive side of the football. The same is true of USC, which gave up only 20 points despite allowing 421 yards. The first game feels like an avalanche; it’s never as good or as bad as it looks in the moment. Both defenses swarmed. They brought timely pressures that got home and impacted quarterbacks.

LSU got a fourth-down stop midway through the fourth quarter that felt huge at the time — halting a 49-yard march at the LSU 36 — but USC answered that midfield denial with a 3-and-out to give the offense the ball right back.

On the ensuing possession, USC went 64 yards in 3 plays for a touchdown. That was the turning point in the game.

New playmakers emerge for LSU… sort of

Sixth-year senior John Emery Jr. ran for 61 yards on 10 carries. Tight end Mason Taylor built off his strong showing in last season’s bowl game and caught 7 balls for 62 yards. Kyren Lacy led all receivers with 94 yards and a score on 7 receptions.

The Tigers had 2 receivers drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft this past summer. Jayden Daniels’ departure also meant the Tigers’ leading rusher needed to be replaced. (The leading running back also left via the transfer portal.) So much attention was on LSU’s defense but the Tigers were also rebuilding their offense this offseason.

Lacy looks like a game-breaker. Like former Alabama coach Nick Saban said last week on College GameDay, the Tigers never want for elite wide receivers. Taylor has admirers in the program and might be due for a legit breakout. The run game generated 4.5 yards per carry.

But they all just faded in the second half. LSU had 184 yards of offense in the second half but Lacy had only 2 targets and didn’t record a catch. Taylor was also targeted only twice, including on the final offensive play of the day for LSU that ended in an interception. Emery had 5 runs that net 0 yards as the offensive line — a supposed strength — struggled to get consistent push against the USC front.

There were positives to take from the game, but this was not a complete performance.