SAN DIEGO — With
Moss added on with a beautiful 44-yard strike to Duce Robinson for a 42-28 lead with 10 minutes to go.
Williams jumped on Moss in celebration after the redshirt sophomore twice took a knee in victory formation at Petco Park.
The six TD passes were also the most by a quarterback in his first start for USC (8-5), which lost three straight games and five of six coming in after opening the year with national championship aspirations. They also were a Trojans bowl record and tied the Pac-12 bowl record.
Isaac Guerendo ran 23 times for 161 yards and three touchdowns for Louisville (10-4). Jack Plummer threw for 141 yards with no touchdowns.
Moss also threw scoring passes of 17 and 29 yards to Tahj Washington, who completed his first 1,000-yard receiving season. Kyron Hudson caught a 9-yard touchdown pass two plays after blocking Brady Hodges‘ punt, which went out of bounds at the Cardinals’ 18.
Leading 28-14, the Trojans were driving early in the third quarter when Moss was intercepted at the goal line by Quincy Riley, who returned it 61 yards to the USC 39. Five plays later, Isaac Guerendo scored on a 1-yard run to pull the Cardinals within a touchdown.
Guerendo scored on a 2-yard run on Louisville’s first possession of the game.
After Denis Lynch was wide right on a 38-yard field goal try, the Trojans got the ball right back when Max Williams strip-sacked Plummer, with Solomon Byrd recovering at the Louisville 19. Moss threw a short pass to Washington, who deked two defenders before diving into the end zone to tie the game.
USC jumped to a 21-7 lead on Moss’ second scoring pass to Washington and then Hudson’s score. Evan Conley scored on a 9-yard run for Louisville before USC went 75 yards in five plays just before halftime, with Moss dodging a defender, rolling right and chucking up a 31-yarder to Lane for a 28-14 lead.
