Trojans bid Pac-12 farewell in Holiday Bowl against No. 16 Louisville
Louisville coach Jeff Brohm reacts after a play during the second half of the team's Atlantic Coast Conference championship NCAA college football game against Florida State, Dec. 2, 2023, in Charlotte, N.C. Brohm or Southern California's Lincoln Riley will be getting an eggnog bath instead of a Gatorade shower as the winning coach in the Holiday Bowl. USC will play its final game as a member of the Pac-12 Conference before moving to the Big Ten next season. Credit: AP/Erik Verduzco
SAN DIEGO — The rapidly changing college football landscape provided a moment of levity between Holiday Bowl coaches Jeff Brohm of the No. 16 Louisville Cardinals and Lincoln Riley of the staggering and depleted Southern California Trojans.
Brohm’s Cardinals (10-3) are making a rare West Coast trip for Wednesday night’s game at Petco Park, the downtown home of baseball’s Padres. However, starting next year, flying to California won’t be so unusual. One of the Cardinals’ 2024 road trips will be to play Stanford, which will be in its first season in the ACC, along with California.
“Obviously there’s a lot of change in college football in that regard, but for us I think it will be a great mix, two teams from out west that will provide some excitement and interest across the country,” Brohm said.
To which Riley quipped: “We’ll pass each other in the air."
The Holiday Bowl will be the last Pac-12 football game for the Trojans (7-5). They’ll begin play in the Big Ten next season, along with fellow Pac-12 defectors UCLA, Washington and Oregon. It was USC and UCLA’s announcement in 2023 that they were leaving for the Big Ten that was the beginning of the end of the “Conference of Champions.”
The Holiday Bowl also illustrates how rosters are dramatically affected by numerous players from both teams opting out to prepare for the NFL draft or entering the transfer portal.
A marquee player who will be missing is USC quarterback Caleb Williams, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner and presumptive No. 1 overall pick in next spring’s NFL draft who has opted out.
Southern California coach Lincoln Riley watches during the second half of the team's NCAA college football game against UCLA, Nov. 18, 2023, in Los Angeles. Either Louisville's Jeff Brohm or USC's Riley will be getting an eggnog bath instead of a Gatorade shower as the winning coach in the Holiday Bowl. Riley would no doubt welcome that after a disappointing season that began with national title hopes. Credit: AP/Ryan Sun
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Other Trojans who have opted out are leading rusher MarShawn Lloyd and Brendan Rice, the son of Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, who led USC with 12 touchdown catches. Louisville will be missing Jawha Jordan, a 1,000-yard rusher, and leading receiver Jamari Thrash, both of whom have declared for the draft.
QB DISPARITY
USC redshirt sophomore quarterback Miller Moss will replace Williams and make his first college start. He has played in 11 games during the past three seasons, going 43 of 59 for 542 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions. His longest pass is a 71-yard TD pass to Duce Robinson against Nevada this season.
Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams warms up for the team's NCAA college football game against UCLA, Nov. 18, 2023, in Los Angeles. USC will play its final game as a member of the Pac-12 Conference before moving to the Big Ten next season. Williams, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner, has opted out, one of many players from both schools who will miss the game due to opting out or entering the transfer portal. Credit: AP/Ryan Sun
The Cardinals will counter with experienced veteran Jack Plummer, a graduate senior who will be making his 39th career start. In his first year with Louisville, he completed 235 of 370 passes for 3,063 yards and 21 touchdowns, with 12 interceptions. He also played at Cal and Purdue.
EGGNOG BATH
Either Brohm or Riley will be getting an eggnog bath — nog on the noggin — instead of a Gatorade shower as the winning coach. Riley would no doubt welcome that after a disappointing season that began with national title hopes but ended with three straight losses and just one win in the final six games. Brohm would welcome it, too, to cap a season that saw the Cardinals play in their first ACC championship game, albeit a 16-6 loss to Florida State.
A SUPER CHARGER
Brohm signed with the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 1994 and was the third-string quarterback. He didn't take a snap as the Bolts made it to their only Super Bowl, a 49-26 loss to San Francisco.
“I have very fond memories because we were able to go to the Super Bowl that year, I didn't have to play a down during the regular season, so I didn't get hit, and I collected a paycheck,” Brohm said. “We had some great players, we had a great run and it was a lot of fun.”
