Miller Moss threw two of his three touchdown passes to Ja’Kobi Lane, and No. 13 Southern California rallied from an 11-point deficit in the second half for a 38-21 victory over Wisconsin on Saturday in the Trojans’ first Big Ten home game.

One week after narrowly losing its Big Ten debut at Michigan, USC trailed 21-10 at halftime and received a few boos from its home crowd after committing three turnovers in the first half. The Trojans (3-1, 1-1) responded superbly, outscoring Wisconsin 28-0 in the second half of their school’s first Big Ten victory.

“I’m super proud of the resiliency of this team in the second half,” said Trojans’ head coach Lincoln Riley. “Obviously we want to start faster…it was not a very good first half in every way shape and form. Proud of the way we stepped up. It was awesome to get our first Big 10 win.”

Lane caught 10 passes for 105 yards, while Duce Robinson scored the Trojans’ go-ahead touchdown with 1:28 left in the third quarter on another sharp throw from Moss, who passed for 308 yards.

Moss was evaluated for a concussion after he hit the ground awkwardly while rushing for a 7-yard touchdown on a fourth-down keeper with 8:22 to play, but he stayed in.

MILLER!!!!

📺 @CBSSports pic.twitter.com/C0GSX8kaZ5

— USC Football ✌️ (@uscfb) September 28, 2024

“When you go flying you see some things sometimes,” joked Moss of why he went into the medical tent. “I’m totally fine, and I just went into the medical tent to make sure.”

USC linebacker Mason Cobb then returned an interception 55 yards for a TD with 5:04 to play to seal it.

ALL. THE. WAY. 🔥 @Cobb8Mason

📺: @CBSSportsCFB pic.twitter.com/pw0c9lxE50

— USC Football ✌️ (@uscfb) September 28, 2024

Vinny Anthony caught an early 63-yard TD pass from Braedyn Locke for the Badgers (2-2, 0-1), who have lost two straight.

Tawee Walker rushed for two touchdowns, but Wisconsin faded badly in the second half of its first game at the Coliseum since 1966. The Badgers have lost 13 of their last 15 games against ranked teams, going 0-4 under coach Luke Fickell.

Locke went 13 of 26 for 180 yards in his first start of the season after Tyler Van Dyke tore a knee ligament early in the Badgers’ blowout loss to Alabama two weeks ago.

Lane capped USC’s opening drive by barely staying inbounds on an exceptional 32-yard TD pass by Moss into a minuscule window. Wisconsin responded with Locke’s perfect long throw to Anthony, who beat Jacobe Covington down the USC sideline on a rare explosive play by the Badgers’ offense.

USC speedster Zachariah Branch muffed a punt on the first snap of the second quarter, and Walker rushed 18 yards for a TD on the next snap. After Wisconsin added a 75-yard TD drive capped by Walker’s second touchdown, Moss fumbled while getting hit deep in Badgers territory.

The Coliseum booed when the Trojans left the field at halftime down 21-10 — but USC recovered a muffed punt early in the third quarter, and Lane eventually caught a 6-yard TD pass.

“Just a really, really, good speech,” Riley said with a smile when asked what the difference was between the two halves..”We knew we beat ourselves essentially. We gave up explosive plays, we didn’t stop the run, we had two turnovers, we just didn’t do anything very well.”

Robinson then caught two huge passes during the Trojans’ go-ahead scoring drive, including an 8-yard TD throw delivered by Moss over an all-out blitz.

.@millermoss7 ➡️ @Ducerobinson2 for 6! pic.twitter.com/4wORBDe79p

— USC Football ✌️ (@uscfb) September 28, 2024

Moss then capped a 77-yard drive by keeping the ball on fourth down and scoring while spinning and flying from a Badgers hit. Moss got up slowly after the hit and went to the medical tent, but was cleared to return.

The takeaway

Wisconsin: The first half was encouraging, but Fickell and his players couldn’t match the Trojans’ halftime adjustments. Big Ten title contention seems unlikely for the Badgers this year unless they can generate more explosiveness on both sides of the ball. The Badgers finished with only 286 yards of offense.

USC: The Trojans were both bad and unlucky in the first half, but this team is miles ahead of last season’s group, and their second-half surge was perhaps their most impressive effort of the past two years under coach Lincoln Riley. Moss is growing into his role, and the USC defense again showed tenacity.

Poll implications

The Trojans only slipped two spots after losing to Michigan, and they should stay in the same range after rallying past the Badgers.

Up next

Wisconsin: Host Purdue on Saturday, Oct. 5.

USC: At Minnesota on Saturday, Oct. 5.

Vandals turned another Southern California mansion into their graffiti canvas as a third abandoned property in an affluent community is targeted by taggers.

An empty home sitting on Stone Canyon Road in Bel Air has been riddled with graffiti as its owner looks to sell the property for $21.5 million. The realtor overseeing the listing, who wished to remain anonymous, told NBC4 vandals have continuously struck the home.

On Thursday, Bel Air security caught five people vandalizing the inside of the property, according to the realtor. She added that on Friday, a gardener also found five vandals inside the home yet again.

The Los Angeles Police Department said it has not received calls for that property.

It’s the latest home targeted by vandals who’ve begun a trend of going after empty mansions in multi-million-dollar communities.

A four-story mansion on the 7000 block of Mulholland Drive in the Hollywood Hills has been repeatedly tagged, as has a second mansion on the 1700 block of North Sunset Plaza Drive. Both homes are owned by John Powers Middleton, whose father owns the Philadelphia Phillies.

After authorities declared the tagged mansion a nuisance in October 2022, they told the owner to build a fence to secure the property, but he didn’t. Alex Rozier reports for the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on Friday, Sep. 20, 2024.

In a statement, Middleton apologized to the city and his neighbors for the nuisance.

“What’s happened to the two properties I own is unacceptable, and no matter what caused it, I own the houses,” his statement read.

As for the property in Bel Air, it is unclear who owns that home. No detainments have been announced in connection with the vandalism there.

The mother and family of the man murdered during the hijacking of an LA Metro bus told NBC4’s I-Team they’re devastated by his death and want to make sure no one else using public transit becomes the victim of violence.

“I just want justice for my boy,” said Teresa Flores, the mother of 48-year-old Anthony Rivera, who died early Wednesday after he was shot during the bus takeover, pursuit, and standoff.

Flores said her son, who was riding the Metro bus to commute home, was a generous person who often put others’ needs ahead of his own.“Very friendly, very giving,” she said. 

“If he had his last dollar he would give it to you.”

She said police told the family Rivera had offered his property to the gunman who’d hijacked the bus.

“’Whatever you want, I have it here,’” Flores said, “and the man just turned around and shot him.”

The family said Rivera had served in the California National Guard and was working as a parking attendant at Dodger Stadium.

“He doesn’t make enough money to support a vehicle to get back and forth, he hasn’t for a while,” Rivera’s cousin Sarah Beck said.

“He was just doing everything he can to not have to rely on people giving him rides here and there.”

She said it’s unacceptable that people like Rivera, who depend on public transit, are so vulnerable to violence.

“We need change, and we understand that bus drivers need safety, we understand that, and thank goodness that they have that safety in place, but what about the passengers?,” she asked.

The LAPD said Rivera was fatally wounded during the ordeal and died at a hospital after SWAT officers stormed the bus and arrested the hijacker.

Police said 51-year-old Lamont A. Campbell was booked on suspicion of murder and was being held in jail without bail.

Campbell was expected to make an initial court appearance Monday.