USC’s Miller receives honors

Los Angeles, CA (News4usOnline) – USC running back King Miller gave the Trojans an exceptional performance in a home game against the No. 15 Michigan Wolverines. 

Miller, a walk-on student-athlete, rushed for 158 yards and scored a touchdown to lead USC to a 31-13 win against the Wolverines at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, Oct. 11. 

“Yeah, King was huge,” USC head coach Lincoln Riley said after the game during his postgame press conference. “He played, stepped up, made big plays and was obviously really important for us with the way that it went down. We’ll get confirmation [on injuries]. Eli’s doesn’t look super positive in terms of the rest of the season, so we’ll get confirmation, but it doesn’t look positive. Waymond wasn’t able to come back in tonight, so we will continue to evaluate him and see where he’s at.”

With both Eli Sanders and Waymond Jordan both going down to injuries suffered early in the game against Michigan, Miller stepped up to the plate for the Trojans and showed the nation what he could do if presented with an opportunity. Miller ran with that opportunity, recording the highest number of yards by a walk-on since the 1970s. 

Among his highlights on a big day, Miller busted loose for a 49-yard gain on one play and scored on a 15-yard touchdown in the third quarter. 

“It’s what he does in practice,” Riley said. “He’s a hard worker. He’s a humble guy. He cares about this team a lot. And honestly, hell, we didn’t have anybody else. So we were starting to scratch in the dirt a little bit. But he was awesome. The moment was certainly not too big for him.”

As a result of Miller’s standout game, he became the recipient of several weekly awards. Miller was named Big Ten Freshman Football Player of the Week. He was also selected for the Burlsworth Trophy Walk-On of the Week honor, which honors the success of the walk-on student-athlete. 

Miller was one of several student-athletes chosen as Big Ten Football Players of the Week for the week of Oct. 13.