College Football

Winning coach of Holiday Bowl between Louisville, USC to get eggnog bath

Published Dec. 26, 2023 7:57 p.m. ET

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Both Louisville and USC have plenty to play for in Wednesday's Holiday Bowl (8 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports App), including a very special victory bath.

Either Louisville's Jeff Brohm or USC's Lincoln Riley will be getting an eggnog bath — nog on the noggin — instead of a Gatorade shower as the winning coach of the game at Petco Park. 

Riley would no doubt welcome that after a disappointing season that began with national title hopes. USC will play its final game as a member of the Pac-12 Conference before moving to the Big Ten next season. USC quarterback Caleb 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. Williams is expected to be the first overall pick in next spring's NFL draft. 

Will Louisville earn a win over USC in the Holiday Bowl?

Other Trojans who have opted out are leading rusher MarShawn Lloyd and wide receiver Brenden Rice — Hall of Famer Jerry Rice's son — who led USC with 12 touchdown catches. Both are also headed to the NFL Draft.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Miller Moss will replace Williams and make his first college start against a Cardinals defense that ranks 20th in the country and allows just 19.7 points per game. Moss has played in 11 games during the past three seasons, going 43 of 59 for 542 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions.

The No. 16 Cardinals are coming off a 16-6 loss to Florida State in their first ACC championship game and are looking for just their sixth 11-win season. They are in their first season under Brohm, a Cardinals alum who starred as a quarterback there 30 years ago. Jawhar Jordan, a 1,000-yard rusher, and leading receiver Jamari Thrash have both declared for the NFL draft.

Cardinals quarterback Jack Plummer is 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 and has some familiarity with USC from his time in the Pac-12 with the Golden Bears.

It's also a bit of a homecoming for Brohm, who spent his rookie NFL season as a third-string quarterback for a San Diego Chargers team that made what is still the franchise's only Super Bowl appearance in 1994.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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