LAS VEGAS -- Lincoln Riley had just commented a couple days earlier how he knew fans and media would take whatever happened Week 1 and project it upon the rest of the season, as if the narrative had already been written when that is never actually the reality.

In this case, though, that wouldn't be so bad if it held true for his Trojans.

As LSU coach Brian Kelly was pounding his fist on a table and talking about how "angry" he was at his team for not finding a way to close out such a big opportunity Sunday night, Riley was touting the Trojans' resilience and his preternaturally-poised new starting quarterback, the team's revamped defense and unflinching belief in each other, and in general the collective conviction in everything the staff and players have been building behind the scenes that came to fruition Sunday night.

Or seemed to, at least.

No. 23-ranked USC rallied from a 4-point deficit late in the fourth quarter and won on a go-ahead 13-yard touchdown run from Woody Marks with 8 seconds left to top the No. 13 Tigers, 27-20, inside a raucous Allegiant Stadium with the full attention of the national college football world watching on ABC (or at least those who aren't DirecTV subscribers).

Was it perfect? Of course not, but why would it need to be Game 1?

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So to Riley's point earlier in the week, if fans (or converted critics) want to believe what they saw Sunday in Las Vegas was a harbinger of what's to come the rest of the way for these Trojans ... well, let 'em!

The players sure believe it.

"We worked really hard throughout the offseason to build an identity of a tough team, a team that really cares about each other. ... I think our identity really shown through throughout the latter part of that game," quarterback Miller Moss said.

Said safety Akili Arnold: "That's the one thing I really got out of today was how much of a team we are together."

Honestly, it was palpable -- as much as nebulous intangibles can be.

There is something distinctly different about these Trojans that started manifesting back in December ahead of the bowl game when they hit the reset button after a deflating five-loss season.

It starts with Moss. If anyone thought his starting debut in that bowl game was a fluke, he backed it up in a big way Sunday while completing 27 of 36 passes for 378 yards, 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions. The stats aren't what tell the story this time, though.

The offense had flatlined in the second half, going three-and-out, followed by a promising drive stalling and ending with a field goal, another three-and-out and then a turnover on downs on a series in which Moss had two passes batted down at the line (and nearly intercepted as a result).

USC was trailing 17-13 at that point with 8:38 remaining. There was a reason why Kelly thought his Tigers were on the way to closing out a momentous season-opening win.

Moss was unfazed, however.

"Within that set of downs we had two batted passes -- both which would have gone for big plays. So I think just the ability to keep trusting it, continuing to be us offensively is really important," he'd say later. "Just having a team that continues to do their job and execute regardless of the situation I think was important. I think that showed up."

It would, but first the defense had to do its part.

A year ago, having to rely on the defense to keep the Trojans in a game would have had fans queasy.

But that was then -- and this is D'Anton Lynn.

USC's new defensive coordinator delivered on the offseason optimism in his Trojans debut, as his unit opened the game with a fourth-down stand that ended a 13-play Tigers drive at the 3 and then forced punts on three of its next six defensive series.

It needed another stop midway through the fourth quarter and wasted no time delivering. Defensive end Braylan Shelby stuffed LSU running back John Emery for a 5-yard loss on the first play of that possession, and after a 14-yard completion set up a third-and-1, linebacker Eric Gentry delivered another tackle for loss on Emery to force a punt.

"There's a vibe and a confidence about that group right now, and we're just only going to get better," Riley said. "So, really proud of the effort tonight, and I'm not surprised. But it was cool to see in that moment, in that arena, us believe in it as much as we did."

Now, it was the offense's turn, and knowing the Trojans had to strike on that ensuing drive, Moss connected with Kyron Hudson for a 20-yard gain on the first play, Marks followed with a 16-yard run and on the third play they were in the end zone as Moss zipped an absolute dart over a trailing defensive back and right into the grasp of Ja'Kobi Lane for a 28-yard go-ahead touchdown and 20-17 lead with 5:44 to play.

It might be the best pass Moss has thrown as a Trojan, and it came when they absolutely had to have it.

"Yeah, I've got a belief in him," Riley said. "... A lot of belief in Miller and his understanding of not just our system but the way we want to play. We're very much in sync in a lot of ways, and he's a tough competitor, man. That's what he's proven. He's a tough competitor that loves his team, and he's a great leader for this team."

If there was one thing to be sure about from all the offseason talk, it's how unanimously the rest of the Trojans believe in Moss and how instrumental he has been to the aforementioned reset that started in December.

As Marks put it after the game, "Like my first day here, he texted me, we got out and did some routes, went over plays. He knows the game well. During spring football and fall camp, I'm like, 'Yeah, this is the guy. He's pretty good. I like this quarterback. I want to lay it all on the line for him.'"

LSU would tie it up at 20-20 on a field goal with 1:47 left, after the Trojans defense forced a third-and-8 incompletion from Garrett Nussmeier thanks to tight coverage from cornerback Jaylin Smith.

Moss then completed four passes for 29 yards, along with a short Marks run, to get USC across midfield on the game-winning drive. A 20-yard hook-up to Hudson on the sideline, along with a 14-yard targeting penalty on LSU, took the Trojans to the 13, and Marks finished it from there with the game-winning touchdown.

"I was just really proud of how hard and how well we played, how much we trusted it, and then when there was adversity we didn't panic as a football team," Riley said. "We just kept grinding, and we were a tough, gritty, physical team that got it done in the end."

When it was over, the confetti fell from the top of the stadium onto the turf as the players rejoiced and the coaches hugged each other like Sunday meant a lot more than just game 1 of 12 on the schedule.

In some ways it did.

The Trojans showed that there is life after Caleb Williams and that the new guy has some pretty special qualities as well.

They gave everyone who took a cautious wait-and-see approach with this defense, well, something to see.

The Trojans held only one power conference opponent under 28 points last season, and in the first game with Lynn and this new defense they allowed just 20 to an LSU team that was the highest-scoring in college football last year (albeit with some major contributors who are now off to the NFL). They held the Tigers to a modest 117 rushing yards after all the talk this week about how LSU's elite offensive line would set the tone for the game. They adjusted at halftime and found a way to shut down star wideout Kyren Lacy, who had 7 catches for 94 yards and a touchdown in the first half and then didn't catch another pass the rest of the way.

"This new defensive identity is way different, I'd say, than previous years. We hold ourself accountable, we hold ourself to a standard, we know how we need to go out there, we know how we need to play," Shelby said. "... We prepared and we prepared this whole offseason, and just coming into this game we knew what we had to do and we just went out and did it."

Linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold, meanwhile, promised that Sunday was just a starting point for the unit.

"I think the entire game was not up to our par, up to our standard. The good news is if that's the worst we're going to play all season against one of the better teams we're going to play as well, I guess that's a good sign," he said. "But every game there's always things to clean up."

Above all, the Trojans showed that the potential for this team may well be a lot higher than many conservatively assumed.

Riley, who left the field pumping his arms above his head to cheering fans on his way into the locker room, was asked what message he wanted this to send as the Trojans enter the Big Ten this season.

"That was some pretty good Big Ten football today," he quipped. "I mean, I don't know, we're just not into it for messages, man. My message is I really like my team, I like our team, I like our defense, I like our coaches, I like our offense, I like our special teams, I like the vibe of this team. It's a long, long, long ways to go, but I'm sure glad I'm coaching these guys."

The Trojans are sure to receive a whole lot more national respect this week, which they'll absolutely have to keep validating as the season progresses.

As Riley said himself, Week 1 is all about overreaction, but in this case USC fans deserve to bask a little bit.

Sunday was a heckuva way to turn the page from an 8-5 season and let people believe again.