Kaylon Miller was on the six yard line within the fourth quarter, blocking on a USC run play when he noticed King Miller, his operating again and twin brother, blow proper previous him.
“Run, run, go, go!” he remembers shouting as King bumped it outdoors and crossed the Nebraska purpose line for the go-ahead landing that might finally be the sport winner within the Trojans’ 21-17 Huge Ten win final Saturday in Lincoln.
When King circled ultimately zone, it was his brother who was the primary to greet him; the 2 brothers shared a second as their facemasks clashed into one another. Each stroll ons. Each discovering alternatives to get on the sector as redshirt freshmen — and each benefiting from these alternatives.
“You owe me a burger,” King remembers Kaylon telling him.
Kaylon has been pleased to see his brother succeed — King Miller was pressed into responsibility final month attributable to accidents, and he responded with large video games towards Michigan and Notre Dame — however he continued to attend for his second. Then within the first quarter towards the Cornhuskers, proper guard Alani Noa went down with an harm. Kaylon was standing subsequent to USC offensive line coach Zach Hanson, who turned to him.
“That is your alternative,” Hanson advised him. “Let’s go.”
It was Kaylon’s flip.
“Actually, only a exceptional story that I’ll be capable of inform after I’m older,” he stated. “Clearly, everyone needs their alternative to go and play and also you simply should be prepared when your quantity’s referred to as on. It simply so occurred that mine needed to be that evening.
“I simply knew that after I bought that chance I used to be gonna benefit from it.”
And benefit from it he did. Regardless of taking all of his observe reps that week at heart, Miller stepped in at guard and didn’t simply maintain it collectively — he elevated the o-line in a low-scoring slugfest towards a tricky Nebraska protection.
Permitting zero pressures on the evening, Miller recorded a cross block grade of 88.2, the third-best within the Huge Ten final week and the sixth-best amongst Energy 4 guards.
“Performed superior. He actually did,” Trojans coach Lincoln Riley stated. “He was bodily, he cross professional’ed properly. He was actually bodily in his pull sport, was actually sharp assignment-wise, which — I do know I’ve talked about a number of occasions — was all of the extra spectacular as a result of he actually hadn’t been capable of take a whole lot of observe reps at guard. Totally impressed.”
Whereas Miller nonetheless says he feels extra assured snapping the ball because of the extra compact nature that comes with enjoying heart, he attributes his success at proper guard to with the ability to depend on his teammates. The o-line, particularly at guard, is a symbiotic relationship. A lot of it’s relying on the tackles and heart for assist (and vice versa), and Miller was 100% assured in his teammates subsequent to him.
Issues might’ve gone south with Miller enjoying for the primary time in an intense highway setting at Memorial Stadium. The Huskers, and the 86,529 followers in attendance, had been wearing all black. Black balloons had been launched by a raucous crowd every time Nebraska scored. However in between sequence, left sort out Elijah Paige — who made his return from a knee harm he suffered in Week 4 towards Michigan State — saved Miller’s thoughts proper.
“Simply deal with it like observe,” Paige stated. “Clearly, that’s a fairly hostile setting. It’s among the best environments on the market. So clearly that may get to you, the noise can get to you, all the pieces can get to you. However I sort of simply inform him to focus in and act like it is a Tuesday or Wednesday observe.”
Because the Trojans put together to host Northwestern on a brief week, Miller’s making an attempt to suppose an excessive amount of about what occurred the week earlier than; he is aware of alternatives will be taken away simply as shortly as they’re earned. He likes to lean on a saying he tells his twin brother on a regular basis:
“By no means look again upon any state of affairs that you simply’ve ever been in, simply look ahead as a result of nothing that you simply did previously will be taken again. You possibly can solely have your eyes in tunnel imaginative and prescient, ahead.”
As for the burger that King nonetheless owes him?
“I ain’t get him it but, however I bought to,” King stated with fun. “I don’t know when it’s, he gonna hold asking me about it for positive, however I bought him sooner or later.”
