Hours before football’s 59-20 blowout win over Georgia Southern University on Saturday, redshirt sophomore right guard Micah Banuelos didn’t know if the game would offer the chance he was waiting for. Then, while he was stretching, Offensive Line Coach Zach Hanson gave him the good news.

In his first two seasons with USC, Banuelos appeared in three games off the bench. Banuelos appeared in the Trojans’ season opener against Missouri State University, but didn’t start despite Head Coach Lincoln Riley mentioning his name when asked who may replace presumed starting left guard DJ Wingfield, who was denied an eligibility waiver in August.

On Saturday, Banuelos got his shot.

“I’ve been waiting,” Banuelos said in a post-practice news conference Tuesday. “The first couple of plays, I was a little nervous, but got to see my [family] out in the stadium and I was just like, ‘Dang, this is really a blessing.’”

Banuelos got the nod over week one starter junior Alani Noa, who started 12 games for USC last season, in what Riley called an “inside-the-walls decision” after the game. The offensive line, including Banuelos’ game ball-winning effort, gave up no sacks against Georgia Southern, and only gave up one in the season opener against Missouri State.

While Riley said the Trojans’ top seven offensive linemen — USC’s five week one starters, including Noa, as well as Banuelos and redshirt senior center J’Onre Reed — are all very competitive, he said Banuelos “impressed” in his start.

“He earned an opportunity there and took advantage of it,” Riley said in a post-practice news conference Tuesday. “He’s clearly in the mix.”

Banuelos said he has been able to learn from the rest of the line — including redshirt junior center Kilian O’Connor who gave him a pep talk before his start — and said there is a strong community among the unit.

“It’s definitely a whole group of men working together and finding best ways to block up certain fronts, and just working together,” Banuelos said. “I wouldn’t say we have a lot of older dudes, but we do have dudes that are of good age, and working with the younger dudes too is pretty solid.”

While Banuelos said he didn’t want to spoil the signature dance moves of his fellow linemen — a point of bonding for the group — he burst out into his own signature “ooze dance,” which involves bicep flexing and multiple hip thrusts, when asked during the news conference. Banuelos said he came up with the dance in fall camp as a way to bring up the energy following a big run or play and said the unit has all hit the “ooze dance” together in practice, and may do so again in a game.

Redshirt freshman right tackle Justin Tauanuu called the offensive line, which barbecues together in the summer among other bonding activities, “really close” and said he was excited for Banuelos when he got the start on Saturday.

“I love playing next to him,” Tauanuu said of Banuelos in a post-practice news conference Tuesday. “He brings great energy; he’s always communicating.”

Beyond his signature dance moves and high energy, multiple teammates, including junior running back Waymond Jordan, complimented Banuelos’ work ethic. Redshirt junior quarterback Jayden Maiava said  Banuelos’ start was “super deserved.”

“You can tell when a guy just wants to be out there and treats every day like his last,” redshirt sophomore left tackle Elijah Paige said of Banuelos in August according to the Los Angeles Times. “He’s putting it all out here.”

Riley said a reason for the recent success of the offensive line is having multiple players, like Banuelos, develop in USC’s system, rather than transfer from another school, allowing them to pick up the system’s intricacies and grow into a large role.

“The longer we are able to do that, and the more guys you’re able to put under that, you’re going to start seeing groups of guys play more consistent[ly], make less mistakes, play better together,” Riley said. “There’s a lot of confidence in that room right now.”