In his inaugural start for Southern California, Jayden Maiava threw for 259 yards and three touchdowns while adding another score on the ground, guiding the Trojans to a 28-20 triumph over the struggling Nebraska on Saturday.
Woody Marks rushed for 146 yards for USC (5-5, 3-5 Big Ten), and Maiava concluded his notable debut start with a 2-yard touchdown run with 2:45 remaining. The UNLV transfer took over for Miller Moss earlier this week as the Trojans strive for bowl eligibility amid another disappointing season under coach Lincoln Riley.
“It was a lot of fun, for sure,” stated Maiava, who completed 25 of 35 passes and worked through two turnovers. “It’s definitely a big change moving from the sideline to playing on the field.”
Zachariah Branch, Kyron Hudson, and Duce Robinson caught touchdown passes from Maiava in what was just the Trojans’ second win in six games. USC has maintained an undefeated record against Nebraska in their rare encounters, standing at 5-0-1.
Nebraska advanced to the USC 14 with just 5 seconds left, but after a false start, Greedy Vance intercepted Raiola’s final pass thrown into double coverage in the end zone.
“We made some errors when we had chances to pull away, but I was incredibly proud of our performance right at the end,” Riley expressed. “The last offensive drive and then shutting down the opponent defensively at the very end were just exceptional.”
Dylan Raiola passed for 191 yards and threw a 29-yard touchdown to Emmett Johnson in the first half, but Nebraska (5-5, 2-5) suffered its fourth consecutive defeat. The Huskers haven’t turned around their chances for bowl eligibility in Matt Rhule’s second year as coach, losing eight straight games with an opportunity to secure a bowl invitation, including seven close defeats.
“We did a lot of things well,” Rhule remarked. “If you think about just one play here or there, but that’s football. This is the new Big Ten, as I told our guys. It’s not the old Big Ten West with 17-13 scores. Coming out to USC, they have elite players. You need to make numerous plays to succeed.”
Nebraska’s Ceyair Wright returned an early interception for a 45-yard touchdown against his previous USC teammates and blocked a field goal attempt in the fourth quarter.
However, the Huskers’ offense managed to find the end zone just once under new offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen, accumulating merely 254 yards prior to their final desperate drive. Raiola has thrown seven interceptions in the last four games, including two against USC.
Maiava started the game on a rough note, going 2 of 7 on USC’s initial two drives. He significantly misfired, resulting in a pick-6 for Wright, who hails from Los Angeles and spent the last three seasons at USC before transferring.
“That’s just my nature,” Maiava reflected on his aggressive miscalculation. “It’s tough, but I’m grateful that it happened to me; it will serve me well moving forward.”
Maiava made notable improvements following a rocky start, completing his next nine attempts. He connected with Branch for a 6-yard touchdown on the Trojans’ third drive, and Hudson gathered a deflected 12-yard pass for another touchdown seven minutes later.
In the third quarter, Maiava delivered a 48-yard touchdown pass to Robinson, but he later lost a fumble at the USC 16 while scrambling, which led to Nebraska’s second field goal of the quarter.
Wright blocked a Trojans’ 27-yard field goal attempt with 12:58 remaining, keeping the Huskers within one point. However, Nebraska couldn’t capitalize, and Marks took a fourth-down pitch from Maiava for 43 yards before Maiava capped the drive with his touchdown run.
Holgorsen’s debut
Nebraska gained 310 yards in their first outing with Holgorsen directing the offense. The former head coach at West Virginia and Houston took charge unexpectedly during the bye week, aiming to rejuvenate an offense that began the week ranked 97th in the FBS for total yards. Holgorsen and Riley previously worked together on Mike Leach’s staff at Texas Tech.
Takeaways
Nebraska: Even with Holgorsen’s involvement, the Huskers were unable to exceed 325 yards of offense for the fifth consecutive match. Raiola’s performance was also less than stellar. Nebraska might lack the offensive prowess to be a strong contender, yet they could potentially defeat Wisconsin or Iowa to achieve bowl eligibility for the first time since 2016.
USC: Maiava bounced back from his dismal opening to introduce elements of agility and unpredictability to Riley’s spread offensive scheme. This quality was a hallmark during Caleb Williams’ stint and is something USC lacked with Moss. Nevertheless, USC requires a win over UCLA or Notre Dame to avoid a losing season.
Up next
Nebraska: Will host Wisconsin next Saturday.
USC: Will face UCLA next Saturday.
