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USC Trojans' Lincoln Riley Named Big Ten Coach Of The Week After Beating Nebraska

USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley was named the Big Ten coach of the week after defeating the Nebraska Cornhuskers 28-20 on Nov. 16. Riley's decision to start quarterback Jayden Maiava over Miller Moss seemingly worked as the Trojans beat the Cornhuskers.

Gabriel Duarte

Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches game action against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches game action against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
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USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley made a massive personnel change during the Trojans' bye week, naming Jayden Maiava as the starting quarterback in favor of Miller Moss. The move paid off for USC and Riley as the Trojans' picked up a huge 28-20 win over Nebraska, which led to Riley being named the Big Ten Conference's coach of the week by Matt Zenitz and CBS Sports/247Sports.

Riley has been under plenty of scrutiny this season, and for good reason. The Trojans were 4-5 coming into their matchup vs. Nebraska, on the verge of not reaching bowl eligibility. The Trojans responded well to Riley's decision to change quarterbacks.

With Maiava at the helm, Riley opted to move to a quarterback that fits his offense's style more than Moss. USC offered something different in the run game with Maiava, who is more of dual-threat quarterback than Moss, opening up the run game for the Trojans in ways that Moss couldn't.

Maiava completed 25 of 35 passes for 259 yards and three touchdowns, but he also had two turnovers, including a pick-six on the Trojans' second drive of the game. The sophomore quarterback lost a fumble deep inside USC territory early in the second half, but the Trojans' defense held Nebraska to a field goal, despite the Cornhuskers's excellent field position.

However, despite not having gaudy rushing numbers, Maiava offered a threat with his legs as he rushed for 20 yards on five attempts. However, Maiava scored the game-sealing touchdown in the fourth quarter on the ground.

With Nebraska having to respect Maiava's ability to make a play with his legs, it allowed USC running back Woody Marks to have his best game of the season against a Cornhusker defense that is one of the best in the country at stopping the run. Nebraska came into the game vs. the Trojans allowed 102.6 rushing yards per game, which put them inside the top 15 teams in the country for rush defense.

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Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans running back Woody Marks (4) runs the ball against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Marks accounted for 146 of the Trojans' 185 total rush yards in the win. The win over Nebraska could be the start to strong end of the season, as USC finishes their season with two big rivalry games against UCLA and Notre Dame.

Riley and the Trojans will head across town to the Rose Bowl to face UCLA on Saturday. Kickoff will be at 7:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcasted on NBC.

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Gabriel Duarte
GABRIEL DUARTE

Residing in Los Angeles, Gabriel Duarte is a senior at Cal State Northridge and is pursuing a degree in broadcast journalism. Gabriel is passionate about college athletics and is a writer for USC Trojans on SI and Oregon Ducks on SI. Gabriel has covered many college sporting events around the Southern California area including basketball and football for USC. Gabriel also writes for his local newspaper on high school sports.

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