USC Trojans' Lincoln Riley Finds Balance on Offense with Quarterback Jayden Maiava

The USC Trojans had become a pass -happy offense for a majority of the season, but with redshirt sophomore quarterback Jayden Maiava making his first start of the season, coach Lincoln Riley had a more balanced approached against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley greets quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) after scoring a touchdown 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

The USC Trojans had struggled to find balance on offense for most of the season, becoming very pass-happy. Coach Lincoln Riley called at least 50 passes in three separate games, something he never did once during his time at Oklahoma and just once in his first two seasons at USC. The Trojans were 0-3 in those games.

With quarterback Jayden Maiava making in his first career start for USC, Riley utilized a different game plan in the Trojans 28-20 victory against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday.

On Saturday, USC found a healthy balance, calling 35 passes versus 32 rushes. Despite battling the flu, running back Woody Marks turned out one of his best performances in a Trojans uniform. The senior running back carried the ball 19 times for a career-high 146 yards, it was the sixth time this season he eclipsed the century mark. Marks also became the Trojans first 1,000-yard rusher since Ronald Jones II in 2017. 

Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley greets quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) after scoring a touchdown 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

After eight of the first 10 plays were passes, including one that was a 45-yard pick-six from former USC cornerback Ceyair Wright, Riley started to lean into run game with Marks and Quinten Joyner on the Trojans' third possession. Emphasis on the run game helped Maiava settle down after a shaky start. 

Maiava began to find his rhythm as a passer, completing nine straight passes on two consecutive scoring drives that ended with touchdown passes to wide receivers Zachariah Branch and Kyron Hudson. The run game helped set up the play-action, which Maiava used to freeze the defenders on the second level when he connected with a wide-open receiver, Duce Robinson, for his third touchdown of the game midway through the third quarter. The balanced attack got the USC offense rolling and put Nebraska on their heels.

With the Trojans leading by one point early in the fourth quarter, they had the opportunity to extend their lead. USC went on a 13-play drive that included a key fourth-and-1 conversion. Riley dialed up an option play that he kept in his pocket for most of the season. Maiava pitched it to Marks, who raced down the sideline for a 34-yard gain to set the Trojans up in the red zone.

“We felt like it was something that we could execute,” Riley said. “We worked it a lot behind the scene, haven’t ran it much this year. We got a good look and executed it. Jayden and Woody did a good job, the line blocked, we got a really good block on the perimeter, I think it was Kyron (Hudson) in there. We knew we wanted to be aggressive in that moment.”

Four plays later, Maiava kept it himself and ran it for a two-yard touchdown. The drive took 7:39 off the clock and made it an eight-point game with under three minutes remaining in regulation.

Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) drops back to pass 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

It was a drive that the Trojans had struggled to execute all season, having led in the fourth quarter in every game this season. The UNLV transfer seemingly solved USC's late game struggles in his first start. Riley preached multiple times this season about his squad's inability to separate in games, and the drive executed by Maiava orchestrated put all of the pressure on Nebraska.

Saturday was a perfect example of the balanced attack in a spread offense that made Riley so successful during his time with the Oklahoma.

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