Jayden Maiava passes for 3 TDs, runs for another in debut start to lead USC past Nebraska, 28-20

Jayden Maiava passed for 259 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score in his first start for Southern California, leading the Trojans to a 28-20 victory over slumping Nebraska on Saturday.

Woody Marks rushed for 146 yards for USC (5-5, 3-5 Big Ten), and Maiava capped his eventful debut start by making a 2-yard TD run with 2:45 to play. The UNLV transfer replaced Miller Moss this week as the Trojans fight for bowl eligibility in another disappointing season under coach Lincoln Riley.

“It was a lot of fun, for sure," said Maiava, who went 25 of 35 and overcame two turnovers. "It’s definitely a big difference from sitting on the sideline to playing between the white lines.”

Zachariah Branch, Kyron Hudson and Duce Robinson caught TD passes from Maiava in just the Trojans' second win in six games. USC has never lost to Nebraska in these historic programs' infrequent meetings, going 5-0-1.

Nebraska drove to the USC 14 with 5 seconds to play, but after a false start, Greedy Vance easily intercepted Raiola’s final pass into double coverage in the end zone.

“We made some mistakes where we had some opportunities to separate, but I was just super-proud right at the very end,” Riley said. “The last drive offensively, and then closing the door defensively there at the end was just tremendous.”

Dylan Raiola passed for 191 yards and hit Emmett Johnson for a 29-yard TD in the first half, but Nebraska (5-5, 2-5) lost its fourth straight. The Huskers have lost eight straight games with a chance to become bowl-eligible under second-year coach Matt Rhule, including seven one-score defeats.

“A lot of things we did well,” Rhule said. “You take away maybe one play here, one play there, but that's football. That's the new Big Ten, as I told our guys. This isn't like the old Big Ten West, 17-13 (final scores). You come out to USC, they've got great players. You're going to have to make a lot of plays.”

Nebraska's Ceyair Wright returned an early interception 45 yards for a touchdown against his former USC teammates, and he blocked a field goal attempt in the fourth quarter.

But the Huskers' offense reached the end zone just once under new offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen and managed just 254 yards before its desperate final drive. Raiola has thrown seven interceptions in his last four games, including two to USC.

Maiava struggled early on, going 2 of 7 on USC's first two series. He badly missed his target while gifting a pick-6 to Wright, the Los Angeles native who played the past three seasons at USC before transferring.

“That’s just me being me,” Maiava said of his aggressive mistake. “Obviously it’s rough, but I’m glad that it happened to me, just so it happened for the future.”

Maiava improved sharply from there, completing his next nine throws. He hit Branch for a 6-yard TD on the Trojans' third drive, and Hudson corralled a deflected 12-yard pass for another score seven minutes later.

Maiava hit Robinson in stride for an untouched 48-yard TD early in the third, but the quarterback later lost a fumble at the USC 16 while scrambling, leading to Nebraska's second field goal of the quarter.

Wright blocked the Trojans' 27-yard field goal attempt with 12:58 to play, keeping the Huskers' deficit at one point. But Nebraska couldn't score, and Marks took a fourth-down pitch from Maiava 43 yards before Maiava finished the drive with his TD run.

Holgorsen's debut

Nebraska managed 310 yards in the first game with Holgorsen calling the plays. The former head coach at West Virginia and Houston was abruptly put in charge during the bye week, hoping to spark an offense that began the weekend 97th in the FBS in total yards. Holgorsen and Riley coached together on Mike Leach’s staff at Texas Tech.

Takeaways

Nebraska: Even with Holgorsen's input, the Huskers failed to top 325 yards of offense for the fifth consecutive game. Raiola wasn't terribly impressive, either. Nebraska doesn't have the offensive talent to be a contender, but it can still beat Wisconsin or Iowa to secure bowl eligibility for the first time since 2016.

USC: Maiava overcame his nightmare start to inject elements of elusiveness and unpredictability into Riley's spread offense. That's exactly what the Trojans had during Caleb Williams' career, and what they lacked with Moss. Yet USC still needs a win over UCLA or Notre Dame to avoid a losing season.

Up next

Nebraska: Hosts Wisconsin next Saturday.

USC: At UCLA next Saturday.