Los Angeles, CA- USC quarterback Jayden Maiava made his first start of the season and threw 259 yards with three touchdowns while adding a rushing touchdown to lead the Trojans to a 28-20 win over Nebraska on Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Maiava’s go-ahead 2-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter helped the Trojans improve to 5-5 and kept their bowl hopes alive. Woody Marks rushed for 146 yards.
“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.”
Nebraska marched down the field and was at the USC 15-yard line with five seconds left but Dylan Riola was intercepted in the end zone by Greedy Vance Jr.
Former USC cornerback Ceyair Wright put Nebraska on the board first with a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown.
USC answered with a 6-yard touchdown pass from Maiava to Zachariah Branch in the first quarter. The Trojans took a 14-7 lead at the beginning of the second quarter when Maiava hit Kyron Hudson for a 12-yard touchdown.
“It was a lot of fun, for sure,” said Maiava, who went 25 of 35. “It’s definitely a big difference from sitting on the sideline to playing between the white lines.”
Nebraska came right back to tie it with a 29-yard touchdown pass from Dylan Riola to Emmett Johnson with 9:21 left in the first half.
The Cornhuskers added a field goal to begin the third quarter before Maiava connected with Duce Robinson for a 48-yard touchdown and a 21-17 lead.
Nebraska caught a break when Maiva fumbled on a scramble and the Cornhuskers jumped in the ball. The Cornhusker could only muster a 30-yard field goal to cut the deficit, 21-20 at the end of the third quarter.
Maiva capped a 13-play, 84 yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run to the Trojans a 28-20 lead with 2:45 left in the fourth quarter.
Up next for USC is a showdown with crosstown rival UCLA on Saturday, Nov. 23.
