The USC Trojans (4-5), have made a rather late quarterback change with only three games remaining and in the midst of having lost 4 out of their last 5 games, respectively. Outlets reported that starting quarterback Miller Moss will be benched in favor of Jayden Maiava for the Trojans' upcoming game against Nebraska.
REPORT: USC will start Jayden Maiava over Miller Moss at QB vs. Nebraska, per @C_Morrissette https://t.co/dAE3Y6bZAI pic.twitter.com/C0Uyqz3aBY
— On3 (@On3sports) November 5, 2024
Moss was set to be the successor to former Hiesman trophy winner and current Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. In the season opener against LSU, Moss tossed for 378 yards, a touchdown, and completed 75 percent of his passes.
The Lincoln Riley-Moss era looked looked promising, until the Trojans were upset by an unranked Minnesota team on the road and went on to lose the next two games against Penn State and Maryland (three consecutive losses). In the losing streak, Moss threw for a combined three interceptions and a combined average of 62.4 percent completion percentage.
In fact, in the game against Penn State, Moss and the Trojans were in prime position to beat the Nittany Lions at the end of the fourth quarter. At this point, the Trojans' season was pretty much on the line and hung in with the then-undefeated Nittany Lions. However, Moss threw an interception with under 10 seconds remaining in the quarter. The Trojans went on to lose in overtime.
Moss started the season strong but declined heavily as the season went on. The Los Angeles native continued to showcase poor decision-making skills, as he currently ranks in the top 10 in interceptions thrown.
However, why didn't Riley make the quarterback change sooner? One could argue the Trojans should've made the switch after the Penn State loss, let alone after having dropped three straight games.
Moss seems to be done for the year and a transfer might be in his future. Now, the Trojans will trot out Maiava to see what he can do and if he has the potential to be the starter next season.
Maiava, who transferred from UNLV, earned the Mountain West Freshman of the Year award along with having been selected to the Mountain West all-conference Second-Team in 2023. Maiava tossed for 3,085 yards (13.8 yards per pass) along with 17 touchdowns.
At 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, Maiava can be a threat on the ground – he ran for 277 yards and three touchdowns in 2023), but his decision-making was a problem last season for the Rebels. In 2023, Maiava had 10 interceptions in 10 starts.
The Trojans are arguably one of the more disappointing programs in 2024. Furthermore, USC had prime opportunities to win a bevy of close games, as they lost all of their five games by a margin of one score.
Since the Trojans have only three games left, it's now time for Riley to decide whether to stick with Maiava or go after a pricey quarterback in the transfer portal for 2025.