USC has lost four of their last five games following a strong start to the season, and head coach Lincoln Riley has decided to make a major change.
The Trojans have benched starting quarterback Miller Moss in favor of UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on Tuesday. USC is on a bye this week before hosting Nebraska on Nov. 16, and Maiava will get the start in that game.
USC is making a change at quarterback, replacing starter Miller Moss with UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava, sources confirmed to me and @PaoloUggetti. USC has lost four out of their last five games and has fallen to 4-5 on the season. pic.twitter.com/DhF2t7G87B
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 5, 2024
Moss has decent numbers this season with 2,555 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and 9 interceptions across nine games. The results, however, have not been good for USC since their impressive early-season wins over LSU, Utah State and Wisconsin.
USC has blown multiple second-half leads in games they should have won. They are 2-5 in conference play, which is not what they envisioned for their first season in the Big Ten. Moss had a strong message for his doubters after a game last month, but the Trojans have continued to fall short of expectations.
Maiava, a redshirt sophomore, had 3,085 passing yards, 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions at UNLV last season. He surprised many people when he flipped his commitment to USC from another top program, especially since Moss was already locked in as USC’s starter. Maiava will now get an opportunity to prove himself sooner than many expected.
