Big plays, one-handed catch lead to dominant win for football
Redshirt junior quarterback Jayden Maiava threw for a career-high 412 yards.
By SEAN CAMPBELL
With its opponents coming off a game in which they allowed 351 rushing yards, USC football’s game plan early on seemed clear: feed junior running back Waymond Jordan.
But on the third play of the game, the usually reliable Jordan lost a fumble, setting Georgia Southern University up for an easy six points and a lead less than a minute later.
Luckily, both for the Trojans and Jordan himself, the fumble wasn’t a sign of things to come.
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Jordan finished the game with 167 yards — the most for any USC back in Head Coach Lincoln Riley’s tenure — and a touchdown. The Trojans (2-0) hammered the Eagles (0-2), led by former Head Coach Clay Helton, finishing 59-20 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. USC’s 755 yards of offense were its most in a game since at least 1972.
“Teams that win explosive play battles typically win games. We’re making some big plays on all sides, which is great; it doesn’t mean it’ll always be like that one. That’s where we’re looking to also play clean and very efficiently as well,” Riley said in a postgame news conference. “[There are] a lot of good things and a lot to correct.”
Maiava delivers another top-tier performance
After winning last week’s Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week award despite only playing the first half, redshirt junior quarterback Jayden Maiava showed what he could do with a little more time, though he was still pulled midway through the fourth quarter thanks to a massive Trojan lead.
Maiava threw for four touchdowns and a career-high 412 yards on 16-of-24 passing, including two touchdowns of more than 60 yards to junior wide receiver Makai Lemon, in his second near-perfect performance to kick off his first full season as USC’s starting quarterback.
“[Maiava] is doing a great job,” Lemon said in a postgame news conference. “He has a job back there. He has to read the defense and read progressions, and he is doing a great job at that and giving us the ball. We are just blessed with the opportunity to catch the ball.”
Lemon ran more than 50 yards after the catch on both of his touchdowns, ending the night with 158 yards — all from the first quarter. Maiava’s other top option, junior wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane, also showed out, reeling in an electric one-handed touchdown grab and a 53-yard catch despite defensive pass interference calls on both plays.
“It was nasty, man, oh my gosh,” said junior defensive end Braylan Shelby, who watched Lane’s one-handed snag from the sidelines.
While neither Lemon nor Lane reached the end zone in USC’s season-opening rout against Missouri State University (1-1), the two have now combined for 372 yards and three touchdowns, and they have the looks of one of the best receiving duos in college football.
“Being able to go out there and look to my left and right and see Ja’Kobi and Makai out there … it’s super electric,” Maiava said in a postgame news conference.
Redshirt junior quarterback Jayden Maiava put on a show for the second straight game, throwing for four touchdowns and a career-high 412 yards on 16-of-24 passing. (Braden Dawson / Daily Trojan)
Run game pops off in second half
While the first half was all Maiava and the passing game, the star quarterback didn’t throw any touchdowns in the second half, as all four USC touchdowns came from the running game.
Despite the absence of sophomore running back Bryan Jackson, one of the four Trojan rushers to score against Missouri State, the now three-headed hydra of a unit didn’t seem to miss a beat.
Even after his early-game fumble, Riley never lost faith in Jordan as he continued to get looks, including five on the very next drive to set up Lane’s score in the first half. By the end of the night, Jordan had worked his way up to a dominant mark of 10.4 yards per carry.
“He didn’t have a problem showing the confidence that he would come back,” Riley said of Jordan. “I know he’s new here, but he’s played a lot of ball. He’s played a lot of college football, so I don’t think it fazed him.”
Redshirt senior running back Eli Sanders and redshirt freshman walk-on running back King Miller also showed why USC’s deep backfield is nothing to mess with, both scoring in the second half.
Sanders punched in two short touchdowns while running for 52 yards on eight carries. Despite only getting three tries, Miller made the most of them, breaking out for another long run, this time for a 41-yard touchdown.
“He pumps a big run every day; it’s what he does,” Riley said of Miller.
Lyons, Lucas among up-and-comers
Both senior defensive end Anthony Lucas and sophomore tight end Walker Lyons had things to prove coming into this season.
Despite being in his fourth college football season, Lucas had yet to earn a sack. In what Lyons said “wasn’t an ideal” season for USC tight ends, none scored touchdowns in 2024, including himself.
For both, their luck changed on Saturday.
Lucas was a major part of USC’s pass rush, sacking redshirt junior quarterback JC French IV twice on third down, ending Eagle drives. After sustaining a season-ending lower-extremity injury six games into last season, Lucas is ready to lead the line in his final year of college football.
“It was good for him for a few [sacks] to happen. He’s been really, really close, and sometimes when something like that doesn’t happen, you can start chasing it,” Riley said of Lucas. “He’s getting healthier and more confident by the day, and I think his best ball is ahead of him this season.”
Lyons became the third USC tight end to score a touchdown already this season, following redshirt senior Lake McRee and redshirt junior Carson Tabaracci last week, as the reinvigorated unit looks to change its image. He caught two passes of at least 14 yards on Saturday, including running for 16 after the catch for his touchdown.
“We took it in a personal way,” Lyons said of the tight-end scoring drought in 2024. “When teams come and play us, they have to … be afraid that we have two tight ends who are going to come down and block them and be physical in the run game but then also catch the ball and be a threat after the catch.”
Junior wide receiver Makai Lemon leads the team in receiving yards after picking up 158 yards on four receptions Saturday, highlighted by two touchdowns of more than 60 yards. (Braden Dawson / Daily Trojan)
Other Trojans step up big
USC combined for four sacks on French, including one from redshirt senior linebacker Eric Gentry, who finished with a team-high 10 tackles. Another standout on defense was redshirt senior cornerback DeCarlos Nicholson, who shut down early comeback momentum for the Eagles with an interception near the end of the first quarter.
Freshman defensive tackle Jahkeem Stewart, one of USC’s most exciting newcomers, got into the game and earned his first collegiate tackle in the fourth quarter.
“He’s a really talented guy,” Riley said of Stewart. “He’s going to impact our defense very positively here, this year and in the future.”
Redshirt sophomore right guard Micah Banuelos also got his opportunity to shine with his first start for USC on Saturday, which Riley said went “really well.” Riley declined to give a reason for the move, calling it an “inside-the-walls decision.”
While freshman quarterback Husan Longstreet threw his first collegiate incompletion on Saturday, he continued to show promise on his one drive of work, completing four-of-six passes for 34 yards but coming up short of leading USC to a score.
Next up for USC is both its first Big Ten matchup and its first road game of the young 2025 campaign. The Trojans will face off against Purdue (2-0) at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana.
