Senior quarterback Jayden Maiava had another spectacular performance in the No. 14 USC Trojans' 39-0 win over the Fresno State Bulldogs, completing 23-of-25 passes, while throwing for 349 yards and three touchdowns through three quarters of action. 

Here is everything Maiava said following the game.

Efficient Start to the Season

Maiava has been highly efficient in the first two games of the season, having the same amount of incompletions (six) as touchdowns (five passing, one rushing).  

“I think it comes from the guy sitting next to me [Lincoln Riley], the O-line, running backs, receivers, just all on the same page playing at a really high level,” Maiava said about his stellar start. “Obviously there's some things we want to clean up, that we want to get better at. Close out this game, on to the next.”

The humble Maiava was not wrong. Riley loosened up the reins of the play calling, allowing him to air out the ball more. In the first half, Riley had six completions that went for 20-plus yards. 

One of the things that may get looked at is the Trojans’ running game. It was a shaky first half for the backs, especially Waymond Jordan, who had an early fumble and was stuffed on third-and-short. By the end of the game, Jordan was the leading rusher with 11 carries for 71 yards and a touchdown.

King Miller came in second with 15 carries for 51 yards. The slow start also halted the involvement from the rest of the position group, but true freshman Shahn Alston was able to manage 20 yards off of four rushes. Overall, it wasn't the same level of impact the group had in Week 0.

The slow, rushing attack was a result of the offensive line. Fresno State’s defensive line was trying to set the tone early and somewhat did so by forcing early third-down conversions and stuffing the run. Similar to the running backs, the O-line pulled through with zero sacks and gave Maiava plenty of time to throw.

Trent Mosley’s Big Day

Riley and Maiava may not admit it verbatim, but true freshman receiver Trent Mosley has established himself as his quarterback’s No. 1 option. 

At the 12:34 mark of the second quarter, Maiava dropped back to pass, seemingly having all the time in the world to pick a target. He ended up choosing Mosely, who was wide open coming across the middle of the field. The end result was a 68-yard touchdown.

When asked if he was surprised by how open Mosley was, Maiava kept it real – “Yeah, maybe a little bit.”  

Mosley finished the game with four receptions for 104 yards and two scores. This is now back-to-back 100-yard games for the freshman.

USC's Home Attendance

The fandom and home of the Trojans has been called into question this season. According to the university, the distributed ticket count – not attendance – for Friday’s game was 53,014. Then in Week 0, the attendance came in under 52,000. Whether it's a valid concern or not, Maiava does not pay attention to the noise. 

“I don't really focus too much on that. This team plays for each other, plays for the coaches, obviously our family that showed up as well.”

Growth in Confidence

Maiava ended the post-game press conference talking about the boost in confidence he’s been playing with over the past two games.

“A lot of the trust I have in the guys and the relationship I have with those guys. You know, Coach Riley, Coach [Luke Huard], those guys just allow me to go out there and play ball.”

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