Head coach Lincoln Riley called out Jayden Maiava for making mistakes in the Nebraska game. Looks like Maiava took it to heart as he made amends to his game, leading the USC Trojans to a 38-17 win over Northwestern. He talked about building on it in his post-training media interaction.

In a video uploaded by InsideTroy, Maiava opened up about his growth. “Definitely a lot of room for me to learn. a lot of room for me to get better. As well as everybody around me. So I think just us feeding off each other and bouncing ideas about what we could do for each other to make the team better. I think yeah, just in this last stretch, continue to sharpen our edge. And be better for each other around us, and just raise the standard,” he said.

Against Nebraska, Jayden Maiava completed just 9 of his 32 passes. The Trojans had to depend on an injury to Dylan Raiola and some fourth-quarter heroics by Maiava himself to win. Lincoln Riley criticised his offense for making silly mistakes. Maiva made a comeback against Northwestern as he recorded a 72.75 completion rate for 299 yards and 2 TDs. But he has struggled with indecision, inconsistency, and the ability to play under pressure. The offense has conceded multiple turnovers in crunch situations that have cost them momentum and points in general. Like the “foolish play” fumble by Makai Lemon against Notre Dame which helped the Fighting Irish extend their lead. Maiava has to stabilize the offense with better red zone efficiency, trusting his teammates, and avoiding overcomplicated plays in critical junctures.

“I think the biggest thing is just being where your feet are, being in the moment. Not getting too far down the road or not getting too caught up in the past or what happened or what’s going to happen. And I think just, you know, focus on what’s happening right now and where you are right now. In terms of just focusing on what you got to focus on and keeping the main thing the main thing,” he continued while talking about the final stretch of games.

The Trojans must stay grounded as they are 17th in the AP polls and 3rd in the BIG 10 with a 7-2 overall record. If they win the rest of their games, they have a chance of making it to the playoffs. They need to stay focused to avoid a collapse like last season, when they went from 3-1 to 4-5 in the span of 6 weeks. The next three opponents include Iowa, Oregon, and UCLA. None of them will be easy opponents. Especially their west coast rival from the PAC-12, the #7 Oregon Ducks, who can provide a real challenge. But as Maiava stated, if they stay in the present and approach it one game at a time, along with the talent they have, it should be enough. Meanwhile, Jayden Maiava was all praise for his duo of wide receivers.

Jayden Maiava praises Ja’Kobi Lane and Makai Lemon

“Ja’Kobi and Makai obviously are who they are as receivers, but when they’re on, like the way they work against Northwest,” Jayden Maiava said. “It’s just I mean, it’s what they do. I feel like just during practice, it’s what they do, how consistent they are um with their craft. They’re so, I mean, they keep each other accountable. Their bond that they have with each other, it’s very unique, and you know something that’s brought into this team. You got to appreciate guys like that. They just want to get everybody around them better.”

In the 9 games this season, Ja’Kobi Lane and Makai Lemon have become one of the best receiver duos in college football. They are the embodiment of synergy and partnership, converting the USC offense to be ranked No. 2 nationally in total offense, averaging 503 yards per game. The Trojans offense scores 39.6 points per game and ranks 7th nationally on that statistic.

Makai Lemon and Jakobi Lane have combined for 1357 yards and 11 touchdowns, averaging more than 15 yards a game. It was on full display against Northwestern as they dominated with a 235-yard and 2 TD performance. They complemented each other very well and have emerged as the best options for QB Jayden Maiava. They have helped him rake up the numbers this season as he recorded 2614 yards, 17 touchdowns, with 6 interceptions. If the defense plays well in the next 3 games, then they have a real chance at reaching the playoffs.