Lincoln Riley Receives Colin Cowherd’s Strong Message After Major Jayden Maiava Revelation

At the LA Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, Missouri State fans were buzzing with excitement as they celebrated their team’s debut in the FBS. Then the game started, and USC showed everyone just how tough it is to get into the top division of college football by scoring on almost every drive. A field goal on the Bears’ first drive gave them a quick boost, but the Trojans’ offense quickly took control, and Missouri State was clearly struggling to keep up. The end result? 73-13. And there’s more. The QB-whisperer in Lincoln Riley may have found his spark back after losing it in 2024.

Jayden Maiava took over from Miller Moss during the 2024 season and nearly revived the Trojans’ season. Despite the presence of five-star freshman Husan Longstreet, Maiava was expected to win the QB1 job for the 2025 season. Riley showed faith in his QB, and boy, was he proved right! Maiava led Missouri State’s rout, completing 15 of his 18 passes for 295 yards. He also added another score on the ground in a performance that had everyone buzzing, including one Lincoln Riley believer-cum-skeptic.

You never know where Colin Cowherd stands these days. One day, he’d be full of praise for you. Something goes wrong, and he’ll have the hottest take. Cowherd has long believed that the Trojans can’t afford to let Riley go, even if they want to. That is the reality of college football today. However, on Saturday night, he brought attention to the fact that the Trojans’ win went unnoticed.

Colin Cowherd dropped a video on X captioned “The game nobody is talking about.” He said, “Listen, a lot of people got enamored with the whole Arch Manning Ohio State, Texas game… but I made sure I kept my radar on for USC yesterday.” And the Trojans did not disappoint. With 73 points, 233 rushing yards, and 600 total yards, USC completely destroyed Missouri State in a crushing victory that all the fans and analysts took notes of.

Cowherd also did not hold back when it came to rankings. “It doesn’t matter, time to move them up a little in the rankings. How about we go? 12th. It’s not get greedy,” he said. He praised USC’s loaded RB room and the offensive versatility they displayed on Saturday night. A total of 10 touchdowns were scored by nine different players, including standout performances by Lake McRee, Eli Sanders, and Husan Longstreet, a freshman QB making his debut, who completed all nine of his passes for 69 yards and added two rushing touchdowns in the second half. This was the first time USC put up such a dominance on the field since the 1930s.

More challenges await USC

Starting the season well wasn’t an issue for Riley in 2024 as well. Playing away from home, USC defeated Brian Kelly’s LSU in a nail-biting game to start its campaign. But that momentum lasted only for one more game, and then it was familiar territory. Just like 2023, the Trojans collected losses in tight games they should have won. The offense was the major issue, and poor QB play didn’t help the case. That’s when people started doubting the QB-whisperer.

If the Week 1 game is anything to go by, Riley is back. The good news? The next three games are winnable. USC can go 4-0 by defeating GA Southern, Purdue, and MI State. But what awaits after that may bring grey hair for even the most optimistic in the USC fan base. Illinois, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Nebraska. That’s a brutal run of 4 games, which can make or break your season. Mind you, they’d still have Oregon waiting for them towards the end of the season.

There lies the real challenge. Is it going to be the year when Riley’s team takes the next step in a conference that threw surprise results last season? Who expected Indiana to lose just one game? Similarly, for Illinois. Many are predicting Nebraska to be that team this year. The Trojans? The prediction is for more of the same. We didn’t see more of the same in Week 1.