Jayden Maiava’s night against Washington turned into a running conversation about USC’s offense, and not for the right reasons.
The No. 18 Trojans came into Oct. 3 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum trying to get back to their explosive self with Lincoln Riley turning again to his star quarterback.
Instead, the first half brought a rare twist: USC’s defense was the unit keeping things afloat. The Trojans bottled up Washington’s big-play threat late in the half, but the offense never matched that energy and USC went to the locker room down 14-10.
Maiava’s play was under the microscope almost immediately. USC insider for 247Sports Shotgun Spratling said the quarterback showed "poor mechanics" during a second-and-third down sequence, while Los Angeles Times USC insider Ryan Kartje noted Maiava had made some "odd decisions today." USC Trojans on SI reporter Kendell Hollowell also questioned why Maiava wasn’t taking off and running when no receivers were open.
The mistakes piled up in ugly fashion. Maiava forced panic throws, including one sequence in which he missed two open wide receivers.
Washington brought one free rusher at him, and Maiava tried to deliver the ball off his back foot. The result was a duck that landed in the hands of Huskies defender Ryan Dillard-Allen.
On that play, Maiava underthrew Tron Baker while Zacharyus Williams and Carson Tabbaracci were both extremely open.
Pressure wasn’t even the full story. Maiava’s feet got sloppy, but he was dealing with just one rusher on that snap.
He also held the ball too long and took a costly sack against Jacob Manu. At another point, he even attempted a lateral pass to a receiver behind the line of scrimmage when he had room to run.
By the numbers, it was a rough outing: 12-of-19 passing for 143 yards, with just 7.3 yards per play. It was his slowest start of the year in what has otherwise been a strong beginning to his 2026 season.
The problems weren’t limited to his throws, either. USC also hurt itself with penalties, including a pair of unsportsmanlike calls that erased drives at key moments.
The struggles carried into the third quarter as well. USC opened with the ball and immediately went three-and-out, drawing boos from the Coliseum crowd.
That kind of flat offensive showing has been unusual for the Trojans at home through the first five games of the season. After the loss to Oregon on Sept.
26, USC needed a steadier Maiava to avoid piling on more 2026 disappointment.
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