This sure started feeling familiar in all the wrong ways for a team that has mastered fourth-quarter dejection and disillusionment this season.

All the usual ingredients started mixing together as quarterback Jayden Maiava lost a costly fumble inside the USC 20-yard line late in the third quarter, setting up a Nebraska field goal. Once again, the Trojans went into the fourth quarter with 1-point lead that couldn't have felt more tenuous after that sequence. Then came another botched field goal for USC as former Trojan Ceyair Wright raced around the edge to block the 27-yard attempt early in the fourth.

Perhaps you've seen this script?

But for a team that has blown five fourth-quarter leads this season -- most all of them in excruciatingly dramatic fashion -- the ending Saturday was a welcomed plot twist.

This time, USC halted the usual late momentum shift in its tracks, forcing a Nebraska punt before driving 84 yards in 13 plays for a 2-yard Maiava touchdown run to push the lead to 8 late in the fourth quarter. Greedy Vance Jr. ultimately finished it off with a game-sealing interception in the end zone in the final seconds as the Trojans sealed a 28-20 win over Nebraska inside the Coliseum.

"It means a lot. You know, we've been down this stretch a couple of times trying to find a way to win games, close out games on defense, and we haven't been very successful in the beginning of the season," Vance said. "So this win, the way we won tonight really meant a lot to our program."

There was, of course, another pretty prominent change to the narrative Saturday as Maiava, the redshirt sophomore quarterback, made his first USC start after being elevated to the role over the bye last week.

The UNLV transfer did a little bit of everything -- good, bad and in between -- while passing for 259 yards, 3 touchdowns and a pick-6 interception, rushing for a touchdown and also losing that costly fumble.

Maiava insisted he didn't feel any pressure or nerves entering his first Trojans start, but even if that was the case, he sure had to feel it after the pick-6 on USC's second possession, as he threw the ball to no man's land where only Wright -- the former Trojans cornerback now starting for Nebraska -- was there to intercept it and run 45 yards for an early go-ahead Huskers touchdown.

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"It was a mistake. I can't obviously put the ball in jeopardy and cause a turnover and obviously [an opposing touchdown], but [coach Lincoln Riley] just talked to me, just trust my eyes, go through your reads and continue to execute," Maiava said.

Said Riley: "He did a good job kind of staying in the moment. He got on himself on that one and then certainly on the fumble later in the game, but then he was able to mentally get past it and I thought the guys made some big plays around him. He gave guys opportunities to make plays really throughout the game, so no, I thought he showed some poise. And you can tell he's played some college ball.

"But I know he was excited, nervous, all of that for his first opportunity to really play here at USC, and I thought he handled it well. Especially when you start off like that, that's like the last thing you want to happen. And his response and the team's response was obviously very key."

It came immediately.

Maiava led USC to a touchdown on its ensuing possession, as he hit Kyle Ford for an 18-yard gain on third-and-7 to keep the chains moving and eventually uncorked an on-the-run, off-balance (and maybe ill-advised) throw down the sideline to Duce Robinson for a 28-yard connection down to the Nebraska 6.

He tossed it to Zachariah Branch for a touchdown on the next play to tie the game.

That on the very next series after throwing a pick-6 Maiava still had the confidence to chuck a ball off-platform, falling toward the sideline about 37 air yards in between two Nebraska defenders speaks to the aggressiveness that seems to define his mindset.

"I seen Duce when I got flushed out the pocked, I just seen him by himself out there, I kind of just tried to give him a ball it was either his ball or nobody's ball," Maiava said.

His teammates, meanwhile, took note of the gunslinger mentality Maiava played with in his first extended action as a Trojan.

"I think I've said it before and I'll say it again, he's a playmaker, right?" Robinson said. "So when you have an arm like that of course you're going to have confidence in it, but I think it also speaks to the work that we put in in the offseason with all the guys. Like we were out there doing extra work, running extra routes every single day and we were able to build that trust to where he does trust us to just put the ball out there and trust us to go up and get it."

Said linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold, who got to watch Maiava from the sideline: "He's a playmaker -- a lot of explosive plays, takes a lot of risks. Which I think is really cool to see out of your quarterback. He throws the ball in the air, you're like 'Oh my God, where's it going?' But shoot, most of the time it goes to the right guy. He did a great job."

There was definitely a degree of that.

In the process, Maiava certainly delivered a jolt of intrigue to the rest of this season.

Indeed, his lone interception wasn't the only ball put into jeopardy, but he also showed some exceptional touch as well.

Like on his 12-yard touchdown pass to Kyron Hudson early in the second quarter, that he lobbed perfectly over the cornerback in the end zone. It only got interesting when the ball went through Hudson's hands, off his chest, off the Nebraska DB's helmet and back into Hudson's grasp for the veteran receiver's latest circus catch of this season.

Maiava had another perfect touch pass on a 48-yard touchdown to Robinson, who sprung wide open cutting diagonally right to left across the field. Maiava's pass dropped in with perfect timing as Robinson stayed in stride and carried on the rest of the way for a go-ahead touchdown that put USC up 21-17 midway through the third quarter.

"He made a few plays with his legs, but I think just his trust and giving guys opportunities to make plays, I think that was probably the thing that he did the best," Riley said. "He missed a few throws that he normally makes, but he was very trusting of our guys, and I thought for the majority of the game he played very decisive, which was key."

For his part, Maiava was very humble after the game, owning multiple times to his miscues and crediting his teammates and coaches otherwise.

"I thought I felt pretty good. I just sit back on the preparation that me and my teammates have done," he said. "I've got a great team, I've got a great coaching staff, and there's nothing for me to worry about except to go out there and play ball with them. ... They took so much off my shoulders there was nothing for me to worry about. They just kept encouraging me, we kept encouraging each other, being team players and executing."

After that touchdown to Robinson in the third quarter, USC's defense had forced another Nebraska punt, and the Trojans seemed to have a prime opportunity to build some momentum and add to their 4-point lead, but after gaining 11 yards on a designed QB run to start the drive Maiava was on the move again scrambling away from pressure when he fumbled as the Huskers recovered at the USC 16.

"Definitely be smarter with the ball," Maiava said of what he could have done better. "Obviously not turn it over and turn it into a touchdown ... and also my ball security. ... No doubt, that's just me being me. Obviously, it's rough, but I'm glad that it happened so I learn from the future."

The USC defense delivered throughout the day, though, and stopped Nebraska on three plays in the red zone, as the Huskers settled for a 30-yard John Hohl field goal to cut the Trojans lead to 21-20 late in the third quarter.

Then came the blocked USC field goal at the other end, but the Trojans defense allowed just one first down to the Huskers on their next possession before a punt.

That set up the final USC touchdown drive -- which included a 34-yard gain by running back Woody Marks on a fourth-and-1 option pitch -- and Maiava’s scoring run and ultimately Vance's game-sealing interception.

Marks rushed for 146 yards on 19 carries to become USC's first 1,000-yard rusher (1,024) since Ronald Jones II in 2017, while Robinson had a career-high 90 receiving yards and a touchdown on 4 receptions.

"We didn't know for certain that [Marks] was going to play, so he did a great job. We had a little flu outbreak, which was perfect timing. We're not supposed to have the flu out here, the weather's too good. So we had a number of guys that battled through it not quite feeling their best, but no, he's been consistent, steady, just a tough, physical runner," Riley said.

"It's not a shock that the guy plays the way he does every week because he works every day, he's the same guy every day, he comes to compete, so game day is really no different. It's something you just come to expect out of him, and he's answered the bell for us all year long."

Overall, Riley wanted this final three-game stretch coming off the bye to be a reset for his Trojans, who evened their record at 5-5 overall (3-5 in the Big Ten).

This was a good first step, at least, and a nice change to what had been the familiar narrative of this season.

"That was an awesome win. Awesome win. Team was incredibly resilient the entire day. I thought our effort and attitude, physicality really showed up, I thought, on both sides of the ball," Riley said. "... Especially when we start with the pick-6 and sometimes deals like that, especially at home, can take the air out of your sails a little bit. And the team didn't even flinch and we responded well, and to come back and win it was awesome. So, proud of the guys.

"We talked to them a lot about this three-game stretch here at the end and what an opportunity it is for us, and we got it started off on the right foot today."