After USC's 26-21 loss Saturday at Washington, the latest setback in what had full become a lost season, coach Lincoln Riley was asked if he had any "temptation" to get backup quarterback Jayden Maiava some work the rest of the way.
His response then seemed pretty clear -- just as he had been any and every other time he'd been asked anything about Miller Moss' hold on the starting job.
"I wouldn't say that right now, no. For us right now, what we're looking at is what is the best lineup, the best people to help us win each and every week and we're going to keep our focus there," Riley said
Between Saturday and Monday, Riley decided the best quarterback to help his team win is Maiava, the redshirt sophomore who transferred in from UNLV in the offseason but has played sparingly so far. Maiava will start for the Trojans when they host Nebraska next week after their bye this weekend.
And so naturally the first question to Riley as he met with media after practice Tuesday was what changed from his comments Saturday.
"I didn't say that. I said I was going to make decisions based on what was best for the team to win, and nothing's changed. We go back and evaluate like we do every single game. We have two good players in the room, and when we went back and looked at it we felt like it was in the best interest of the team to give Jayden a chance here. It's that simple," Riley said.
"... And I want to say, like, listen, Miller Moss has done a really good job for us. Like, you could literally not change one thing that Miller's done and we could be sitting here with a really, really good record right now. Miller has done a very good job. He's been a really good leader for this team. He's been loyal to this program. He has worked hard, and he has done a lot of really good things on the football field. So this is not a reflection of anything more than we have another good player in the room and we feel like he gives us a good opportunity, and we felt like this was, when we went back and evaluated, that this was the best thing for the team. It's really that simple."
RELATED: COLUMN: What the change at QB to Jayden Maiava means for USC and all involved moving forward
The move comes after Moss completed 30 of 50 passes for 293 yards, 2 touchdowns and a season-high 3 interceptions in USC's 26-21 loss at Washington. One of those picks went off the fingertips of wide receiver Kyle Ford but could have been better thrown, one was a no-risk heave at the end of the first half and the third was a bad read straight to Washington linebacker Carson Bruener, while Moss had another potential INT dropped by a Huskies defensive lineman.
Overall, Moss, a redshirt junior, has passed for 2,555 yards, 18 touchdowns and 9 interceptions (plus 2 rushing touchdowns) in his first year as USC's starting quarterback.
Meanwhile, Maiava has been limited to the mop-up work he got vs. Utah State, Wisconsin and Rutgers, as he's completed 8 of 11 passes for 66 yards and rushed 3 times for 27 yards and a touchdown this season.
Both quarterbacks were active at practice Tuesday.
Maiava transferred to USC last offseason after passing for 3,085 yards, 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions and rushing for 277 yards and 3 TDs as a redshirt freshman at UNLV.
As he already used his redshirt season there in 2022, there is no eligibility to protect with Maiava this season. With three games left, USC will now get a longer look and chance to evaluate if the 6-foot-4, 220-pound dual-threat quarterback is the guy for the future of this USC offense.
"He’s improved throughout the year. He improved in camp. And he’s continued to improve," Riley said. "It’s not easy being the backup, and I felt like he’s handled that well. He’s improved every single week. I think he’s learned a lot from having a guy like Miller in the room that’s as smart and understands our offense as good as Miller does. So, he’s put together some really good practices. He’s a talented kid.
"In these, it’s tough. It’s like you’ve got two children, especially at that position, and only one of them is going to be out there. But we’re obviously excited for Jayden to get this opportunity."
Riley was asked what his message was to Moss and he made clear how hard this particular decision was for him to make while also referencing the move he made midseason in 2021 at Oklahoma to bench preseason Heisman contender Spencer Rattler for then-true freshman Caleb Williams.
"It was tough. It was tough. I’ve been a part of a few of these. It’s never easy. There’s nothing easy about it. Especially when you’ve got a guy that’s worked hard and has done a lot of really good things," Riley said of his conversation with Moss in telling him the news. "Honestly, I’ve been in times where it’s easier and the guy’s not playing very good at all and the team is getting blown out, and it’s, like, painfully obvious, right? Like anybody could do it. Ones like these where it’s a tough call, it’s tough.
"I was part of one a few years ago where we were undefeated at the time. And so you never know 100%. Nobody has got a crystal ball. But we just come in here, like a play call, like decisions we make, we make the best decision we can that we feel like are in the best interest of this program, and it’s my job to take the emotion out of it. You have a loyalty to all of these guys individually, but you got a bigger loyalty to the team and program, and it has always got to stay that way."
Riley also seemed to acknowledge the likelihood that Moss, who still has a year of eligibility remaining, finishes his college career elsewhere now.
"He’s just got to be ready for the next opportunity, we never know how that’s going to play out," Riley said. "I’ve had these play out where something like this happens and a guy goes to another school and he ends up playing in the NFL. I’ve had these happen where a guy sat down, didn’t play for a little bit and then went back in and played even better and took it over and took off and ran from there. Anything can happen – it’s football. The tough thing is you don’t know exactly what’s gonna happen, but if I know Miller, he’ll stay in a really positive mindset.
"He’ll come and go to work for this team and he’ll be ready for his next opportunity no matter where it is and we’re going to continue to push and coach him to help him."
While it makes sense that the Trojans would want to get a look at Maiava in meaningful game action to evaluate if he might be the quarterback to build around in 2025, Riley dismissed that the future had anything to do with this decision -- stating it was merely about the present and having the best chance to win against Nebraska next week.
“This is about this point forward and preparing this week and getting ready to play Nebraska. And so, I’m excited about the progress that he’s made. I think he’s really improved. Their skill sets are not all that different, and so I don’t anticipate us changing a lot offensively," Riley said. "It’s not like we’re going to all of a sudden come out there and break out some new offense. I’m excited for him to get a chance to run our system and get a chance to work it here for a few weeks, and then be ready to go. ...
"This is just about this week because there's so much to unfold and I just feel like I owe it to Jonah Monheim and all the other guys here that'll be playing their last few games as Trojans here coming up, guys that have been a big part of this climb here and what we've been able to do and just the team as a whole. I mean, you only get so many moments with this team, and so I've never tried to make decisions – I’m not saying you don’t think about the future because of course we do – but I think I’m in the wrong if I’m only looking at it. And so this is not a decision with the future in mind. This is a decision with two weeks to go."
USC players will be made available after practice Wednesday, when they will be asked their reaction to the big change.
