Report: USC's Miller Moss Benched by Lincoln Riley, Jayden Maiava Will Be QB1

Amid their recent slide, the USC Trojans are reportedly making a change at quarterback.

According to ESPN's Pete Thamel and Paolo Uggetti, USC head coach Lincoln Riley is benching Miller Moss in favor of Jayden Maiava for the Trojans' next game against Nebraska on Nov. 16.

USC started the season 3-1, but it has dropped four of its past five games, including a 26-21 road loss to Washington this past Saturday.

Moss, a redshirt junior, backed up Caleb Williams in both 2022 and 2023, but he staked his claim to the starting job at the end of the 2023 campaign by being named Holiday Bowl MVP by virtue of his six-touchdown performance.

In his first full season as the starter, Moss opened the season well by throwing eight touchdown passes to two interceptions amid a 3-1 start, which included a win over LSU.

Moss has thrown 10 touchdown passes over the past five contests, but he has also thrown seven interceptions, including a career-high three picks in the loss to Washington.

While Moss' overall numbers of 2,555 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions don't look bad, things simply haven't been clicking for the Trojans lately, and they now need to go at least 2-1 over their final three games to become bowl-eligible.

In Moss' place, the Trojans are set to start a redshirt sophomore transfer in the form of Maiava.

Maiava started 11 games at UNLV last season, going 7-4 and completing 63.5 percent of his passes for 3,085 yards, 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, while also rushing for 277 yards and three scores.

He has only seen action in three games during his first season at USC, going 8-of-11 for 66 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions, and rushing three times for 27 yards and a touchdown.

Maiava brings starting experience and some dual-threat ability to the table, which could add another dimension to the USC offense.

Whereas Maiava has rushed for over 300 yards in his career, Moss has rushed for only nine yards, including minus-18 yards this season due to sacks.

Maiava's first assignment will come against a Nebraska team that is also searching for answers, as the Cornhuskers have lost three games in a row, dropping them to 5-4 on the season.

The Trojans are 4-5, and they are looking to avoid their first losing season since going 4-8 in 2021, which was a year that saw head coach Clay Helton get fired just two games into the campaign.