USC Trojans QB Maiava Suffered Badly in Loss to Wisconsin

The 16th-ranked USC Trojans (6-2) traveled across the country to take on the Wisconsin Badgers (5-2).

The Badgers played inspired football, especially on defense, and sent the Trojans back to Los Angeles in dishonor with a 24-7 defeat.

USC QB Jayden Maiava must have suffered from a severe case of jet lag. Coming into the contest,

Maiava came into the game sitting atop the Big Ten in passing yards and passing yards per game.

Against the Badgers, Maiava looked anything but the part. The USC offense was not as efficient as previous games and stats showed.

With only three interceptions all season, Maiava threw two INTs in the first quarter. He completed 59 percent of his passes (10-of-17) for 90 yards in the first half.

Maiava was sacked twice.

Maiava and the offense were stymied, and gained just 92 total yards and eight first downs.

They gained just two yards rushing in the first half and 2.7 yards per play.

The Trojans were held scoreless in the first quarter, and went into the locker room at halftime down 10-7. USC recorded zero explosive plays of 20+ yards.

On the first possession of the third quarter for USC, Maiava and the USC offense were facing adversity.

The Trojans were down two scores at 17-7 after Wisconsin scored on their first possession of the third quarter.

Maiava drove the Trojans down the field into the red zone. But the Wisconsin defense kept the pressure on Maiava and forced him into an intentional grounding penalty.

On fourth down and nine yards to go, USC was forced to settle for a 44-yard field goal attempt. It was blocked, and the score remained 17-7 going into the final period.

It was the fourth quarter, and it was “jump around” time inside Camp Randall Stadium.

Maiava and USC just could not answer the Badgers with points, and were held scoreless in the second half.

Maiava’s stat line looked like this:

The Trojans now have two losses, both bad. The loss to Oregon, who suffered their third loss Saturday to unranked Illinois, looks even worse with each passing week.

With this poor performance, USC and the rest of their schedule will be looked upon much differently now.

Maiava was pressured all night by the relentless Badgers’ defense. As a result, Maiava never found a consistent rhythm throwing the football.

The Wisconsin defense was willing to concede short-yardage passes, keeping all those talented freshmen USC receivers in front of them to prevent explosive plays.

The seven points scored were the fewest ever scored by a Lincoln Riley-coached team.

Now Maiava and the USC offense have to regroup and refocus, and get ready to host the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes Saturday.