It felt like a statement night at the Coliseum. Lincoln Riley called it an “awesome, awesome win,” and the No. 19 Trojans backed him up with a 38–17 victory over Northwestern to move to 7–2.
USC’s Jayden Maiava completed 24 of 33 passes for 299 yards and two touchdowns, adding a rushing score in what Riley called one of the team’s most complete performances of the season.
“Flipping time zones, the short week, playing a team coming off a bye, this was a big challenge,” Riley said. “We probably had our most complete week of preparation, and it had to be because we didn’t have time to waste.”
Riley lit up when asked about Maiava’s hustle play after a fumble near the goal line. “When your quarterback’s like that, it permeates throughout the entire team,” he said. “He never gives up, he just continues to fight. When guys see that, they feed off it.”
Maiava’s own explanation was simple, “I just thought I’d go out there and sacrifice my body for my brothers and potentially get the ball back.”
MORE: Sam Huard pulls off wild fake punt for USC
The night also featured one of USC’s most creative moments — a fake punt executed by backup quarterback Sam Huard, who changed into No. 80 during the week to legally line up as an eligible receiver.
“Yeah, it was just a well thought-out thing by several of our staff members,” Riley said. “We had it at the right time, and Sam stepped in there, made a good throw, had a guy kind of in his face. It was a good throw, Tanuk made a nice play, and it was a key point in the game.”
Riley smiled when asked how the deception stayed under wraps. “You guys have to pay attention. That’s been on there for three weeks,” he said. “I’m glad none of y’all put it on Twitter.”
Riley credited his team’s growing consistency on both sides of the ball. “It’s important that when you watch us play, any side of the ball, any time, it looks the same,” he said. “That’s a team taking pride in its performance.”
With two home games left, Riley said the Coliseum crowd “was awesome tonight” and added, “I cannot wait for next Saturday.”
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