Ex-UNLV quarterback enjoys ‘poetic ending’ with USC in Las Vegas Bowl
Jayden Maiava’s quiet moments of celebration after leading USC to the biggest comeback in Las Vegas Bowl history would have been easy to miss.
The former UNLV and Liberty High School quarterback flashed a quick smile as he walked to the sideline after his go-ahead touchdown pass to Kyle Ford in the final six seconds for a 35-31 win over Texas A&M on Friday night at Allegiant Stadium.
Maiava gave some calm high-fives in the end zone when time expired and the bulk of the Trojans’ immediate festivities had subsided on the field. The sophomore also obliged a request to climb on a ladder and lead the USC band with a raised sword.
But as red and yellow confetti fell during the trophy presentation, Maiava disappeared into the crowd of Trojans who looked up to the podium to watch USC coach Lincoln Riley and wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane pose with the new hardware.
“Kind of a poetic ending to the season, that felt like,” Riley said.
Maiava turned around a nightmarish performance in which he threw a career-high three interceptions, putting USC in a 17-point hole in the third quarter.
He completed 22 of 39 attempts for 295 yards and four touchdowns. Three of those TD passes went to Lane, who snagged a game-high seven passes for 127 yards and was named the game’s MVP.
“He didn’t play his best there for a while,” Riley said when asked about Maiava’s homecoming. “Missed a few things he doesn’t normally miss, but he stayed with it, and that’s what you got to do. You’re not always going to have your A-game when you play against a defense that’s as good as Texas A&M’s.”
‘Full circle’
Maiava said Thursday that returning to UNLV’s practice facility was a “full circle moment.”
There were plenty of those to go around Friday night.
For one, it wasn’t the first wild fourth-quarter comeback for Maiava against an SEC team at Allegiant Stadium. He led the Rebels on a crucial late drive to beat Vanderbilt 40-37 last season, one that saw UNLV make its first bowl game since 2014.
Now, he has his first bowl game win.
More importantly for Maiava’s new team, Friday’s win was a callback to how the season started.
USC opened its season with a 27-20 win over LSU on Sept. 1 in front of an Allegiant Stadium record crowd of 63,969.
Maiava didn’t play in that game. He took over for Miller Moss after a 4-5 start and led the Trojans to three wins in four games.
Full confidence
Maiava did not speak to the media after the game, but Riley and some teammates sung his praises.
“He’s fearless,” linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold said. “He’ll throw the 50/50 ball. He’ll throw the ball up. But that’s what you want in your quarterback. We all believe in Jayden.”
Riley indicated that Maiava would be USC’s starting quarterback to begin next season.
“I’m very confident him,” Riley said. “Just going through kind of what he’s been through, watching how fast he’s improved. … The guy is so selfless, so about the team, that I think he’s just going to continue to get better and better.”
Ford and Riley made a point to emphasize how “hard on himself” Maiava is.
“He just wants to be perfect for us, and he doesn’t want to ever let us down,” Ford said. “He always puts the blame on him, which I hate.”
After Maiava’s second interception, Ford said Maiava apologized to teammates.
“Everyone (was) like, ‘We don’t care. No one even cares. It’s not a big deal,’” Ford said. “From then on, he was just the leader that he was.”
Riley took notice of the change in Maiava’s play after teammates picked him up.
“He kind of caught fire there at the end and then played really confident,” Riley said. “I’m proud of the players around him, and certainly proud of the way Jayden responded.”
Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.
