LOS ANGELES -- USC quarterback Jayden Maiava earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors after leading the Trojans to a 73-13 victory over Missouri State in USC's season opener in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday (Aug. 30). This is the first Big Ten weekly honor for Maiava.
Maiava accounted for over 300 yards in just one half of football. He went 15-of-18 (.833) with 2 TDs for 295 yards with a long of 73 yards. He also rushed for 9 yards and scored a TD on a 3-yard rush into the end zone, and his 295 passing yards matched his second-highest passing total last season (295 yards versus Texas A&M on Dec. 27, 2024).
QB1 Jayden Maiava with his first rushing TD of 2025
— Adrian Medina (@AdrianMedina_16) August 31, 2025
Trojans lead Missouri State 35-10 in the 2nd pic.twitter.com/7GBS0Ga3fh
Maiava's season high in 2024 was 360 passing yards versus Notre Dame on Nov. 30. Additionally, Maiava's 295 passing yards in the first half versus Missouri State were the most by a Trojan in a first half since former USC QB Kedon Slovis' 347 first-half yards versus Arizona State on Nov. 9, 2019. Former USC QB Cody Kessler also had 295 first-half yards against Arizona State on Sept. 26, 2015.
USC's 42 points in the first half were the most since scoring 49 points in the first half versus Stanford on Sept. 9, 2023.
The Trojans begin their 2025 campaign 1-0. USC now has 9 straight season-opening wins, and USC head coach Lincoln Riley remains undefeated in season openers as a head coach.
After competing in just one half of Saturday's game, Maiava currently leads the nation in multiple statistical categories. He ranks No. 1 in the nation in passing efficiency (257.7), No. 1 in the nation in passing yards per completion (19.67), and No. 1 in the nation in yards per pass attempt (16.39).
Maiava ranks No. 2 in the Big Ten and No. 5 in the nation in completion percentage (.833). He is ranked No. 2 in the Big Ten and No. 21 in the nation in passing yards (295), No. 2 in the Big Ten and No. 15 in the nation in passing yards per game (295), and No. 2 in the Big Ten and No. 20 in the nation in total offense (304.0).
Per PFF, Maiava is ranked No. 1 among all Big Ten quarterbacks and No. 10 among all Power 4 quarterbacks with an 89.7 passing grade. He is also No. 1 among all Big Ten quarterbacks and No. 10 among all Power 4 quarterbacks with a 90.8 overall offense grade. He had 0 turnover-worthy plays against Missouri State per PFF.
The Trojans return to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to host Georgia Southern on Saturday, Sept. 6, at 4:30 p.m. PT.