USC Trojans have lots of room for growth

Dennis J. Freeman
5 min readDec 1, 2024

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USC Trojans have lots of room for growth

The USC Trojans put up another good fight against a top-ranked opponent and again fell short in the end. Their 49–35 loss to the №5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish was much closer than the score would indicate, and they had a chance to tie the game with under four minutes to play.

“This has been a really fun team to coach. We battled today like we have all year. We just didn’t quite play well enough in the second half, and we gave ourselves some chances right there at the end and tried to stay aggressive. Obviously, some plays just didn’t go our way,” said Lincoln Riley.

In his third start of the season, Jayden Maiava threw for 360 yards and three scores while also rushing for two more. Maiava looks like the right man for the job heading into next season and should improve as he continues to develop in Lincoln Riley’s system.

He is more mobile than Miller Moss, giving the Trojans a more prototypical Lincoln Riley-style quarterback. He can effectively move around in the pocket, throws a nice deep ball, and can pick up first downs with his legs if needed.

USC quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) passed for 360 yards and three touchdowns against No. 5 Notre Dame on Nov. 30, 2024. Maiava also ran the football for 16 yards and two more scores in the Trojans' 49-35 defeat to the Fighting Irish at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California.

USC quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) passed for 360 yards and three touchdowns against №5 Notre Dame on Nov. 30, 2024. Maiava also ran the football for 16 yards and scored two more touchdowns in the Trojans’ 49–35 defeat to the Fighting Irish at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. Photo credit: Sammy Saludo/News4usonline

Moss was supposed to be the guy this season but was benched in favor of Maiava after throwing three interceptions in USC’s loss to Washington.

“I try to just start fast from the get-go. People say it’s not about how you start but how you finish. In some ways, that is true, but it’s all about how you start, which reflects how you finish,” said Maiava before the season started when he was still the backup.

The sophomore quarterback did end up throwing back-to-back pick-sixes that ultimately sealed the Trojans’ fate, but that was after leading the team down the field twice in desperation mode. The interceptions were more a product of trying to make a late comeback rather than glaring mistakes.

“He has done a good job. It is not an easy situation to go into, especially when you are playing three good programs,” said Riley of Maiava’s performance. “That is the best we have played offensively all year, and that is a really good defense which we did some pretty good things against. I thought he stepped up and played some really good ball. I was impressed with how he handled it as a leader and thought he answered the call.”

USC running back Quinten Joyner (0) was the lead rusher for the Trojans against No. 5 Notre Dame. Joyner carried the ball 10 times for 83 yards in the Trojans' 49-35 defeat to the Fighting Irish at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California on Nov. 30, 2024.

USC running back Quinten Joyner (0) was the lead rusher for the Trojans against №5 Notre Dame. Joyner carried the ball 10 times for 83 yards in the Trojans’ 49–35 defeat to the Fighting Irish at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California on Nov. 30, 2024. Photo credit: Sammy Saludo/News4usonline

The majority of the wide receiver room, which includes five extremely talented playmakers, should also be back next season after being the strength of the team this year.

Makai Lemon posted 133 yards against Notre Dame and has a strong connection with his quarterback, and Ja’Kobi Lane added three more touchdowns to his total, giving him nine on the season.

The Trojans’ main reason for optimism heading into next season is that their defense has taken a huge step forward. After giving up over 34 points per game in 2023, they only allowed their opponents to score 23.5 points per game in 2024.

Despite a 6–6 record in the regular season, USC nearly beat some of the top teams in the country, two of which will finish inside the top five.

The Trojans were a few plays a game away from being a really good football team in 2024. Until their matchup with the Fighting Irish, they had not lost a game by more than a touchdown, and that includes games against four ranked opponents.

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was in attendance  of the USC-Notre Dame college football game that took place at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California on Nov. 30, 2024. Williams played for the Trojans for two seasons and won the Heisman Trophy in 2022.

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams attended the USC-Notre Dame college football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California on November 30, 2024. Williams played for the Trojans for two seasons and won the Heisman Trophy in 2022. Photo credit: Sammy Saludo/News4usonline

Caleb Williams was in attendance, and the Trojans honored him by retiring his number 13 jersey during the game. Williams’s first season as a pro has had many similarities to how USC fared this year. Both USC and the Chicago Bears have shown the ability to compete with the best teams on a week-to-week basis but have often failed to get the job done in the end.

The Trojans and their former quarterback proved they have a lot of potential in their first year apart, and there is much room for growth and improvement next year.

At the end of the day, with the defense coming into their own, it is on Lincoln Riley and his staff to be better offensively. He was brought to Southern California to bring the swagger back to USC’s football program, but other than Caleb Williams’ Heisman season, it has been a bit of a disappointment. Hopefully, the Trojans will be able to take what they learned in 2024 and translate it into success in 2025.

Top Image Caption: USC running back Bryan Jackson carried the ball six times for 71 yards in the Trojans’ 49–35 loss to №5 Notre Dame at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California on Nov. 30, 2024. Photo credit: Sammy Saludo/News4usonline

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Dennis J. Freeman
Dennis J. Freeman

Written by Dennis J. Freeman

The storyteller. More than a journalist. I write about sports and social justice. Editor of News4usonline.com and Black Sports United. Howard University alum.

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