In front of a sparse Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum homecoming crowd, the USC Trojans defeated the Nebraska Cornhuskers 28-20 with a last-second game-winning int

We dissect the keys to USC’s success on Saturday against Nebraska, including a reason most may not expect as the number one factor.

Maiava, in his first start at USC, threw a pick-six to Nebraska corner and former Trojan Ceyair Wright. Maiava did some good things on Saturday. There are some plays he’ll want back, too, like the interception and a third-quarter fumble.

USC running back Woody Marks has already rushed for a career-high 837 yards. With three games left in the season, can he crack the 1,000 yards? The last Trojan running back to do so was Ronald Jones.

While the Jayden Maiava angle is a positive one, and while USC is now closer to getting a bowl bid -- which means December practices essential to improving the roster for 2025, a very important thing -- we can't ignore the deeper problem surrounding the Trojans: They are not a well-coached football team.

USC’s second touchdown, a 12-yard Maiva throw to Kyron Hudson, went through the fingertips of Nebraska defensive back Malcolm Hartzog. The Trojans’ final scoring march stayed on track after Maiava’s third-down throw to Makai Lemon pinballed through the air between the receiver and Nebraska linebacker Javin Wright.

The USC Trojans picked up a 28-20 win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday afternoon to improve to 5-5 and better their chances of reaching bowl eligibility with only two games left in the season against the UCLA Bruins and Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Things are going from bad to worse to downright ugly when it comes to Lincoln Riley's tenure leading the USC Trojans. At 4-5 on the season, hardly anyone showed up to see USC host Nebraska in a gotta-have-it game for both Big Ten schools.