USC's starting QB 2024: Who will start for Lincoln Riley's team in week 12?

The USC Trojans (4-5, 2-5 Big Ten Conference) will take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers at home in week 12 of the 2024 college football season on Saturday. After an 8-5 campaign and a Holiday Bowl victory in the Pac-12 last season, Lincoln Riley has been struggling to find the same form in their debut Big Ten campaign.

The USC Trojans have lost four out of the last five games that they've played, putting them in a perilous spot when it comes to bowl game eligibility. In week 10, they succumbed to a 26-21 loss at the hands of the Washington Huskies on Nov. 10.

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USC Trojans starting quarterback against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in week 12

So far, Miller Moss has been the QB1 of the team since the beginning of the season. He has put up decent stats, recording 2,555 passing yards and 18 touchdowns. However, with a 4-5 record and three games left for bowl game eligibility, Riley is replacing Miller Moss with Jayden Maiava for week 12.

So far this season, Maiava has seen limited time on the field while tallying 66 passing yards. He began his collegiate career with the UNLV Rebels back in 2022.

After redshirting his freshman campaign, Maiava took over as the Rebels starting quarterback last season following Doug Brumfield's injury against Vanderbilt. He helped the Rebels record a 9-5 campaign while recording a total of 3,085 passing yards and 17 touchdowns.

Jayden Maiava is looking forward to helping the USC Trojans secure victories in their last three games of the regular season. But his QB1 position will be dependent on how he fares against Nebraska at home in week 12.

"Let's go out there and start getting reps in," Maiava said as per On3 after being named QB1 of the team. "Obviously, Miller was getting the ones' reps, and obiously, it's a change at the quarterback position. So, I've just got to build that relationship with the receivers and be more vocal and just be better for everybody."

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USC's quarterback depth chart

Apart from Jayden Maiava being the starting QB, the USC Trojans also have Miller Moss and redshirt junior Jake Jensen in their quarterback depth chart. Moss began his collegiate journey with the Trojans as a part of the 2021 recruiting class. He redshirted his freshman campaign and then served as the backup to Caleb Williams for the past two seasons.

Moss got his first start for the Trojans during their 2023 Holiday Bowl victory over Louisville.

On the other hand, Jake Jensen joined the program in 2022 as a sophomore after spending one season in junior college with Contra Costa. He did not see any action in his debut Trojans campaign. He is yet to make an appearance for the team this season.