Let’s put it on the table very clearly: I unequivocally hope Husan Longstreet has a better USC football career than Jayden Maiava, and that is in no way a controversial opinion. I think Maiava himself would hope that’s the case.
Everyone who has any affiliation to USC football should want the program to keep improving as the years go on. You want the successors of the current team to take what the incumbents established and keep building on it. Maiava’s hope should be that he can be a good mentor to Longstreet and put him in a better position to succeed than Maiava inhabited when he arrived at USC.
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Husan Longstreet has a lot of talent. I don’t even think it’s controversial to say he could be more talented than Maiava is right now. He certainly looks like an electric runner, which we saw in the first two games of the season, and has a rocket arm.
This is Jayden Maiava’s team and season
All this quarterback controversy stuff that popped up during the USC-Nebraska game needs to stop. Yes, Maiava’s performance throwing the football was extremely disappointing, arguably the most disappointing on the team.
However, we can’t bench a guy over one bad game, against one of the best defensive secondaries in the country in a really tough environment. He has been one of the best quarterbacks in the country up until this point. He has dramatically improved from last season. He has incredible arm talent and can be mobile when necessary.
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He still has clear weaknesses and limitations, but that’s not a reason to burn everything down.
Maiava finds ways to win, even when times are tough
This, in my opinion, is the biggest reason not to bench Maiava. Against teams not named Notre Dame, Maiava is 9-1 in his Trojan career. In that one loss, he put USC in a position to beat Illinois, and the defense squandered that by allowing a walk-off field goal.
He hasn’t played well in all of those wins. He didn’t play very well in the Las Vegas bowl last year against Texas A&M. He didn’t play well against Nebraska.
But Lincoln Riley keeps putting the ball in his hands even when he’s at his lowest, and that trust tends to work out for USC.
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Maiava through 4 interceptions against the Aggies, but kept slinging the rock and threw 4 touchdowns to help USC emerge victorious
Saturday night against the Huskers, he completed only 9 of 23 passes and threw for no touchdowns and a costly interception. But he rushed for a career-high 62 yards and a touchdown, willing USC to victory with his legs.
Husan Longstreet could still get some playing time
I’m not saying Lincoln Riley has to keep Longstreet glued to the bench entirely. It may be valuable for him to come in here and there for special packages.
I like the idea of playing Longstreet and Maiava on the field at the same time while USC is still missing its top two running backs.
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But we don’t need this to turn into 2021 *shiver* when Kedon Slovis and Jaxson Dart alternated drives. USC picked Maiava and they need to stick by it. Longstreet has lots of eligibility left to go out and be the better QB.
Part of the issue is the people around Maiava
Lincoln Riley’s play calling was messy against Nebraska in the first half. None of USC’s top receivers, namely Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane, had a good game. They had issues dropping the ball and couldn’t consistently get open. USC is still missing its top two running backs.
It’s not like his supporting cast dominated, and USC was playing a tough defense.
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But are we ready to bench Lane, Lemon, and everyone else who had an off week? No. Just because Maiava’s struggles are more consistently visible doesn’t mean he needs to be punished most severely.
The confidence factor
The mental aspect of the game clearly is the biggest key to if Maiava plays well or not. He has all the physical talent in the world, and has shown the ability to be one of the best quarterbacks in the country when he’s firing on all cylinders. He just struggles with decision making and execution when he’s nervous or down on himself mentally.
USC fans need to get behind their quarterback. It’s not helpful for him to hear calls for his benching left and right. He needs to know that he’s a human being, and so it’s okay to mess up AS LONG AS he picks himself up, is unafraid and unbothered, responds with good football, and wins USC some dang football games.
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He did that against Nebraska with his legs. He’s done it before in other games he has played poorly, like Texas A&M and UCLA. So let’s believe he can do it again.
Belief is contagious, and what Maiava needs. If everyone around Maiava believes in him, why shouldn’t he believe in himself?
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC head coach Lincoln Riley faces calls to start QB Husan Longstreet
