LOS ANGELES – – Jayden Maiava passed for 259 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score in his first start for Southern California, leading the Trojans to a 28-20 victory over slumping Nebraska on Saturday.

Woody Marks rushed for 146 yards for USC (5-5, 3-5 Big Ten), and Maiava capped his eventful debut start by making a 2-yard TD run with 2:45 to play. The UNLV transfer replaced Miller Moss this week as the Trojans fight for bowl eligibility in another disappointing season under coach Lincoln Riley.

Zachariah Branch, Kyron Hudson and Duce Robinson caught TD passes for the Trojans in just their second win in six games. USC has never lost to Nebraska in the irregular meetings of these historic programs, going 5-0-1.

Dylan Raiola passed for 191 yards and hit Emmett Johnson for a 29-yard touchdown in the first half, but Nebraska (5-5, 2-5) lost for its fourth straight game. The Huskers have lost eight straight games with a chance to become bowl eligible under second-year coach Matt Rhule, including seven one-score losses.

Nebraska drove to the USC 14 with 5 seconds to play, but after a false start, Greedy intercepted Vance Jr. easily hit Raiola’s final pass to create double coverage in the end zone.

Nebraska’s Ceyair Wright returned an early interception 45 yards for a touchdown against his former USC teammates, and he blocked a field goal attempt in the fourth quarter.

But the Huskers’ offense reached the end zone just once under new offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen, managing just 254 yards on the desperate final drive. Raiola has thrown seven interceptions in the Huskers’ last four games, including two against USC.

Maiava struggled early, going 2 of 7 in USC’s first two series. He sorely missed the target when he gifted a pick-6 to Wright, the Los Angeles native who played the past three seasons at USC before transferring.

Maiava improved greatly from then on, completing his next nine throws. He hit Branch for a 6-yard touchdown on the Trojans’ third drive, and Hudson set up another score seven minutes later.

Maiava hit Robinson en route to an untouched 48-yard touchdown early in the third, but the quarterback later lost a fumble at the USC 16 while scrambling, leading to Nebraska’s second field goal of the quarter.

Wright blocked the Trojans’ 27-yard field goal attempt with 12:58 to play, preserving the Huskers’ deficit at one point. But Nebraska couldn’t score, and Marks took a fourth down throw from Maiava 43 yards before Maiava capped the drive with his TD run.

Holgorsen’s debut

Nebraska gained 310 yards in the first game, with Holgorsen calling the plays. The former head coach at West Virginia and Houston was abruptly given the reins during the bye week, hoping to spark an offense that started the weekend ranked 97th in total yards in the FBS. Holgorsen and Riley coached together on Mike Leach’s staff at Texas Tech.

Takeaways

Nebraska: Even with Holgorsen’s addition, the Huskers failed to surpass 325 yards of offense for the fifth straight game. Raiola wasn’t very impressive either. Nebraska doesn’t have the offensive talent to be a contender, but it can still beat Wisconsin or Iowa to secure bowl eligibility for the first time since 2016.

USC: Maiava overcame his nightmare by injecting elements of elusiveness and unpredictability into Riley’s spread attack. That’s exactly what the Trojans had during Caleb Williams’ career, and what they missed with Moss. Still, USC still needs a win over UCLA or Notre Dame to avoid a losing season.

Next

Nebraska: Hosts Wisconsin this Saturday.

USC: This Saturday at UCLA.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-pollbr/)