USC cannot have Jayden Maiava throwing for nearly 40 times a game in 2025

There is a lot of debate among USC fans as to how good the Trojan offense can be with Jayden Maiava. It should be a universally agreed-upon acknowledgement, however, that taking over toward the tail end of a season versus being the presumptive starter over the entirety of an offseason are two different propositions.

For now, coach Lincoln Riley says that the starting job is firmly in the hands of Maiava. Although a significant portion of USC fans would like to see Husan Longstreet on opening day as QB1, it appears as though those wishes will have to be put on hold for the time being.

Regardless of who ends up taking snaps for the Trojans, it is unreasonable for anyone to be expected to find success when asked to throw on a disproportionate number of downs.

From the Nebraska game onward, Maiava had 35, 35, 49, and 39 passing attempts in each game, respectively, through the final matchup in the Las Vegas Bowl against Texas A&M.

The magic number of ideal passing attempts will vary depending on the matchup or person being asked. 35+ is certainly too many over the course of a season, and 49 is considerably too high. Critics have Maiava believe his turnover issues are too much to overlook; hence their reasoning for wanting to see Longstreet early on.

Anyone who throws the ball with that amount of frequency, however, is going to face trouble and be forced into mistakes.

Avoiding playing into defense's hands is a must for USC

For one, the defense can tee off what the offense is doing much easier without the threat of the run game. Pass rushers are free to then pin their ears back, and the linebackers and secondary players know that they do not have to honor the run and can play coverage more than what they would on a typical snap.

The better teams typically ask their quarterback to throw around 25-30 times. By having more balance and not asking Maiava to put the ball in harm's way in clear passing situations as often, USC will be able to flip some of last year's losses into wins in 2025.