QB change a desperate attempt from USC HC Lincoln Riley to salvage lost season

Last season, as a freshman at UNLV, Maiava was 224-of-353 (63.5 percent) for 3,085 yards, 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

This year, Moss is 233-of-362 (64.4 percent) for 2,555 yards, 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Moss had arguably his worst game of the season in Week 10’s loss to Washington, which dropped USC to 4-5. Moss was 30-of-50 for 293 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions in the 26-21 loss.

But Moss hasn’t been the reason the Trojans have lost four of their last five games.

In back-to-back losses to Associated Press No. 6 Penn State and Maryland, for example, Moss was 54-of-84 for 556 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions, and USC averaged 29 points per game.

The defense failed in each instance, allowing an average of 473.5 yards per game.

If Riley didn’t have a reputation for squandering elite quarterback talent, we might give him a pass for his decision to move on to Maiava.

Moss isn’t the caliber of quarterbacks that some of Riley’s best (Caleb Williams, Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield) were, but moving on from him feels like a move from a coach who’s out of ideas.

The Riley era at USC began in 2022 and has been a disappointment. In two-plus seasons under Riley, the Trojans are 23-13.

If he really wants to help the program, Riley will look in the mirror.