Jayden Maiava passed for three touchdowns and rushed for two more scores as No. 25 Southern California answered a second-half Michigan State rally to beat the Spartans 45-31 on Saturday night in Los Angeles.
USC (4-0, 2-0 Big Ten Conference) built a two-touchdown lead by intermission, scoring on the second of Maiava’s scoring passes and the first snap after a lengthy delay due to a serious injury to Michigan State linebacker Wayne Matthews III.
Matthews remained on the turf after he collided with Trojans running back Waymond Jordan. Medical staff tended to him, eventually moving Matthews onto a stretcher as he was carted off the field and taken to a nearby hospital.
Matthews was the second Spartans linebacker tasked with manning the defense’s communications system who was removed from Saturday’s game. Jordan Hall was disqualified earlier in the half due to a targeting call.
USC quickly grew the lead to 31-10 in the third when Maiava connected with Walker Lyons for a 10-yard touchdown pass. It was the Trojans quarterback’s third scoring toss, with his two in the first half coming on connections of 40 yards with Makai Lemon and the 7-yarder to Tanook Hines after the Matthews injury.
Maiava also scored on a 15-yard rush in the first quarter to give USC its first lead at 10-7.
Michigan State (3-1, 0-1), outscored 28-3 after Aidan Chiles’ 42-yard touchdown hook-up with Chrishon McCray, chipped away at the deficit in the second half.
The Spartans scored on a 4-yard Chiles carry, then regained possession in USC territory when Armorion Smith forced a DJ Jordan fumble on the first play of the following drive. Michigan State capitalized when Chiles found Jack Velling on a rollout, pulling the Spartans to within a score on the 1-yard toss.
After running only seven plays in the entire third quarter, the Trojans used 13 plays to retake control with a drive ending with a 4-yard Lemon touchdown carry. USC’s defense effectively slammed the door when it forced a turnover on downs in just four snaps on Michigan State’s ensuing possession.
Maiava put an exclamation point on his sensational night with a goal-line touchdown carry. He finished 20-of-26 passing for 234 yards — 127 went to Lemon on eight receptions — and rushed for 31 yards on four carries.
Maiava also helped USC convert 8-of-12 third-down attempts on a night the Trojans did not punt until the final seconds.
Chiles went 12-of-21 passing for 212 yards with three touchdown passes, adding a 75-yard bomb to Omari Kelly in the game’s waning minutes. Chiles was hit late on the play, resulting in an Anthony Lucas penalty.
USC was penalized 10 times for 83 yards.
