Oregon Defensive Lineman Aydin Breland Gives Honest Assessment of Jayden Maiava

Ahead of No. 12 Oregon's matchup with No. 20 USC, Ducks defensive lineman and Southern California native Aydin Breland shared some of his thoughts on Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava.

Maiava is one of the more efficient passers in the Big Ten and led the conference in passing during the 2025 season. Meanwhile, the Oregon defense has struggled to bring down opposing quarterbacks, especially mobile ones like Maiava.

oregon ducks aydin breland defensive line usc trojans road game bear alexander jayden maiava lincoln riley dan lanning — Sep 12, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) throws the ball against the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With that perspective, Breland shared his thoughts on Maiava's abilities and the USC offense in general on Tuesday:

“Just his ability to make plays. He'll have a lot of pressure on his face and he'll scramble and he'll still find a way to throw it and get the ball downfield and they'll come up with the catch. So we just got to do our best in caging him and rushing him effectively," said Breland.

When it comes to handling mobile quarterbacks in particular, Breland revealed his confidence in the Oregon defensive line if they can stay disciplined:

“I feel like we've schemed it up pretty well," Breland said. "We just got to keep watching film and just everybody has to be dialed on our game plan and just know the looks we're getting. And just like I said, be gap disciplined and sound and play our brand of football.”

Oregon will travel to face USC on the road in prime time, and Breland spoke about everything from the Ducks' practice, his recruitment, the Trojans' running game, and more.

Everything Aydin Breland Said

Focus of Practice

"We kind of had our typical Bloody Tuesday. Obviously, it was SC focused. Just a physical practice, a lot of run focus. Just getting the look on USC, you know what I'm saying?"

If He’s Ever Played in the Coliseum

"I haven't played in the Coliseum before this. It means a lot going back home, though. I got a lot of family members from the city. I grew up down there. I grew up down there quite a bit, and it just means a lot being able to have a lot of my family come down and have the opportunity to play in front of them. So, it's pretty exciting."

Defensive Line's Focus

"We're focused on just rushing as a group and just trying to assault the quarterback. So we're just trying to get better at that every week in practice, and hopefully it shows up."

USC Trojans Offense’s Strengths

“From what we've seen so far, they run a lot of counter and they look to be pretty physical up front. They have some patient backs, have some good running backs. So we're looking to just stop the run and just try to affect the quarterback as best as possible.”

What Led to Less Production From Defensive Line

“I'd say just police protection having a lot of one polarizes and just having to deal with the full sliding and all that. You know, not really having a lot of one-on-ones in protection, but when we do get it, we got to win our one-on-ones.”

Oregon vs. USC in His Recruitment

“In my recruitment process, Oregon was actually the first school to offer me back when Mario Cristobal was here. So they were kind of on board from the jump. But then when Mario Cristobal left, I think I got re-offered or reintroduced to the new coaching staff in probably, I want to say like my freshman year. And back when I was a freshman, I wouldn't say SC was really like a big school or like or same with UCLA or nothing like that. So this is the school I wanted to go to if it was to stay on the West Coast and stay home. So that's why I'm here.”

What Makes This Game a Rivalry

“I guess you could call it a rivalry between the two bigger teams on the West Coast, I guess if you want to say that. But I feel like it's personal for us because we have a lot of kids from Southern California, including myself. So it's personal to a lot of the guys on the team.”

On the Defense’s Response

“The attitude's changed. The attitude of practice has changed. The accountability with our players has changed and our coaches has changed. Everybody is coming to practice and we're coming to play, and it's not lackadaisical practice anymore. It's not hee-hee-ha-ha. Everybody's getting straight to business, and if it doesn't look right, we've been making sure that it does.”

Taking Anything From Last Year’s Game

“Just being physical up front, you know what I'm saying? Like I said, playing the counter game because they run a lot of counter, being patient when we strike our – being patient on our gaps because their backs are pretty shifty, and just playing up front together, you know what I'm saying?”

If He’s Been to the Coliseum

“Watching games, I've been to a couple USC games in my fair share. A couple USC games growing up, whether it was football or whatever events were there. And it's just great to go back there and be able to play, like I said, in front of my family because I have a lot of family in the city. I live like 15, 10 minutes away. So it would just be a great opportunity to play there.”

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