Nick Saban Details Jayden Maiava's Biggest Strength on College GameDay

The No. 12 USC Trojans home matchup with the No. 20 Oregon Ducks appeared like a perfect opportunity for ESPN's College GameDay to visit the West Coast and USC for a weekend, but Oregon's loss to Oklahoma State dropped the Ducks out of the top 10 in the AP Top 25 Poll.

Instead of broadcasting the show from Los Angeles, College GameDay decided to go to No. 1 Texas vs. No. 14 Tennessee for the top-15 game. Still, the hosts of the popular morning show talked about the matchup between USC coach Lincoln Riley and Oregon coach Dan Lanning and what's at stake.

usc trojans nick saban jayden maiava lincoln riley kirk herbstreit rece davis desmond howard dante moore oregon ducks big ten — Nick Saban and Kirk Herbstreit listen to Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding speak during ESPN College GameDay ahead of the Ole Miss-LSU game in The Grove in Oxford, Miss., on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

"Well, USC is starving for a resurrection, a signature win in the Lincoln Riley era. If you go around Los Angeles, you might see the billboards, they say 'The time is now.' Put another way, you might not say, 'If not now, when?' for US to get that signature victory," said ESPN College GameDay host Rece Davis while introducing the game.

Nick Saban on Jayden Maiava

"Jayden has done a tremendous job on third down. 65 percent conversion rate on third down. I may not fired the defensive coordinator in that situation. 76 percent completion percentage. so he's been very good and they've got a talent to approved for receivers," said Saban.

Maiava has impressed through the first four games of the season, averaging 293 passing yards and three touchdowns per game while operating the USC offense at an efficient level. Even though the Trojans had to replace receivers Makai Lemon and Ja'Kobi Lane, now in the NFL, Maiava has not missed a beat with a number of his true freshmen targets.

In addition to completing 65 percent of third downs, Maiava and the Trojans are also 57 percent successful on fourth down. USC has reached the red zone 24 times, scoring touchdowns on 17 trips.

Saban also talked about Oregon quarterback Dante Moore and where the Ducks' signal caller can improve against USC:

"Dante Moore, on the other hand, has struggled a little bit early. He's struggled against ranked opponents in the past with some turnovers, but I do think the important thing for Oregon is their offensive team plays better around him, because I think he's a very talented guy and very capable of having a big day."

Kirk Herbstreit and the rest of the GameDay cast mentioned that the injury status of USC freshman wide receiver Trent Mosley could be a blow for the Trojans offense, but Maiava has the respect of the panel.

Former Heisman Trophy winner and ESPN College GameDay host Desmond Howard broke down some of Maiava's tape from the 2026 season so far, pointing out a specific skillset that the USC quarterback might be able to use to his advantage against Oregon.

"Maiava is fantastic, guys. When you watch him throw, he throws the ball with such ease. He throws a very catchable ball. . . . He likes to throw a deep ball, but he throws a very, very good back shoulder pass, too," said Howard.

Maiava and the Trojans had success with back shoulder passes against Oregon in 2025 despite the Ducks picking up the win. Can USC flip the script on Saturday?

Kickoff between USC and Oregon is slated for 4:30 p.m. PT, broadcast by NBC.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, and X for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google