Marcus Freeman describes differences in USC offense with Jayden Maiava

Notre Dame is looking to all but clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff with a win over rival USC. However, with the Trojans’ recent quarterback change to Jayden Maiava, Irish head coach Marcus Freeman knows his defense will need to be prepared.

Ahead of the rivalry matchup, Freeman shared what he sees in the offense under Maiava, noting that the scheme hasn’t necessarily changed but how the quarterback operates the offense has shifted.

“The schematics of the offense hasn’t changed that much,” Marcus Freeman said. “He tends to make different decisions maybe than [Miller] Moss did. And I’m not saying that’s good or bad. He makes really quick decisions and they’re doing some, a couple different things with extending plays with his legs. He’s got a really good arm and he isn’t putting them in many negative situations.”

Jayden Maiava replaced Miller Moss ahead of the Trojans’ game against Nebraska. Since then, USC has won two games in a row, beating Nebraska and UCLA while averaging 23.5 points per game. Prior to that change, the Trojans had lost four out of five games in a row.

For the season, Maiava has completed 64.2 percent of his passes for 546 yards and four touchdowns to one interception. He’s also rushed for 38 yards and two touchdowns. That’s in five appearances with two starts.

“He’s come in these last two games and won them for them,” Freeman said. “They’re playing well on offense but their whole offense hasn’t changed. He’s just done a really good job at taking care of the football and making some good decisions.”

One of Notre Dame’s strengths as a team has been its defense and, in particular, its passing defense. The Irish are first in the country in passing defense, only giving up 139.5 passing yards per game. Notre Dame also has 15 interceptions.

There is plenty to play for on both sides. Notre Dame would finish the season 11-1 with a win. Given the current landscape, that means the Irish would most likely be in line to host a first round College Football Playoff game. For USC’s part, the season didn’t go the way the Trojans would have liked. However, this is still a talented team that has the chance to play spoiler. On top of that, a win would clinch a winning record for the season.

Notre Dame and USC are scheduled to kickoff at 3:30 p.m. EST on Saturday, November 30th.