USC quarterback Jayden Maiava didn’t see Ja’Kobi Lane’s one-handed touchdown grab.
“I just heard the ooohs and aaahs from the crowd,” Maiava told reporters after the game. “And I was, like, yeah, it’s Ja’Kobi.”
Lane and fellow receiver Makai Lemon indulged in the spotlight during another high-scoring win on Saturday night, rattling off eye-catching plays as the Trojans beat Georgia Southern 59-20 with Maiava at the wheel.
Lane had his share of heroic moments throughout the game. He attempted to hurdle a Georgia Southern player when he brought in a 26-yard pass from Maiava and made the final block near the end zone for Walker Lyons that allowed the tight end to score his first career touchdown.
“We’re all just trying to help each other, and I feel like this team is just super selfless,” Lyons said. “Everyone wants to see everyone else succeed, and everyone celebrates each other’s successes.”
The one-handed catch received mixed reviews from head coach Lincoln Riley. He called the move “awesome” and “phenomenal” after the game, then drove home the point that the safer option is always better.
“It’s not something like, that’s what we want to have,” Riley told reporters. “He is unique at it. It’s not something that we stress because even if you’re very good at it — like he is — no matter who you are, you’re still going to catch at a higher percentage when you catch with two hands versus one.”
@haleymsawyer USC football head coach Lincoln Riley shares his mixed feelings about receiver Ja’Kobi Lane’s one-handed touchdown catch. #collegefootball #uscfootball #usc #onehanded #touchdown
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Lemon had a career night, though not flashy in the ways that the opposite receiver was. His 74-yard touchdown grab was his longest ever and his 158 receiving yards were a single-game career high and the most by any Trojan receiver since Brendan Rice’s 174 yards against Tulane in 2023. It was also his first multi-touchdown game.
And he made it look pretty. Lemon hugged a 14-yard pass from Maiava close to him as he spun and shook off a defender before bolting toward the end zone. He bounced off one final Eagle before taking the final steps into the end zone to finish off the 74-yard scoring play.
“It’s his ability to just be a dog and want it more than other people,” Lane said of Lemon. “Just the willingness to break tackles and really get it going. You don’t find many people of his caliber that are able to run a 12-yard curl and then take it 74 yards to the house.”
Running back Waymond Jordan shouldered the load in the rushing attack with 16 carries for 167 yards and a touchdown. He added to USC’s chunk plays with a 36-yard scoring run in the second quarter.
Jordan had an early fumble but still collected the most rushing yards in a single game since 2021 when Keontay Ingram ran for 204 yards against Arizona.
“It’s Waymo,” Maiava said. “All the guys — not even just offensive guys — the defensive guys, just know that we go up, pat him on the back, and be like ‘next play.’ It’s super huge, and this team is really close and everybody trusts each other.”
The run game has been dependable through the first two games of the season and could prove to be essential when USC takes on bigger, better teams in Big Ten Conference play, which opens up this weekend at Purdue.
But if Maiava, who matched a career-high in touchdown passes on Saturday, can continue to get the ball to playmakers like Lemon and Lane, the Trojans could have opponents reeling.
“But next time, get two hands on it,” Maiava said with a smile.
