How Michigan Football plans to keep USC QB Jayden Maiava ‘in check’
When facing USC quarterback Jayden Maiava, Michigan’s defense will have their hands full. Michigan intends to slow him down in the following ways. Indiana vs. Oregon Will Be Decided by the Line of Scrimmage | Urban Analysis
John Mateer of Oklahoma and Dylan Raiola of Nebraska are two strong quarterbacks that the Michigan Wolverines have previously faced. On Saturday night, they will take on Jayden Maiava of USC, another gifted quarterback.
Maiava is ranked sixth in the country in throwing yards (1,587) and first in ESPN Total QBR (93.4). With just one interception and 11 touchdowns thrown, Maiava has also shown caution with the football. Maiava has four rushing touchdowns this season and can prolong plays with his legs, even though he is more of a pure thrower than players like Mateer and Raiola.
Lou Esposito, the defensive line coach at Michigan, described him as “elite.” He’s a fantastic athlete. He most likely doesn’t receive enough recognition for his true athletic ability.
Esposito went on to break down what Maiava does well mechanically.
He never looks away from downfield. He has a rapid release. He performs admirably. When he throws, he instinctively takes a step back, Esposito said. “A quarterback feels at ease throwing it that way when you play him like that and put pressure on him.” Therefore, we must clearly keep him in the pocket while taking calculated risks.
It’s difficult to stop a quarterback like Maiava. Although Michigan’s defense is excellent, the secondary will be busy stopping USC’s third-ranked passing attack. Michigan’s defense is ranked No. 12 in intercepted passes, No. 14 in team sacks, and No. 58 in passing yards allowed.
To put it briefly, Michigan has an excellent chance to force a turnover and record a few sacks even though they might give up some yards to Maiava. Not a single quarterback enjoys being struck. In order to keep him in check and help everyone else, we must try to hit him as much as we can,” Esposito stated.
Esposito admits that Michigan will face Maiava as a “big challenge”; we’ll see if they can handle the pressure on Saturday night at the LA Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles.