The Huskers have three chances left to salvage the season from yet another bowl-less winter, and the first opportunity to make that happen will come against the USC Trojans.
Earlier this week, in an unprecedented move, Head Coach Matt Rhule announced that Dana Holgorsen will take over the play calling role in lieu of Marcus Satterfield. While Satterfield will no longer be the one calling the shots, he will remain on staff as the Tight Ends Coach.
It’s not just Nebraska who has recently been in the spotlight of the national media. Earlier this week USC was fined $50,000 by the NCAA for coaching violations that took place from 2022-’23. The Trojans were exposed to have exceeded the number of allowed coaches in that time. USC Head Coach Lincoln Riley, who has already found himself on the hot seat, downplayed the significance of the situation. “If it’s something really big, they’re going to suspend the head coach, so I think that kind of says what it is.”
The infraction isn’t completely egregious considering there is now no limit to how many coaches are allowed on each team, but any more negative news certainly does not bode well for a struggling 4-5 football team who at one point in the season were ranked as high as #9 in the country.
Can Nebraska head out to Southern California and cash in while the Trojans are down?
When Matt Rhule announced Dana Holgorsen would be joining the program as an Offensive Consultant, the capacity at which he would be involved was unclear. That changed earlier this week when Rhule made it known that Holgorsen would in fact be in charge of the offense for the remainder of the season. Before this change, the air around the program was devoid of any sort of optimism heading into the last three games, but there is now new found hope. Holgorsen’s resume speaks for itself. If there’s any chance the Huskers can finish out this season strong, Holgorsen will undoubtedly have to provide a new spark to the offense.
There is expected to be close to 20,000 Nebraska fans making the trip down to Los Angeles to support the Huskers, and this game now has more implications than just a bowl game. If the offense shows signs of being revived and there are obvious improvements, the narrative of the future could shift drastically. Going down to the Coliseum and securing a win would be a major step in the right direction for not just this season but the program as a whole.
Score Prediction: 38-31, Nebraska wins and Holgorsen earns his stripes.
