For the first time since 2016, the Nebraska Cornhuskers have clinched bowl eligibility in the month of October and now have a golden opportunity this Saturday night against #23 USC to get themselves back in the College Football Playoff conversation.
The Huskers got a much needed victory last Saturday against the Northwestern Wildcats, winning 28-21 behind a solid performance from junior running back Emmett Johnson.
Johnson ran for 124 yards and two touchdowns, marking the fourth time that Johnson has ran for over 100 yards in a game this season and increased his season rushing total to 839 yards, which ranks fifth in the country.
Defensively, John Butler’s defense stepped up in a big way, the Huskers looked more physical and mentally focused than they did at any point during their loss to Minnesota and that is a good sign for a defensive coordinator, especially when you have to go toe to toe with a play caller like USCs Lincoln Riley.
Riley is in his fourth season at USC and has the Trojans sitting with a 5-2 record and will be fresh off a bye week after a tough road loss to #13 Notre Dame, but playing on the road has not treated the Trojans nicely since becoming a member of the Big Ten back in 2024.
Riley has a record of 2-6 in road games as a member of the Big Ten and is 1-2 on the road this season, but with an offense that is explosive as the Trojans are, you might as well throw the road record out of the equation.
Behind the scary duo of quarterback Jayden Maiava and wide receiver Makai Lemon, the Trojans offense ranks fifth in the country in scoring, averaging 42.4 points per game.
Maiava’s 2,180 passing yards ranks 10th in the country and Lemon’s 758 receiving yards rank fifth in the country.
This game is huge for the Huskers program, with many highly recruited prospects scheduled to be in attendance, with a list of close to 60 visitors, many of them being five and four star recruits.
Key #1: The Blackshirt Secondary:
The Huskers secondary has played outstanding this season, ranking second in the country in passing defense, allowing 127.5 passing yards per game, but they have not seen an offense with as much explosiveness as this USC team has.
Maiava has attempted 30 or more passes in each of his last three games this season and only one quarterback has attempted 30 or more passes against the Huskers this season, that was Maryland’s Malik Washington and he finished the day with 247 passing yards, the most given up by the blackshirts all season.
You want to be optimistic, but I have a hard time believing that the Huskers will succeed defensively if they lean towards man to man coverage.
Expect defensive coordinator John Butler, a former NFL defensive backs coach to try and throw Maiava off his rhythm with a mix of different zone coverages, this defense is very versatile and that could lean in the Huskers favor.
Key #2: Win the Time of Possession:
The best way to keep any offense off the field is to win the possession battle and with temperatures projected to be in the low 40s, the Huskers main focus should be to run the ball with Emmett Johnson and keep the ball out of the Trojans hands.
Matt Rhule’s identity is physicality and if the Huskers want to have any chance in this game, this offensive line will have to establish their presence and pave the way for long, 8-10 play drives that eat at the clock.
If the Huskers struggle and find themselves going three and out often, this defense will run out of gas and energy.
Key #3: Special Teams:
One of the worst units for the Huskers in years past is all of a sudden, without a doubt, the best unit on this Husker team this season and all credit is due to special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler and his ability to fix the Huskers special teams issues in just one offseason.
To begin the second half last week against Northwestern, sophomore kick returner Kenneth Williams returned the opening kick 95 yards for a touchdown, the first kickoff return for Nebraska since 2017.
The saying is, special teams wins games and if you are comparing the Huskers and Trojans special teams units, the edge belongs to Ekeler and the Huskers.
Prediction:
The Huskers are calling for fans to “blackout” Memorial Stadium this Saturday night and will be wearing their new all black alternate uniforms and although fancy uniforms don’t win football games, it most certainly will give the crowd a major boost.
This game will shape the narrative of either Lincoln Riley or Matt Rhule, we all know Rhule’s record against top 25 opponents and Riley is notoriously known for losing big games.
I would love to think that Nebraska will win this game, it would be the win that this program needs badly, they will have their opportunities, but in the end I think the Trojans are too athletic on both sides of the ball for the Huskers to keep up with them in the end.
Nebraska: 21 USC: 30