When it was announced that Nebraska and USC were going to face off in week 11 of the college football season, it was seen by many as a game that could “potentially” have college football implications on it.
Fast forward to present day, and both the Huskers and Trojans are now fighting to just make it to a bowl game.
It clearly hasn’t been the season that any of these respected fan bases have hoped for, but next Saturdays matchup between the Huskers and Trojans in Southern California, is a key game for both sides if any team wants to reach the six win mark.
We already know about Nebraska. Preseason hype, a top 25 ranking after just two games and a disappointing home loss to UCLA as a touchdown favorite to push the Huskers record to 5-4, can basically sum up the first nine games for the Huskers.
The Trojans on the other hand provide a far different narrative.
Entering the season ranked 23rd in the country, the Trojans would upset 13th ranked LSU in their season opener 27-20 behind a mastermind performance from quarterback Miller Moss, who threw for 378 yards and a touchdown.
Despite an early season loss to the Michigan Wolverines, the Trojans would bounce back and defeat the Wisconsin Badgers 38-21 a week later to push their record to 3-1, and would enter Minnesota the next week with the #11 ranking next to their name.
Fast Forward a month later, and the Trojans would go on to loss four out of their next five games, with three coming against unranked opponents, and are now sitting with a 4-5 record.
And quarterback Miller Moss? It was announced on Tuesday that Moss would be getting benched in favor of UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava.
What to Expect on Offense:
USC head coach Lincoln Riley is in a really tough spot at USC, which is why I feel like he made the switch to Maiava.
Maiava has the potential to do big things with this Trojans offense. He transferred in from UNLV after an impressive freshman campaign where he totaled over 3,000 passing yards and 20 total touchdowns.
Maiava will have big time weapons to throw to in this offense. Wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane has been making big catches ever since the season opener, and sophomore receiver Zachariah Branch is the type of player that can take a simple screen pass and turn it into a touchdown.
The Trojans may only rank 79th in the country in rushing, but senior running back Woody Marks makes up for a big part of that, as Marks has ran for 878 yards and nine touchdowns.
The Trojans will bring in a solid offensive line as well, tied for 7th in the country in sacks allowed with only 10 this season.
Offense has really never been the problem for the Trojans, USC head coach Lincoln Riley has one of the biggest track records of developing quarterbacks and producing high scoring offenses, so it should be interesting to see how Nebraska defensive coordinator Tony White counters the attack from Riley and the Trojans.
Key Players:
WR Makai Lemon: 33 rec 448 yards 3 TD
WR Ja’Kobi Lane: 32 rec 368 yards 5 TD
WR Zachariah Branch: 35 rec 404 yards
What to Expect on Defense:
For Lincoln Riley, defense has always been his biggest struggle, even going back to his days as Oklahoma’s head coach, and this year really isn’t any different.
The Trojans rank 73rd in the country in total defense, 50th in rushing defense and 98th in passing yards allowed.
Lead by defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn loves to blitz, and will often send more than four rushers many times throughout the game, but they often struggle to actually bring the quarterback down, ranking 112th in total sacks.
Outside of Utah State in week two, there hasn’t been an offense that has struggled to gain yards on the Trojans, but as we know, it has been a terrible struggle for the Huskers to gain yards and score points on offense.
Linebacker Mason Cobb will be a key contributor in this game if the Huskers are able to establish a run game, and he has the ability to drop back into coverage as well.
Key Players:
LB Easton Mascarenas-Arnold: 73 TOT 2 sacks 2 INT
LB Mason Cobb: 52 TOT 2 INT
S Kamari Ramsey: 37 TOT 2 sacks 2 FF
