The Huskers offense looked like Holgerson lite this afternoon in Southern California. Having half the potency and no known branding yet. With only one and a half weeks to get this Nebraska offense used to his play calling seemed to be enough to get the offense to a serviceable level, but not enough time to incorporate his own brand of offense. Husker fans saw flashes of Holgerson’s style of offense but just not enough to give the Huskers the edge as the clock hit zero.
Raiola went 27 of 38 for 191 passing yards finding 10 different receivers on those 27 receptions. Banks led the team in receiving with 55 yards but the biggest surprise was Janiran Bonner and his larger role this week. Targeted 3 times for 21 yards, Bonner landed just behind Emmett Johnson with 7 receptions for 36 yards. We expected to see a Johnson play a larger role in this new look offense with backfield receptions, but that Johnson was expected to be Rhamir.
Emmett also played a much bigger role in the run game. With a great balance of Emmett and Dowdell, both backs combined for 97 yards rushing. Emmett gaining 55 yards on 10 carries and Dowdell 52 yards on 8 carries. The rushing game looked promising as the game progressed, but as USC scored late it made the Huskers deviate from the ground game and look through the air. Raiola looked comfortable with the quick passes today. Giving him less options and stressing the first 2 reads seemed to improved the true freshmans confidence.
The Huskers defense could not stop USC on the ground today, giving up 146 yards on 19 carries to Trojan running back Woody Marks making him only the second runningback since Rhule arrived at Nebraska to rush for over 100 yards in a game. Establishing the run game early, USC played a very complimentary game. USC quarterback Maiava started his first game for the Trojans today and thew for 259 yards on 25 completions.
Even though the Husker defense was not a strong point today, former Trojan Ceyair Wright had himself a fantastic game with 1 interception for a touchdown, 1 blocked field goal and 4 solo tackles in his return to Los Angeles. Wright has had a very impressive season this year noticeably came into this game with something to prove. Even with a standout game from Wright and a slightly improved offense the Huskers fell once again in one score fashion. With two games left this year, Husker fans will be able to see if Holgerson is the fit we all expect. A bowl game is still on the line with Wisconsin at home and Iowa on the road coming up to close out the season.
