Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule was sitting on the couch after a 28-21 win against Northwestern last Saturday when his 10-year-old daughter approached him, excitedly asking:
“Did you hear the chant?”
She was referring to the crowd yelling in unison at the referees – something that Rhule says he doesn’t necessarily condone – but it made the coach realize what the Cornhusker crowd could be capable of.
“That was an unbelievable game-day environment,” Rule told reporters in a press conference this week. “A lot of teams are going to try to come in and clap. But our crowd can be so loud that they can deafen the clap if they want to.”
Although Nebraska is known for being “Nebraska nice,” the football program and its fans are making the effort to create an overwhelming playing environment. It’s the perfect scenario for No. 23 USC to prove it can win on the road.
USC dealt with a three-hour lightning delay in Purdue and went on to beat the Boilermakers 33-17 in a Big Ten opener. At Illinois, the Illini had a full stadium for its homecoming game. And then, at Notre Dame, rain fell on the Trojans as they dealt with a stadium packed with 77,622 rowdy fans.
Illinois and Notre Dame both sent USC packing with a loss. Nebraska, which hasn’t beaten a ranked team since 2016, wants to do the same.
The sold-out game will start at 6:30 p.m. local time and will be a blackout game in temperatures that could dip into the low 30s. Fans are asked to wear only black and players will wear their all-black uniforms. Even the traditional red “N” logo has been blacked out in every instance on the Cornhuskers’ schedule.
“This is the world of recruiting,” Rhule said. “Kids love this. When people come in, they ask if they can try this (all black uniform) on. I mean, even in our official visit pictures, we only let the committed guys wear the black jerseys.”
USC head coach Lincoln Riley told reporters that he’s confident in his team’s energy and that he sees the Trojans eventually becoming road warriors if they stick to the process. He cited his 22-game road game win streak at Oklahoma as proof.
It’s routine, he said, that lets him know his team is emotionally ready.
“We’re so routine-based,” Riley told reporters on a Thursday Zoom call. “You see the same routine over and over, and so it’s easy to pick up on, all right, if this isn’t new or that’s not new, how are they responding? What’s their energy level like? Their focus level? How do they prepare?
“This group has really been very, very engaged and very ready to play.”
When Nebraska has the ball
The Cornhuskers’ offense runs through Emmett Johnson, whose hard-running style has caught the attention of USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn. Johnson is second in the Big Ten with 837 rushing yards and averages 5.7 yards per carry.
Riley has coached against Nebraska offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen – who has been a head coach at Houston and West Virginia and an offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State and Texas Tech – on multiple occasions. Holgorsen has worked to develop quarterback Dylan Raiola over the past two seasons and help him become patient with his throws.
“We got a chance to play them last year, and it was the offensive coordinator’s first game, so we really didn’t know what to expect,” Lynn told reporters. “Now that you have more games to watch, you see his influence on the offense, and then you see the quarterback just kind of really just growing in that system.”
Nebraska’s offensive line isn’t at full strength. Left guard Rocco Spindler had a broken finger surgically repaired two weeks ago, while right tackle Teddy Prochazka will miss the rest of the year due to injury and right guard Gunnar Gottula is listed as questionable.
USC’s run defense had its worst performance of the season in the Trojans’ last game at Notre Dame and has returned to the fundamentals time and time again in hopes that issues with gap integrity and tackling will be resolved.
When USC has the ball
The Trojans have the superior quarterback in this matchup in Jayden Maiava, who is leading the conference with 311.4 passing yards per game and 10.2 yards per attempt. In the cold weather, however, Maiava might be forced to run for yardage.
King Miller will receive the majority of the carries with the one-two punch of Waymond Jordan and Eli Sanders out with injury for the remainder of the season. Backup quarterback Husan Longstreet is occasionally brought in for run plays, and it’ll be interesting to see how he’s used in Nebraska.
Tight ends Walker Lyons and Lake McRee are also reliable for short gains. And if the Trojans want to go for any chunk plays, Makai Lemon remains the second-leading receiver in the nation with 108.3 receiving yards per game. Ja’Kobi Lane also adds length on the outside and is collecting 70.7 yards a game.
Former Trojan Ceyair Wright will likely be patrolling the duo. He leads the Cornhuskers’ defense with five pass breakups and has 14 total tackles (six solo). The Nebraska defense is holding teams to an average of 127.5 yards through the air.
“They do a good job of mixing up coverages,” Riley said, “giving offenses a lot of different looks. Making competitive plays down the field when they do get aggressive, but they also are really disciplined in their zones as well.”
No. 23 USC (5-2 overall, 3-1 Big Ten) at Nebraska (6-2, 3-2)
When: 4:30 p.m. PT Saturday
Where: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska
TV/Radio: NBC (Ch. 4)/ESPN LA 710