USCFootball.com - Game 2: Return of the Huskers

September 14, 2006

Tom Haire
USCFootball.com Columnist

The Trojans kick off their 2006 home schedule with Nebraska's first visit in 36 years.

The USC Trojans (1-0), ranked No. 4 in the AP poll and No. 2 in the USA Today coaches' poll, open their home schedule this Saturday, Sept. 16, against the consensus No. 19 Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-0) at 5 p.m. (PDT) in the sold-out Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and in front of a national ABC television audience. It is just the third meeting between these two major football traditions, with USC holding a 1-0-1 edge over the Huskers, beating Nebraska, 31-21 in Lincoln in 1969 before the teams played to a 21-all deadlock in Los Angeles in 1970. The Trojans are 27-9-2 against Big XII opponents, while Nebraska is 33-18-3 against Pac-10 teams. USC is 86-18-7 in home openers.

The Trojans enjoyed a bye last Saturday after a season-opening 50-14 demolition at Arkansas. The USC offense was very conservative until a John David Booty touchdown pass to Patrick Turner gave USC a 23-7 third-quarter lead. It was as if that play loosened the reins a bit on the attack, and the Trojans rolled from there. Nebraska, meanwhile, has powered through a pair of home games, defeating Louisiana Tech, 49-10, on Sept. 2 and Nicholls State, 56-7, last Saturday.

Trojan Coach Pete Carroll is in his sixth season at USC (55-10) and seeks to extend a 27-game home winning streak that has spanned four consecutive Pac-10 championships, three BCS bowl wins (2003 and 2005 Orange Bowls, 2004 Rose Bowl) and notched the school's 10th and 11th national championships. Meanwhile, Nebraska headman Bill Callahan (15-10) is in his third year of restructuring the Nebraska program after serving as an NFL coordinator and head coach with the Oakland Raiders. After a difficult transition in his first season, as Callahan completely changed the Nebraska offense from a pure rushing attack to a more balanced West Coast hybrid attack, the Huskers returned to the bowl scene in 2005, upsetting Michigan in the Alamo Bowl.

For the fourth consecutive season, the Trojans return home following a lengthy road trip to open the season. For the first time in that span, however, USC faces a nationally ranked foe that is trying to continue the revitalization of its traditionally powerful program. Nebraska is college football's winningest program since 1970, and though it has suffered some setbacks in recent years, the Huskers and their football-mad fan base will present a decent-sized challenge for the Trojans.

Nebraska Offense
Senior quarterback Zac Taylor is the unquestioned leader of offensive coordinator Jay Norvell's attack. The transition from to Callahan and Norvell's pro-style offense has not been without some severe growing pains, but Taylor's maturation has mirrored the improving fortunes of the Huskers over the program's past half-dozen games. In its first two outings of 2006, the Nebraska attack has averaged more than 540 total yards and 52 points, while showing off a balanced attack ? 284 passing yards and 256 rushing yards per contest. Taylor has been especially good, completing nearly 73 percent of his passes thus far and tossing seven touchdowns compared to just one interception. USCFootball.com X&O guru Ted Venegas notes, "He has decent arm strength and limited mobility, but his accuracy has improved with experience ? he hasn't faced much pressure yet [in 2006]."

The Cornhuskers rushing attack has been revitalized by a deep group of underclassmen. Sophomore Marlon Lucky, a native Southern Californian, has broken out this year, averaging nearly six yards per carry, and also showing off improved receiving skills. Bruising sophomore Cody Glenn provides bulk and has already reached the end zone three times in 2006. Ted says, "Lucky has emerged, and Glenn gives the team a change of pace with his size. If given the holes, these guys will make plays."

The Nebraska receivers may be the best group ever in the school's history. Of course, with NU's tradition of running the football, Lincoln has never been a hotbed of receiving prospects. The depth here is good, but the lack of any real downfield threats can hamper Nebraska's attack against better defenses. Sophomore Nate Swift and junior Terrence Nunn are the starters, while juniors Maurice Purify and Frantz Hardy and sophomore Todd Peterson will also play. This group has some size but not a ton of speed, with Hardy showing the greatest burst.

However, as Ted contends, one of the Nebraska offense's biggest question marks is "speed on the outside ? they don't have any. As a result, they use a lot of sets with multiple tight ends and H-backs ? they throw the ball a lot to tight ends and backs, and they will use the screen game." Senior tight end Matt Herian is a good one, though he's slowed down a bit since returning from a devastating broken leg that cost him the 2005 season.

The other big question mark is along Nebraska's offensive front. For decades, the Huskers' biggest strength, the offensive line really struggled in 2005 and though they've looked better this season, Nebraska's opponents to date haven't provided much of a test. Sophomore RT Matt Slauson leads the group, but the possible loss of senior center Kurt Mann, who may not be available Saturday, would be a blow. The Huskers' depth across the line is nowhere near what it used to be. Ted notes, "They look to be better at run blocking this year, but who knows against their competition. One thing to notice is that they do a lot less zone blocking than most USC opponents. You see a lot of pulling and trapping from them."

Nebraska Defense
Defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove loves to pressure the quarterback, and with a strong front four, Nebraska would seem primed to let fly with a blitzing attack that could take some chances. However, an injury decimated secondary and a veteran but not overly athletic group of linebackers could limit his options in this game. Ted says, "Cosgrove has been handcuffed by the injuries in the secondary. As a result, Nebraska's corners and safeties have played away from the line a lot [in the first two games] to prevent the big play, and that hurts your run defense. So does putting a linebacker on the slot guy."

Up front senior defensive end Adam Carriker plays the strong side and is an All-American candidate. A 6'6", 295-pound specimen, his size will provide USC's tackles with quite a challenge. At the other end, senior Jay Moore is stronger against the run, while sophomore Barry Turner is a speed pass rusher. JC transfers Barry Cryer and Ola Dagunduro man the starting tackle spots, but the Huskers will rotate with sophomores Ty Steinkuhler and Ndamukong Suh. Ted says, "This team is very physical and aggressive in the front. I think they can be exploited though. They've been merely decent against the run in the first two games."

Nebraska's linebackers are led by middleman Corey McKeon, a junior who led the group in tackles a year ago. Meanwhile, senior Stewart Bradley is back at the strong side after missing 2005 with an ACL injury. Overall, this group is smart and will rarely be out of position, but its athleticism is a question mark ? especially against an attack as diverse and fast as USC's.

In the secondary, the loss of starter Zackary Bowman (a projected NFL corner) and reserve Isaiah Fluellen to injury has really hurt the cornerback corps. Undersized Cortney Grixby is a good athlete, but faces a real challenge against USC's sizeable receiving group. JC transfer Andre Jones is in only his third game as a D-IA starter ? though his mouth apparently has plenty of veteran experience. Nebraska also features a pair of new starters at safety in junior Tierre Green and senior Andrew Shanle. Ted notes, "Injuries here have really hurt them, and they don't have the kind of depth needed to overcome them. In the first game, they spent a ton of time in a base, cover-2 defense. Their corners gave a lot of cushion, and when Louisiana Tech went three-wide, a linebacker covered the slot guy ? which mirrors what Arkansas did against USC."

Nebraska Special Teams
Sophomore placekicker Jordan Congdon is a future Big XII all-star. He's accurate but doesn't have the strongest leg at this point. He also handles kickoffs. New punter Dan Titchener, a sophomore, has kicked well in Nebraska's first two games. However, the Huskers' coverage teams on both kickoffs and punts have had their share of struggles. Running back Wilson and safety Green handle kickoff returns, though Lucky could get a shot in his hometown. Nunn and Grixby handle punt returns.

USC Offensive Gameplan
After a stellar opening effort, what should USC fans expect in the second game of the Booty era? Ted says, "I think Nebraska will stick with the cover-2, big cushion strategy, and that won't fly against the Trojans. After watching the first game, Trojan opponents would probably choose to gamble a little more on defense ? because 'SC ran the ball so well, because the receivers had a tough time getting off the ball, and because the Trojans really didn't try to stretch the field at all. The Huskers don't have the luxury of trying that because they fear getting beat by the bomb and inexperienced defenders."

Look for Booty to attack the Husker secondary and linebacker corps. Though USC must be concerned with the Husker front four ? especially the pass rush from the end spots ? Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian have to be drooling over the Huskers lack of athleticism at linebacker and depth issues in the secondary. Dwayne Jarrett, Steve Smith and Turner should be able to have a field day between the hashmarks, and look for Fred Davis to again play a big role.

On top of that, USC's rushing attack should again be featured, especially if Nebraska stays more conservative than they'd like. With more open space in the middle out of three-receiver sets, USC's runners should find some room. While injury may limit Chauncey Washington's availability, expect to see all of the Trojans' backs involved early and often, including freshman Stafon Johnson, who didn't play in the opener. However, freshmen C.J. Gable and Emmanuel Moody should see the majority of the carries.

USC Defensive Gameplan
Defensively, USC's biggest concern heading into this game has to be the knee injuries to safety Josh Pinkard (out for the season) and nose tackle Sedrick Ellis (out at least three weeks). These are two major losses at incredibly key spots in any Carroll-designed defense. Coordinator Nick Holt has his hands full in finding replacements, and coming up for a game plan against Nebraska's newly varied attack. Much like on defense, however, Nebraska's lack of outside speed on offense will hamper them against the USC defense. Ted contends, "The Huskers run a lot of tight formations, meaning they don't have a lot of guys wide. That invites defenders into the middle of the field, and makes it harder to run the ball. Pulling and trapping can also be a problem against a team that is fast defensively."

Expect true freshman Taylor Mays to start in Pinkard's place at free safety. If starting strong safety Kevin Ellison, who has been hampered by nagging knee pain in practice this week, can't go the whole game, another true freshman, Antwine Perez, will get the first crack at replacing him. Chris Barrett and Fili Moala will start at the tackle spots with Ellis down, and freshmen Averell Spicer and Alex Parsons may also see their first meaningful opportunities.

With USC's strength at linebacker (Rey Maualuga will start in the middle with Oscar Lua out), Ted says, "I think the Trojans are going to make it difficult to run the ball, and I don't think Nebraska has the speed outside to back 'SC off. Look for a lot more blitzing from USC this week against a more conventional offense than you saw in Fayetteville."

The Pick
Even with USC's injuries in the past couple weeks on defense, I don't see how Nebraska's still growing attack will provide too stern of a test for the Trojan defense. And really, that's the only thing that could keep this game in Nebraska's sights past the third quarter ? if the Huskers are able to score along with the Trojans.

USC will take advantage of Nebraska's speed and athleticism deficiencies ? as well as its decimated secondary ? to put up plenty of points early. I don't see Booty having to wait two-and-a-half quarters before the coaches allow him to really open things up.

Defensively, USC's speedy linebackers should make life for the Nebraska rushing attack difficult as long as the Trojans' new tackles play a decent game against Nebraska's questionable front five. Lucky presents the biggest threat in the Huskers' rushing attack, but USC's speed in the front seven will be like nothing he or the NU coaches have seen in 2006. And though Taylor is a huge step up in competition from the Arkansas quarterbacks, he will have to play at his very best in this one.

Nebraska could get a couple big plays if the Trojans suffer from broken coverages due to youth in the secondary. It looks like Cary Harris will start in place of Kevin Thomas at one corner due to Thomas' high ankle sprain. That's a lot of youth and inexperience in the USC secondary, and Taylor could find some daylight from time to time. But his receivers don't have the ability to make USC pay too very often.

"Unless Nebraska can overpower USC's front seven with the running game, and unless they choose to play closer to the ball on defense, this is going to be a beatdown. USC has played well against conventional running games, and the Trojans will run the ball and dink-and-dunk the Huskers to death," Ted says.

Tom's Pick: USC 42, Nebraska 17
Ted's Pick: USC 49, Nebraska 13

Tom Haire (Tom4SC) has been writing for USCFootball.com for five years. He is the editor of a monthly trade magazine in the television industry. He grew up watching USC dominate the Pac-10 and the Rose Bowl and ended up a Trojan journalism school alum ('94). He's traveled from Honolulu to Palo Alto to South Bend to New York to Miami to watch college football, and has also covered the Pac-10 for both PigskinPost.com and CollegeFootballNews.com. He can be reached at Thomas.haire@alumni.usc.edu.

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