NFL
By George Lopez
The USC Trojans return from a bye week and return to BIG10 conference play as they travel to Nebraska to take on the Cornhuskers this Saturday. The Trojans come into the contest with a 5-2 overall record (3-1 in conference play) and look to bounce back following their 34-24 defeat to rival Notre Dame. The Cornhuskers will look to make it two straight wins following their 28-21 victory over Northwestern. This game has significant implications in the BIG 10 for both teams as they look to remain within striking distance of the conference leaders.
Quarterback Jayden Maiava has put together a stellar season to date in leading the Trojans’ offense. On the season, Maiava has passed for 2180 yards with 15 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. In the loss to the Irish, Maiava put up respectable numbers with 328 passing yards. He did, however, throw 2 costly interceptions and will look to rebound on that performance as the Trojans were held to under 30 points for the first time this season. This season, Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley has used a balanced offensive attack and got away from it against Notre Dame, with 42 pass attempts compared to 29 rushing attempts. Look for Coach Riley to go back to his balanced offensive attack against the Cornhuskers.
In the game against the Irish, the Trojans played their first full game without their top two running backs in Waymond Jordan and Eli Sanders. The Irish defense was able to limit the Trojans’ running game to only 68 yards on 29 carries. RB King Miller led the way with 70 tough yards on 18 carries. With Jordan and Sanders both out, look for Miller to be the primary back against Nebraska. RB Bryan Jackson is expected to see time in the Trojans’ backfield as well. The offensive line will look to improve on its run blocking against a Cornhuskers defense that has allowed an average of 156 rushing yards per game this season.
In their loss to Notre Dame, the Trojans’ run defense was manhandled, allowing 306 rushing yards on 44 carries. The Trojans’ defensive front was beaten off the ball and pushed back off the line of scrimmage time and time again against the Irish. Nebraska comes into this game averaging 129 rushing yards per game and will look to test the Trojans’ run defense early in the game. Defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn and the Trojans’ defensive staff spent the bye week working on the run defense issues that plagued them against the Irish. The Cornhuskers’ rushing attack is led by RB Emmett Johnson, who has rushed for 837 yards with 9 touchdowns this season. The Trojans can expect Johnson to get a bulk of the carries in the Cornhuskers’ running game. The defensive line will need to get off its blocks to close off the interior running lanes, with the inside linebackers helping to plug up the lanes. The edge defenders will look to take away the outside running options for the Cornhuskers’ backs and force them back to the inside towards the defensive pursuit.
Containing the Cornhuskers’ running game is key in this contest. The Trojans’ defense can’t sleep on Huskers quarterback Dylan Raiola. On the season, Raiola has passed for 1909 yards with 17 touchdowns and 6 interceptions while completing 73% of his passes. The Trojans’ pass rush should be able to put pressure on Raiola, as he has been sacked 26 times this season. Look for Coach Lynn to continue with his 5-man pass rush to bring pressure on Raiola. Look for Nebraska to use quarterback TJ Lateef at some point during the game. On the season, Lateef has completed 11 of 12 pass attempts for 254 yards. Lateef is also a threat to run the ball, rushing for 32 yards on 5 attempts in limited action. Raiola will spread the ball around, having completed passes to 19 different receivers this season. His top target has been Nyziah Hunter, with 33 receptions on the year. WRs Jacory Barney, Jr, and Dane Key will also play a part in the Huskers’ passing attack. The Trojans will also need to be mindful of TE Luke Lindenmeyer, who has 24 receptions on the season. While looking to contain Emmett Johnson in the running game, he is also a threat as a receiver. On the season, Johnson has 31 receptions out of the backfield. The Trojans’ linebackers and defensive backs will need to be mindful of Johnson when he slips out of the backfield on passing plays.
The USC Trojans look to bounce back and get the bitter taste of losing to rival Notre Dame out of their mouth. The defensive line looks to put the embarrassment of allowing over 300 rushing yards behind them and will be playing with a chip on their shoulder. Both teams know and understand the implications this game carries in conference standings. Look for the Trojans to bounce back from their loss to Notre Dame and use a balanced offensive attack to improve to 4-1 in the BIG10 and improve to 6-2 overall.
