Skip to main content
Nebraska

Instant Takes: No. 23 USC 21, Nebraska 17

Abby Barmore HuskerOnlineby: Abby Barmore20 hours agoabby_barmore
Nebraska Isaiah Mozee
Nebraska Isaiah Mozee (© Dylan Widger-Imagn Images)

Nebraska (6-3, 3-3) fell short to No. 23 USC (6-2, 4-1) 21-17 during a Black Out game at Memorial Stadium under the Saturday Night Lights on NBC.

Husker quarterback Dylan Raiola suffered an injury in the third quarter and did not return. His absense changed the game.

Here are three instant takes from a tough loss that could be so much bigger depending on Raiola’s health.

Sign up to get your first week of HuskerOnline for $1!

Huskers suffer costly injuries

Nebraska fans’ hearts’ stopped as Raiola lay midfield after getting folded in the third quarter. Raiola was sacked from behind and bent backward awkwardly. Anthony Lucas forced a fumble and Kameryn Crawford recovered the ball.

But Nebraska’s biggest loss was Raiola. The sophomore was helped off the field putting little weight on his left leg. He tried desperately to get ready on the sideline but was still walking tenderly on his left leg. Raiola went 10-of-15 for 91 passing yards before his injury.

On the next offensive play with true freshman TJ Lateef at QB, left tackle Elijah Pritchett went down. He was helped off the field with an apparent knee injury. Turner Corcoran played left tackle and Tyler Knaak moved to right tackle.

Lateef went 5-of-7 for seven passing yards and added 18 yards on the ground with six carries.

As much as Raiola wanted to return to the game, he didn’t. If the QB is out for a period of time, Nebraska’s offense could take a major hit.

USC’s No. 1 offense vs. the Blackshirts

Nebraska’s defense gave their team a shot to win. The Huskers held USC to 21 points, its fewest of the season. NU forced two field goals in the first half.

The Trojans’ offense started out slow with back-to-back three-and-outs. But they started clicked in the third drive of the game. USC recorded three straight plays of 10 yards or more. They scored back-to-back field goals to make it a 7-6 game.

USC averaged 530 yards per game ahead of Saturday’s game, which is the best in the country. They posted 337 yards against Nebraska with 202 rushing yards. King Miller ran for 129 yards on 18 carries. Quarterback Jayden Maiava added 62 yards on the ground and 135 through the air, going 9-of-23.

The Trojans had 13 plays of 10 or more yards. They went 3-of-3 in the red zone. USC scored back-to-back touchdowns to end the third quarter and start the fourth. They took a 21-17 lead and NU couldn’t respond on offense.

Javin Wright led Nebraska with 11 tackles, one sack and one pass breakup. Rex Guthrie recorded eight tackles. Vincent Shavers Jr. posted six tackles and one sack.

Unfortunately, the Husker offense could not keep up. Lateef was not equipt to lead the offense on a game-winning drive.

Despite loss, Black Out was a success

Nebraska went all-in on a Black Out and it was fantastic. The Sea of the Red was painted black. Husker fans bought in, covering the stadium in black. The end zones and ‘N’ were painted black instead of their trademark red.

The drone and fire show after the third quarter with the game tied at 14-14 was electric. Hats off to Nebraska’s marketing crew for putting together a spectical on the big stage of NBC.

While the Black Out was well executed, the team suffered too many set backs to overcome. The loss of Raiola in the third quarter put the Huskers in a hole they couldn’t dig out of.

Emmett Johnson had 165 yards on 29 carries and one touchdown to try to power Nebraska to a ranked victory. But he needed more help.

Black Outs aren’t nearly as impactful when the home team stumbles.

Never miss breaking news or another HuskerOnline article again. Click HERE to sign up for HuskerOnline’s Daily and Breaking News Newsletters.

You may also like