USC vs. Nebraska: Keys to victory, HuskerOnline score predictions for Saturday

Nebraska (6-2, 3-2) will host USC (5-2, 3-1) on Saturday in what’s being dubbed a “Black Out” game. NU will wear a black alternate uniform for just the fifth time in school history.

As things get closer to kickoff, here are today’s keys to victory for the Huskers over the Trojans, along with the Week 10 HuskerOnline score predictions.

USC enters the match-up as a 4.5-point favorite over Nebraska. Today’s game is set for a 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff, and the game can be seen on NBC.

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KEYS TO VICTORY: USC vs. Nebraska

KEY 1: USC and slow starts on the road

Since joining the Big Ten, USC has only won one Big Ten road game outside the city of Los Angeles – at Purdue this season. Their other Big Ten road win was at UCLA.

The Trojans have lost at Minnesota, Maryland, Illinois, Michigan, and Washington since joining the Big Ten Conference. Tonight’s game in Lincoln will also be the coldest conditions they have played in since joining the Big Ten, and one of the rare times in recent history they have left the West Coast for a November road game.

NU needs to take advantage of this and hopefully get the Trojans off to a slow start.

KEY 2: Offensive balance

We saw what balance in the offense did in wins at Maryland and against Northwestern. Once again, we need to see the Husker offense lean on Emmett Johnson for 20+ carries and a play ratio that favors the run.

KEY 3: Keep QB Jayden Maiava off-balanced

Nebraska is probably not going to sack USC quarterback Jayden Maiava much in this game, but they need to get him off balance. On the season, Maiava has been sacked just four times. He carries a 54.4 overall grade on PFF, though, when under pressure. Three of his four picks have come under pressure.

KEY 4: Find a few deep balls

Over the last four games, Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola has been only 3-of-11 on passes of 20+ yards down the field. Against Michigan, Raiola completed three passes of 20+ yards in that game alone. Raiola needs to find a few deep balls in this game. The Huskers can’t expect to win this game with a bunch of high-stress third-down conversions and 12 to 14-play drives that require perfect execution.

KEY 5: Make the crowd a factor

USC has already played at Notre Dame, so this won’t be their first challenging road environment they face, but it should be electric. Memorial Stadium needs to perform at a high level, similar to what we saw from Husker fans in Kansas City, which drew four critical false start penalties for Cincinnati on third down.

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Expert takes

Sean Callahan – HuskerOnline Publisher

Even with USC’s struggles on the road in Big Ten play, I still lean towards the Trojans to leave Lincoln with a close win. I question if NU has the pass rush to get to Jayden Maiava enough to disrupt him. I also question if NU can have enough offensive balance to keep the ball out of the Trojans’ hands. This will be arguably the best offense the Huskers face all season.

USC 31, Nebraska 27

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Steven Sipple – HuskerOnline columnist

My biggest concern is USC bullied Michigan in the trenches in a 31-13 win on October 11. That is the Michigan team that bullied Nebraska in September. To take a sizable step forward as a program, Nebraska needs to start winning in November. It’s only 4-19 in the month going back to 2019. Make that 4-20.

USC 34, Nebraska 24

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Robin Washut – HuskerOnline senior writer

Tonight should be a wild scene with how Nebraska has dived headfirst into its “Blackout” theme. Once the ball kicks off, though, it will come down to with Husker team shows up. NU will have every chance to win this if it continues to lean on Emmett Johnson and the running game, wins the turnover battle, and creates a couple of X-factor plays on defense and/or special teams. However, I’m still leery of trusting Nebraska in a game of this magnitude. This is another instance where I need to see it before I can believe it.

USC 31, Nebraska 23

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Andy Kendeigh – KETV ABC-Omaha

Everything is lining up for Nebraska this week.   A night game, a black out, a contract extension, another sell-out and playing a ranked team who looks different on the road.  USC averages 52 points per game at home and just 30 on the road.   USC gives up 19 points a game at home and 28 points a game on the road.  USC gives up 302 yards a game at home and 434 yards per game on the road. Expect some Memorial magic in the cold Saturday night.

Nebraska 31, USC 28

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Jim Rose – 1110 KFAB Radio-Omaha

In the Black Sea, USC will face a powerful nor’easter—then there’s the weather.  Armed with a new contract, the Huskers (oh wait a minute, Matt Rhule got the new contract), never mind.   Troy has a big league offense (best in the B1G) but the ease with which Notre Dame ran through them two weeks ago was alarming.   Will Dana Holgerson remember the Maryland/NW game plan or go back to pitching it all over the place?   If he keeps the ball out of the air, you gotta like Nebraska at home.  Find a way to get a couple of takeaways, and the long, statewide nightmare of losses to ranked teams ends at 9 years.    

Nebraska 28, USC 20

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Mike’l Severe – Big Red Wrap-Up

Since USC joined the Big Ten, they’ve beaten UCLA and Purdue on the road. The difference between the Trojans’ overall home and road performance is quite significant. Jayden Maiava’s passing yards per attempt drop by 3.5 yards on the road, and his touchdown-to-interception ratio decreases from 11-1 at home to 4-3 on the road. USC averages 52 points per game at home and 29.7 on the road, and they allow about 9 more points per game when playing away. Additionally, USC is now down to its third and fourth-string running backs and struggled on the ground in its last game at Notre Dame. I expect the Huskers to force a couple of turnovers, make a big play on special teams, and ultimately win in double overtime with a Kyle Cunanan field goal.

Nebraska 33, USC 30 (Double Overtime)

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HuskerOnline Week 10 Score Predictions

Week 10	Sean Callahan	Steven Sipple	Robin Washut	Andy Kendeigh	Jim Rose	Mike’l Severe
USC at Nebraka (-4.5)	31-27 USC	34-24 USC	31-23 USC	31-28 Nebraska	28-20 Nebraska	33-30 Nebraska
Penn State at Ohio State (-19.5)	34-10 Ohio State	42-10 Ohio State	34-10 Ohio State	31-10 Ohio State	35-17 Ohio State	34-14 Ohio State
Michigan State at Minnesota (-3.5)	27-20 Minnesota	27-21 Minnesota	28-24 Minnesota	20-13 Minnesota	20-14 Minnesota	23-17 Minnesota
Vanderbilt at Texas (-2.5)	24-23 Vanderbilt	28-21 Vanderbilt	30-27 Vanderbilt	34-31 Vanderbilt	27-21 Texas	24-23 Vanderbilt
Oklahoma at Tennessee (-2.5)	38-34 Tennessee	34-21 Tennessee	42-35 Tennessee	34-30 Tennessee	35-31 Tennessee	37-34 Oklahoma
Cincinnati at Utah (-10)	27-23 Utah	31-17 Cincinnati	30-21 Utah	24-21 Utah	28-24 Cincinnati	34-20 Utah

Overall standings

Picker	Straight Up	Vs. Spread	Cumulative
Robin Washut	41-13	32-22	73
Sean Callahan	36-18	26-28	62
Jim Rose	33-21	29-25	62
Steven Sipple	35-19	26-28	61
Mike’l Severe	32-22	28-26	60
Andy Kendeigh	33-21	26-28	59

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Sean Callahan can be reached at [email protected] and is heard daily at 6:45 am and 5:05 pm on Big Red Radio 1110 KFAB in Omaha during the football season. He can also be seen on KETV Channel 7 in Omaha during the fall, and each week, he appears on Nebraska Public Media’s Big Red Wrap-Up Tuesdays at 7 pm.

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