5 predictions for Nebraska football against USC

Fresh off a bye week, Nebraska football is making the long trip to California with a new offensive coordinator.

If you had told me following the UCLA loss that the Huskers would have hired Dana Holgorsen to be the play-caller, I wouldn’t have believed it. 

But Matt Rhule, like much of the fanbase, saw that Nebraska football couldn’t continue along the same course. The season was going down the tubes and it was only a matter of time before other teams started calling Dylan Raiola — they probably have already.

Win one of the last three games and get better play from the offense and suddenly, the outlook feels much better. I’d love to see Nebraska win on Saturday and it’s possible. The spread is down to 7.5 points so here are five predictions plus a final score.

Dana Holgorsen sparks the offense

Rhule acknowledged that this is an unusual move (OC) but he also said it makes sense. Marcus Satterfield wasn’t getting it done. He’s coaching tight ends now.

The main reason for hiring Holgorsen was Dylan Raiola. It will be up to him to get the most out of the five-star quarterback but if he does, and the offense takes off this season and next, Holgorsen would be a hot name again in college football.

That means he should be very motivated which bodes well for Nebraska and on Saturday, I think he’ll make an immediate impact as the offense scores at least 20 points.

Dylan Raiola throws multiple touchdowns

Count this as a bold prediction. It’s related to the first in the sense that I do think Holgorsen will find ways to make the offense more effective and more efficient. I also don’t think the USC defense is very good.

The Trojans have improved from last season but they still allow 370 yards per game and 237 through the air. Nebraska has struggled to throw touchdown passes and after going four games without multiple TD passes, Raiola will end that drought on Saturday.

Jayden Maiava hurts the Huskers by running

A huge X-factor in this game is Jayden Maiava. The former UNLV starter is taking over for Miller Moss which is a little crazy considering Moss has 18 touchdown passes and nine interceptions.

The Trojans average 270 passing yards per game. Maiava is plenty experienced and he rushed for over 200 yards last season as the UNLV quarterback.

Lincoln Riley does love to throw the ball, but he’ll run it too, and run it with the quarterback. I’m guessing that’s part of the reason for playing Maiava against Nebraska, that will likely pay off as the Huskers have struggled to contain quarterbacks who can run.

USC rushes for more yards

Jo’quavious Marks has been dynamic for the Trojans all season long. As a team, USC averages 5.4 per rushing attempt. Marks is at 5.7 and has had over 100 yards in three of his last five games.

I don’t think that he’ll get 100 yards against Nebraska football. However, it’s hard to see the Huskers stonewalling him. The speed of USC is a real thing and Marks is part of that.

It’s going to be a challenge and when you add in the running QB element, I see USC having more rushing yards than Nebraska. Holgorsen should help the running game but Nebraska has struggled to find consistency with it.

USC doens’t have a great run defense, so I could see Nebraska getting over 100 yards but with the QB and the dynamic running back, the Trojans will get a little more.

Huskers will cover the spread

The best-case scenario for Nebraska is to come out and play the way they did against Ohio State. The defensive line needs to be dominant and the Huskers have to control the line of scrimmage.

Nebraska needs to get 3-4 sacks and the pass rush has to be relentless. We’ll get some of that energy from Nebraska but remember, USC is desperate too at 4-5. They also have plenty of talent and while it will be a great game — one that’s exciting both sides — USC will do enough to cover and win outright.

Final score: USC 27, Nebraska 23 

For More Nebraska content, follow us on Twitter, like our Facebook Page, and Subscribe to the Husker Big Red YouTube Channel. You can also find our podcast on Apple or Spotify.