September 14, 2007

Olin Buchanan
Rivals.com College Football

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Top-ranked USC travels about 1,500 miles to face No. 14 Nebraska, but Saturday's game likely will reveal just how far the Huskers have come.

A decade ago, the Huskers were riding the crest of three national championships in four seasons. But in the past five years, they've been trying to regain their stature among the nation's elite. This week's game represents a chance for the Huskers to prove they belong again.

Or does it? Perhaps repeating coaches' rhetoric, some Huskers maintain they're approaching USC the same as any other opponent.

"It's just another team and another game that we have to go up and play against - another challenge," defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh said. "It can be seen in some people's eyes as a bigger challenge because of their ranking, but to us it's another game and another chance for us to go out there and show what we can do."

A year ago, the Huskers didn't do much in a 28-10 loss to the Trojans in Los Angeles. While USC was rolling up 399 yards in total offense and quarterback John David Booty was throwing three touchdown passes, the Huskers managed just 211 yards.

This time, Nebraska has quarterback Sam Keller, who previously had a measure of success against the Trojans. Two years ago as a starter for Arizona State, Keller passed for 347 yards and two touchdowns against the Trojans; he also threw five interceptions. Still, his second touchdown pass provided a short-lived lead with a bit less than six minutes left in USC's eventual 38-28 victory.

He said the Trojans' defense he faced then is similar to that he'll face now.

"In regards to their defense and what they do, they have not changed much because of how great they are," Keller said. "It is no less than great. They do a lot of the same things that I have seen on film and that I have faced."

That familiarity might at least give Keller an edge over USC coach Pete Carroll, who admitted he doesn't know what to expect from the Huskers. Nebraska ran at will in a season-opening victory over Nevada, then passed 41 times in last week's 20-17 victory at Wake Forest.

"They ran the ball 70 times in the opener," Carroll said. "Then they came back and balanced it out pretty good in the second game. We've seen how they varied their attack. They can do anything. I don't know what to expect this time around."

Keller said the Huskers can pull off an upset only if they avoid turnovers, play smart and stay aggressive. "You just have to be mistake-free. You have to take what they give you. You have to be very smart," he said. "You have to take shots at them because they are that good."

The Huskers once were that good. This game should give an indication of how close - or far away - they are to being that good again.

Game of the Week: No. 1 Southern California at No. 14 Nebraska
Nebraska rush offense vs. USC rush defense
EDGE: USC	The cliché says it's better to be lucky than good. But Nebraska's Marlon Lucky is good. He started the season by rushing for 233 yards against Nevada and followed up with 90 against Wake Forest. But the Huskers struggled to run in the first half last week, and USC offers a more difficult challenge. The Trojans held Nebraska to 68 rushing yards last season. USC linebacker Brian Cushing is slowed by a sprained ankle.
Nebraska pass offense vs. USC pass defense
EDGE: USC	Sam Keller hasn't made the big impact that was expected, but he's playing real football for the first time in more than a year and it's still early in the season. Keller passed for 347 yards against USC two years ago at Arizona State, but also threw five interceptions. Huskers wide receiver Maurice Purify returned from a one-game suspension a week ago and caught three passes for 30 yards. The Huskers haven't allowed a sack yet. USC's secondary took a hit with the loss of cornerback Josh Pinkard, who is out for the season with a knee injury. But safety Taylor Mays is a potential All-American and Lawrence Jackson is a powerful pass rusher.
USC rush offense vs. Nebraska rush defense
EDGE: USC	The Trojans gave five tailbacks at least five carries in the opener against Idaho and had 214 rushing yards. The Trojans' line includes true freshman center Kristofer O'Dowd, who was rated a five-star recruit by Rivals.com. Nebraska, which had to replace its entire front four from a year ago, allowed Wake Forest 236 rushing yards last week.
USC pass offense vs. Nebraska pass defense
EDGE: USC	John David Booty wasn't particularly sharp in the opener, though he still passed for three touchdowns. He's working with new receivers and didn't have potentially his best one - Patrick Turner - against Idaho. Turner will be in the lineup against the Huskers, whose secondary is improved with the presence of Zackary Bowman. The cornerback missed last season with an injury. Bowman had a key end-zone interception in the fourth quarter last week. The Huskers had one sack in each of their first two games, and USC's line will be the best they face this season.
USC special teams vs. Nebraska special teams
EDGE: Nebraska	The Trojans cover kickoffs well, David Buehler has converted his only field-goal attempt and punterGreg Woidneck is averaging 43 yards on two punts. Nebraska's Cortney Grixby is a solid kick returner (27.3 yards per return). Kickers Alex Henery and Adi Kunalic have combined to hit all three field goals they've attempted. Punter Dan Titchener averages 44.9 yards on seven attempts and has killed three inside the 20.
USC coaches vs. Nebraska coaches
EDGE: USC	Pete Carroll has posted 66 victories in his short tenure at USC, and that includes five-consecutive Pac-10 titles and two national championships (one was shared). Nebraska has demonstrated steady improvement in Bill Callahan's three-plus seasons, and last season he guided the Huskers to the Big 12 North championship. He also recently received a raise and five-year contract extension.
USC will win if
The Trojans can protect Booty and give him time to seek out holes in Nebraska's secondary. Defensively, USC needs to pressure Keller without blitzing. By limiting Lucky's rushing production, they could make the Huskers very predictable.
Nebraska will win if
Keller has a big game and also avoids interceptions. Purify needs to play much better than he did a week ago. The Huskers also must improve their pass rush. Nebraska figures to get a huge boost if it can score first and keep the home crowd enthusiastic.
X-factor
McKnight, the heralded freshman tailback, had six carries in USC's season-opening victory. He figures to have a more prominent role this week. He could line up as a slot receiver and be used on reverses and short passes. Wake Forest's Kenneth Moore was used in that role last week and gave Nebraska problems all day.
Notes
USC has won 10 consecutive games played in September since falling to California 34-31 in triple overtime on Sept. 27, 2003. ? Booty has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 13 of his 14 career starts and at least two touchdown passes 10 times. He has passed for at least 200 yards in eight consecutive games. ? Nebraska is 24-2 in night games played in Lincoln. ?. USC is the first top-ranked opponent to play at Nebraska since Oklahoma in 1978. The fourth-ranked Huskers upset the Sooners 17-14 in that game. ? USC has lost two of its past three regular-season road games. The Trojans have won 57 of their past 61 games, with the four losses coming by a total of 12 points.
The picks
Buchanan's pick: USC 34-17. Other Rivals.com expert picks: Mike Huguenin, college sports editor: USC 35-17 Steve Megargee, national college football writer: USC 27-14 Bill King, Rivals Radio host: USC 21-3 Check out the rest of the Rivals.com Expert Picks.

Olin Buchanan is the senior college football writer for Rivals.com. He can be reached at olin@rivals.com.

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