It's been building for three years, and now it's finally here for Nebraska. Sam Keller and the Huskers get a chance to put the program among the elite of the elite again with a win over USC, but are the pieces really in place to pull off the huge upset?
USC
(1-0) at Nebraska
(2-0)
8:00 pm ABC
Why to Watch:
In 2003, the Huskers went 10-3 with an
Alamo Bowl win over Michigan State. That
off-season, head coach Frank Solich, who
coached his team to the national title
game just two years earlier, was fired,
mainly because the higher-ups had a
sense that Nebraska football was
slipping overall and needed a change to
be among the elite of the elite of the
elite. To many, this was the equivalent
of Tiger Woods completely revamping his
golf swing despite being the number one
player in the world. To others, the idea
of scrapping the devastating Nebraska
rushing offense for some newfangled
spread thing was like messing with their
religion. Now, three years after the
hiring of Bill Callahan, everything has
built to this moment. Oh sure, playing
in the Big 12 Championship last year was
an important step, but this is bigger.
Much bigger. This is to finally announce
that Nebraska deserves to be considered
a top program again, and a loss to USC,
especially if it's not pretty, would be
devastating in the development. For USC,
it's another day, another
end-of-the-world game for someone else.
The nation's number one team now has
some serious challengers after LSU and
Oklahoma made their statements in big
games. Now the Trojans have to do the
same or risk possibly falling to third.
This is only the fourth time the two
powerhouses have played. USC is 2-0-1
with the last victory coming last season
in Los Angeles. Why USC Might Win: USC has
become the nation's top superpower by
being in the national title hunt every
year, and it got to that point under
head coach Pete Carroll by winning
almost every big non-conference road
game. 2006: USC 50, Arkansas 14. 2005:
USC 34, Notre Dame 31. 2004: USC 24,
Virginia Tech, 13. 2003: USC 23, Auburn
0. 2002: USC 40, Colorado 3 (but the
Trojans lost the next week at Kansas
State). This program thrives off the big
road game and is hardly going to be
fazed by Lincoln, Nebraska. On the
field, USC should be able to keep QB
John David Booty upright and clean. The
Husker pass rush has been mediocre and
inconsistent over the first two games,
and to get to Booty, it's going to have
to do something funky. That's what USC
wants. Booty is good, but not Leinart-like,
when it comes to making the right reads,
and he's had two weeks to prepare for
this. Why Nebraska Might Win: Is USC
battle tested? This is a relatively
young team, even by USC's standards,
that only had one tune up game against
Idaho before getting two weeks off to
prepare. While it might seem like a plus
to have the time off to work, there's
history working against the Trojans. USC
has lost a mere three regular season
games in the last four years, and two of
them (to Oregon State last year and at
Cal in 2003) came on the road after a
two-week layoff. This hardly appeared to
be a razor-sharp team against the
Vandals in week one as it went through
the motions on the way to the easy win.
It's asking a lot, even for USC, to just
turn it on and be USC with little
time to work.Nebraska is coming
into this game after getting two games
of the best offensive line play its seen
under Callahan, while the secondary has
been terrific so far. If the Huskers can
consistently protect Sam Keller, and
keep Booty from bombing away, the
running game should be able to take
over. Last year's Husker team wasn't
quite ready for primetime when it lost
28-10 to the Trojans. This year's team,
especially after a
tougher-than-you-think win at Wake
Forest, appears to be ready, and all the
parts seem to be working, with the
possible exception of ... Who to Watch: Sam Keller. The
former Arizona State Sun Devil knows all
too well what it's like to play USC, and
his past sins could come back to be a
major plus in the game preparation. In
2005 against the Trojans, he was red hot
as he led ASU to a 21-3 halftime lead.
LenDale White and the USC running game
took over in the second half, Keller was
picked off six times, and ASU lost
38-28. Going into the locker room at
halftime, Keller gave a cocky interview
that all but made it sound like ASU had
already won. He's not going to make the
same mistake twice. Even if Nebraska
gets up early, Keller will have to keep
the foot on the gas, but he can't force
plays that aren't there. The running
game has been the focal point so far,
but even with the help, Keller has
thrown three interceptions and two
touchdown passes. Now he has to be
mistake-free for the Huskers to pull
this off. What Will Happen: This is where
all the bumps and bruises will come back
to haunt USC. Safety Josh Pinkard is out
for the year with a torn ACL, WR Patrick
Turner is still getting over a shoulder
injury, star OT Sam Baker has a rub
problem, top RB Chauncey Washington has
a sprained shoulder, and the list goes
on. Of course USC has depth to spare,
but it needs all its starters healthy
and jelled to handle the jacked up
Huskers. Nebraska isn't faster than USC,
but it'll play with a bit more bounce in
its step on the way to a decent early
lead, and will then hang on late as
Booty's final drive to win the game
comes up just short. CFN Prediction:
Nebraska 27
... USC 23
... Line: USC -10 Must See Rating: (5 Britney at
the VMAs - 1 Big Shots)
... 5
Big 12 Friday, Sept. 14
Oklahoma State
(1-1) at Troy (0-2)
8:00 pm ESPN2
Why to Watch: The
last time a team from the Big 12
traveled to Troy to play an
apparent nationally televised
blowout game, Missouri was
stunned in a 24-14 loss. While
that was 2004, this is still a
decent Trojan team that should
be in the thick of the Sun Belt
title hunt again. It hasn't been
a smooth start, going 0-2
against Arkansas and Florida,
but the offense hasn't been bad
and the overall team appears to
be in place to give the Cowboys
a run. OSU is on the second leg
of a Sun Belt tour after
blasting Florida Atlantic 42-6.
With one of the nation's most
exciting offenses, OSU should
put on a good show if it's not
looking ahead to the Big 12
opener at Texas Tech. Why Oklahoma State Might Win: Troy
hasn't even been remotely close
to stopping the run so far. The
OSU ground game hasn't taken off
and been the explosive
juggernaut it's expected to
become, but that's because it
had good offensive balance
against FAU and had to throw it
to try to get back in the
Georgia game. For Troy to win
this game, it has to keep the
chains moving and be effective
on third downs. That could be a
problem considering QB Omar
Haugabook has only completed 46%
of his passes. Fortunately for
the Trojans ... Why Troy Might Win: ... the
Cowboy secondary has been
mediocre. Georgia was able to
throw on OSU without a problem,
mainly because the defensive
line didn't generate enough
pressure. On the other side of
the ball, the OSU O line has
struggled in pass protection and
hasn't done enough for the
running game. Basically, all the
parts haven't started to click
yet, so if Troy plays a sharp,
mistake-free game, it should
have a chance to take this deep
into the second half. Who to Watch: Part of OSU's
problem (and it's all relative
considering the Cowboys just
blew out FAU) has been injuries.
Top RB Dantrell Savage has a bad
groin injury, and good backup
Julius Crosslin has a sprained
knee, meaning sophomore Keith
Toston has to carry the workload
when he's been used to splitting
time. The bigger question mark
is at quarterback, where Bobby
Reid has had knee and ankle
problems. The injuries have
opened the door for sophomore
Zac Robinson, who completed 14
of 20 passes for 250 yards and
three touchdowns, with an
interception, against FAU. Both
will likely see time. What Will Happen: Troy will catch
OSU napping for about a half,
and then the Cowboy passing game
will take over. The Trojans
won't have the firepower to keep
up in the end, but they'll make
this a fun game to watch. CFN Prediction:
Oklahoma
State 31 ... Troy 20
... Line: Oklahoma State -10 Must See Rating: (5 Britney at
the VMAs - 1 Big Shots)
... 2
