Keys to victory, score predictions

On November 17, 2024By Littum

LOS ANGELES – For the first time since 2006, Nebraska (5-4, 2-4) will travel to Los Angeles to take on USC (4-5, 2-5) at the LA Coliseum.

The Huskers and Trojans have had their fair share of ups and downs in 2025, and today’s game will give them a chance to turn the corner in November.

As kickoff approaches, here are NU’s keys to victory against USC. Nebraska is currently an 8.5 point underdog to the Trojans. Today’s match is set for one 3pm CT kickoff on FOX.

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KEYS TO WIN: Nebraska vs. USC

KEY 1: Beat them early

Nebraska’s offense needs to come out with a spark under new offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen. The Huskers have an early advantage in this game – the advantage of the unknown – and they need to make it a factor.

KEY 2: Defensive Communication

USC will attack the Huskers with a complex offensive system. They will spread the Huskers out at times, but also attack them with one of the best running backs in the Big Ten in Woody Marks. NU needs to win early in front and set the tone at the line.

KEY 3: Establish a ground game

In nearly every game the Trojans have lost this season, they have run out of gas in the fourth quarter. Nebraska needs to establish some sort of rushing attack in this game to set things up for the second half. This will likely be a game that goes deep into the fourth quarter.

KEY 4: Force Maiava into some tough decisions

USC comes to Nebraska with a brand new starting quarterback. UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava was one of the hottest names on the transfer portal a year ago after being named Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year. Maiava is athletic and big and possesses elite arm talent. He’s also had turnovers during his career, putting up 24 turnover-worthy plays a year ago. The Huskers need to force a turnover or two to have a chance to win this game.

KEY 5: Make Husker red in the stadium a factor

We may see a crowd of 20,000 Husker fans inside the LA Coliseum today. Nebraska needs to play at a level early that makes this large traveling contingent of Husker fans a factor.

THE EXPERT TAKES

Sean Callahan – HuskerOnline Forlag

Nebraska has so many unknowns heading into this game on Saturday. What version of Dylan Raiola will we get at quarterback and what version of the Blackshirt defense will emerge? What will this offense look like under Dana Holgorsen? I expect an improved effort, but NU won’t have enough firepower to pull it off. The Trojans will score late to put it away.

USC 31, Nebraska 27

Steven Sipple – HuskerOnline columnist

Nebraska’s offense will look better – noticeably better – but USC’s chunk plays will add up and ultimately be too much to overcome. Nebraska doesn’t need a nice effort right now; it requires victories. For that to happen, it requires more coherence from all three units. Bottom line, the Huskers still haven’t put together a complete performance, and it’s getting awfully late in the season.

USC 31, Nebraska 27

Robin Washut – HuskerOnline senior writer

In what I’ve dubbed “The Desperation Bowl,” Nebraska and USC come into today with equal pressure. The Huskers have the advantage of the unknown with Dana Holgorsen’s offensive coordinator debut. The Trojans shook things up with a quarterback change. In a game where it’s impossible to know what to expect, I side with the home team.

USC 31, Nebraska 30

Andy Kendeigh – KETV ABC-Omaha

Some call this the desperation bowl, I call it the fascination game. USC’s Lincoln Riley is making a big change at quarterback. Matt Rhule takes a huge swing in changing his offensive coordinator, bringing in Dana Holgorsen. Which change makes the biggest difference? I’m leaning toward Nebraska since there is so much upside on offense. We’ve seen upsets every week in the Big Ten, here’s another one.

Nebraska 27, USC 24

Jim Rose – 1110 KFAB Radio-Omaha

Choose for or against the Huskers at your own risk. Is it the D we saw against Ohio State or the one that couldn’t get off the field against UCLA? Is it Dylan Raiola (and the offense) in the first half against Colorado or the inept bunch of the Purdue and UCLA games? Dana Holgerson was brought in to spark the offense. But he can’t block runners or pick off receivers downfield. That said, USC’s offensive line is shaky, they had to change QBs just because the new guy is more mobile. And the Trojans still haven’t adjusted to the physical nature of the B1G. I’m on one leg, but hopeful.

Nebraska 28, USC 17

mike’l Serious – Big red wrap-up

The one thing we know for sure about the offenses Dana Holgerson and others from the Hal Mumme coaching tree do well is open the wide phones. I expect we’ll see more pre-snap moves to get the defense or at least their eyes moving, and routes designed to take defenders off. This season, USC has not been a team that gets pressure on the QB (last in sacks in the B1G). Woody Marks might be the most complete backup NU has seen this season, so I hope you limit him while keeping Jayden Maiava in the pocket. He was prone to turnover-worthy plays at UNLV, especially in the middle of the field. I see NU playing well, but just falling short against a superior special teams unit.

USC 27, Nebraska 21

HuskerOnline Week 12 Score Predictions

Week 12	Sean Callahan	Steven Sipple	Robin Washut	Andy Kendigh	Jim Rose	Mike’l Severe
Nebraska at USC (-8.5)	31-27 USC	31-27 USC	31-30 USC	27-24 Nebraska	28-17 Nebraska	27-21 USC
Michigan State at Illinois (-3)	27-23 Illinois	28-21 Illinois	28-24 Illinois	19-13 Illinois	27-17 Illinois	21-17 Illinois
Oregon at Wisconsin (+14)	38-20 Oregon	34-24 Oregon	41-21 Oregon	31-21 Oregon	45-20 Oregon	34-17 Oregon
Utah at Colorado (-10)	38-24 Colorado	37-17 Colorado	38-27 Colorado	42-31 Colorado	38-27 Colorado	31-20 Colorado
Tennessee at Georgia (-8.5)	34-24 UGA	24-21 Tenn.	23-20 Tenn.	38-31 UGA	35-24 UGA	31-30 UGA
Kansas at BYU (-3)	31-17 BYU	34-12 BYU	35-28 BYU	31-24 BYU	42-21 BYU	23-21 Kansas

HuskerOnline Score Prediction Standings

Pickers	Straight up	vs. Spread	Cumulative
Andy Kendigh	43-23	39-27	82
Mike’l Severe	41-25	34-32	75
Robin Washut	40-26	33-33	73
Jim Rose	40-26	29-37	69
Sean Callahan	35-31	33-33	68
Steven Sipple	35-11	28-38	63

Sean Callahan can be reached at (email protected) and is heard daily at 6:45 and 5:05 p.m on Big Red Radio 1110 KFAB in Omaha during football season. He can also be watched KETV channel 7 in Omaha during the fall, and each week he appears on Nebraska Public Media’s Big red wrap-up Tuesdays at.

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