When Nebraska football hosts Wisconsin Saturday, both programs will be in the midst of offensive coordinator changes.

The Huskers switched to Dana Holgorsen last week. He made his Big Red debut against USC. The Badgers are making a change this week, as coach Luke Fickell has announced the firing of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Phil Longo.

“This morning, I informed Phil Longo that he will no longer serve as our offensive coordinator,” said Fickell in the announcement. “After continuing to evaluate the program, I decided we are not where we need to be and believe this decision is in the best interest of the team. I appreciate Phil’s commitment to helping us build our program over the past two seasons and wish him well moving forward. This team still has a lot in front of us and I am committed to doing everything we can to close out this season with success.”

Who will take over as OC for the rest of the schedule was not announced.

Longo joined Wisconsin in 2023 for Fickell’s first season. In 23 games, Longo helped the badgers to a 12-11 record.

Wisconsin took No. 1 Oregon to the wire Saturday at Camp Randall. The Ducks got a field goal with 2:36 to go, which was the difference in the 16-13 final. The offense managed just 96 yards through the air and 97 yards on the ground.

The move comes not long after staff member Jack Del Rio was arrested in Madison and cited for operating a vehicle while intoxicated. Del Rio, a former NFL coach, was a senior advisor to Fickell.

Nebraska hosts Wisconsin this Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CST. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.

MORE: Lincoln Riley: USC Football ‘Didn’t Flinch’ in Win over Nebraska Cornhuskers

MORE: Big Ten Remains Top-Heavy in Associated Press, Coaches Polls

MORE: Nebraska Men’s Basketball Drops Tough Battle to Saint Mary’s, 77-74

MORE: After Nebrasketball: Nebraska Loses First Game Of The Season To Saint Mary’s

MORE: Husker Doc Talk: Heartbreak and Getting Shafted in L.A.

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.

The USC Trojans boast one of the deepest receiver rooms in college football, thanks in large part to their 2023 recruiting class. Coach Lincoln Riley signed four receivers from the west coast, Zachariah Branch (NV), Duce Robinson (AZ), Makai Lemon (CA) and Ja’Kobi Lane (AZ) in his No. 9 ranked recruiting class, per the On3 Industry Rankings.

Against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, it was Robinson who shined for the Trojans offense.

“We got such great guys in receiver room, you guys have barely seen the talent we got in that room, said USC coach Jayden Maiava. “Definitely down to the stretch, we just gotta keep feeding those play makers.”

Branch, Lemon and Lane have all turned in career day performances this season and Robinson became the latest in the Trojans 28-20 win over Nebraska on Saturday. The Arizona native caught four passes for a career-high 90 receiving yards. Although the numbers may not be eye-opening, his performance helped propel the offense. 

On the Trojans’ second possession, Maiava, with a defender bearing down on him as he was drifting towards the sideline, flung a dangerous pass downfield that Robinson climbed the ladder to snag. The 28-yard catch set USC up inside the 10-yard line and the very next play, Maiava connected with Branch for a 6-yard touchdown that got the offense rolling.

“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. He’s (Maiava) a playmaker, right. So when you have an arm like that, of course you’re gonna have confidence in it,” Robinson said. 

“He does trust us to just put the ball out there and trust us to go up and get it.”

To start the second half, Maiava found a wide-open Robinson, who went untouched for a 48-yard touchdown. USC took a four-point lead and never relinquished it. Robinson’s fifth touchdown of the season is tied for first on the team with Lane.

Early in the fourth quarter, USC led by one with an opportunity to extend their lead. The Trojans faced a third-and-five, and Maiava stood tall in the pocket, delivering a dart to Robinson for a nine-yard completion. The play kept the drive alive, and seven plays later, Maiava’s 2-yard touchdown made it an eight-point game and proved too much for Nebraska to overcome.

The connection between the two was evident. Robinson spoke about his career-day after the game. 

“It’s a blessing, especially being able to walk out with the W but, I mean, I did set a career high, but it’s not me, it’s the guys around me, you know, without offensive line playing the way they did, I wouldn’t have been able to do that,” Robinson said. “Without Jayden playing the way he did, I wouldn’t have been able to do that without the guys around me, you know, playing the way they did. You know, the reason I got my touchdown was because of Zach, he cleared it out and so, so just having those guys around me, it’s truly a blessing.”

Robinson caught four touchdowns in five games between from weeks 3-7, but his role had begun to diminish as of late, something that can happen in a receiver room as deep as the Trojans. He recorded just one catch for five yards in the Trojans last two games. 

It would be easy for anyone to become discouraged by the situation, let alone a 19-year-old, but Robinson stayed ready for the moment when his number would be called, and he responded in a big way on Saturday.

MORE: USC Trojans Quarterback Miller Moss’ Potential NIL Value as Transfer

MORE: USC Trojans Quarterback Jayden Maiava Explodes In 28-20 Win Over Nebraska

MORE: Five-Star Quarterback Husan Longstreet Visiting USC Trojans Vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers

MORE: USC Trojans’ Lincoln Riley on De-Commitments: ‘Great Ones Always See The Opportunity’

MORE: USC Trojans Losing 5-Star QB Julian Lewis To Georgia Bulldogs? SEC Recruiting Flip

MORE: Why 4-Star Hayden Lowe Flipped From USC Trojans To Miami Hurricanes, Mario Cristobal

MORE: USC Trojans Women’s Basketball Star JuJu Watkins Makes Name, Image, Likeness History

MORE: USC Trojans Throwback Uniforms Unveiled For Nebraska Cornhuskers Game: Photos

MORE: USC Trojans On NCAA Probation Due To Coaching Violations: Lincoln Riley Not Suspended

LOS ANGELES – Here are the final takes and grades following Nebraska’s 28-20 loss at USC on Saturday.

The Huskers dropped to 5-5 on the season and will return to Lincoln for the final time next week against Wisconsin.

Subscribe to get exclusive Huskers content on HuskerOnline today!

Rushing offense: C

Nebraska got 107 yards rushing on 18 carries from Emmett Johnson and Dante Dowdell. They found a few new things in the running game but still could not get enough to break through in the second half. Heinrich Haarberg also came in for two plays, including a 13-yard run.

Passing offense: D+

QB Dylan Raiola was 27-of-38 for 191 yards and two interceptions. Raiola also missed a key third down throw to Jahmal Banks where NU had to settle for a field goal. There were some new wrinkles by the Huskers in the passing game, but on nine third-down passing plays, NU could only convert three first downs.

Rushing defense: D

USC had 32 carries for 182 yards on the ground, including 19 for 146 yards from running back Woody Marks. As the game got deep in the second half, USC put things away with a 13-play, 84-yard drive that took up 7:39 off the clock. USC finished with seven runs of 10+ yards, including a 34-yard run on a critical fourth-and-1 play in the fourth quarter.

Passing defense: B-

Ceyair Wright had an interception return for a touchdown, and Ty Robinson forced a fumble out of the pocket on a scramble play. However, USC converted far too many third downs, as they had five passes of 15+ yards. The real early back breaker was on second-and-13 after the Wright pick-six Tommi Hill gave up a 28-yard pass where he was in a position to make the intercpetion. That led to a touchdown on the next play where Hill completely whiffed on the tackle.

Special team: B

John Hohl made both his kicks and Brian Buschini averaged 46 yards on five punts. The only thing the Huskers struggled in was they never were able to get good field position in the punt return game, as USC pinned one punt all the way down to the 1-yard line. The other big moment came when Wright blocked a field goal to keep the game at 21-20.

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.

Never miss breaking news or another HuskerOnline article again. Click HERE to sign up for HuskerOnline’s Daily and Breaking News Newsletters.