Nebraska vs. USC: The final report card

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.

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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.

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