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USC and Nebraska are two of college football’s most storied programs, combining for 16 national championships and 10 Heisman Trophy winners. These two powers will clash in San Diego at the National University Holiday Bowl for only the fifth time on Dec. 27.
The two traditional powerhouses head into this game from opposing directions. USC rolls into this matchup on a high note after thrashing rival Notre Dame 49-14. Quarterback Cody Kessler was unstoppable on the day as he tore through the Irish secondary, completing 80 percent of his passes (32-of-40) for 372 yards and six touchdown passes, including five in the first half.
Meanwhile, Nebraska heads into the Holiday Bowl following the dismissal of head coach Bo Pelini, despite winning at least nine games each year that Pelini was at the helm. While Nebraska has already hired Pelini’s replacement in former Oregon State coach Mike Riley, it’s difficult to determine how the team will respond to interim coach Barney Cotton.
USC is familiar with playing for an interim coach in a bowl game, as current offensive coordinator Clay Helton served as interim coach in USC’s thrashing of Fresno State in last year’s Las Vegas Bowl after the Trojans decided not to retain Ed Orgeron. However, there have been plenty of examples of teams that have flopped in their bowl games following coaches who have left for other jobs or been fired.
As for the game itself, it will be great to see two of the best players in the country square off in USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams and Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah. Abdullah was an absolute terror as he amassed 1,523 yards on the ground, good for 6.4 yards per carry, and 18 touchdowns. Despite being hampered at the end of the season by a knee strain suffered against Purdue, Abdullah eclipsed the 200-yard mark on four different occasions, highlighted by his 229-yard and two touchdown performance in Nebraska’s victory over Miami in September.
Williams came into the season as sure-fire top pick in the upcoming NFL Draft and did nothing to disappoint throughout the season. He finished second on the Trojans with 71 tackles and six sacks and was third with 8.5 tackles-for-loss. The highlight for Williams came early in the season against Stanford when he played through an ankle injury to lead USC in tackles with 11 along with one sack in the Trojans’ upset victory in Palo Alto.
If Nebraska has any shot to win this game, they will need a big day from Abdullah and starting quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. will need to complete some passes down the field so the USC defense can’t clue in on the rushing attack.
For USC, it’s pretty simple: just keep things rolling from their last contest. The Trojans should be able to attack the Huskers downfield as they did against the Irish, while Williams and the defense will be able to shut down Abdullah. I see another convincing win for the Trojans to close out Steve Sarkisian’s first season on high note.
Prediction: USC 31, Nebraska 14
Patrick Leiva is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter and add him to your network on Google.
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