Saturday night lights for Big Red in Los Angeles

By Josh Lashley  |   Wednesday, May 24, 2006  |  Comments( 38 )

Nebraska Cornhuskers
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Not to say that everything that the Nebraska Cornhuskers are working toward hinges on that ABC nationally televised Saturday night meeting in Los Angeles, but if they go in there and get take a whipping at the hands of the USC Trojans, it's a tell-tale sign that they aren't yet ready to take that climb to the top of the mountain, a place where they stood for several years.

A win, which on paper at least, is looking more and more like a possibility, doesn't mean that the rest of the Fall will see them steamroll one foe after another. At the same time, a loss in Los Angeles by no means says that they can't be a considerable force in the Big 12. So while the whole season may not rest on September 16th, it will give Nebraska a major glimpse as to where they stand in the national scene.

Everyone knows that this isn't the same USC team that was the picture of college football success for the past few years. They saw 11 players get drafted in April, including the past two Heisman Trophy winners in running back Reggie Bush (New Orleans) and quarterback Matt Leinart (Arizona), who were taken second and 10th overall, respectively.

Much of the talk surrounding the USC Trojans concerns who, if anyone, can fill the shoes of Leinart and Carson Palmer, the man who preceded him. John David Booty, a red-shirt junior who took snaps in 10 games in 2005 is the real deal, but he's suffered injuries and had back surgery this spring. Mark Sanchez, a highly-touted redshirt freshman from Mission Viejo High School, was then slated to get the nod this fall. Sanchez, however, was suspended after being arrested for alleged sexual assault in April. We'll have to wait and see if he will be able to play in 2006. If, and it's a big if, neither Booty or Sanchez, are able to play on the 16th, then the Blackshirts could have a field day. Whether or not the Trojans can sustain a solid rushing attack this year remains to be seen, but don't expect anything even approaching what they had in the backfield last season.

Zach Taylor and the considerable weapons around him on the Big Red's offense will be looking at a USC defense that has some young, and indeed talented, athletes. Junior Keith Rivers, a well-regarded linebacker, could very well be a name to watch to watch on that defense.

The stage is now set and the eyes of the college football world will be watching, the question is, are the Nebraska Cornhuskers ready to take that next step? Stay tuned.
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CommentsComments: 38  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Casey		01:27 PM
05/24/2006
I agree that USC's offense won't be the high powered attack they were last year. In reality, I don't think many teams have been...
No.2
Kenji		01:55 PM
05/24/2006
You are correct in saying that USC's Offense will not be the same, but the reality is it will just be different. The line will...
No.3
TrojanHorse		02:45 PM
05/24/2006
The key to the USC Corn game will be the SC O line. The replacement of two 2nd round picks and a 3rd who would have been an all...
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