Nebraska players from California? Get ready, USC

By Nathan Walters  |   Monday, September 11, 2006  |  Comments( 17 )

Nebraska Cornhuskers
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Nebraska and USC make up one of the most interesting matchups on Sept. 16 not only because both teams are ranked in the Top 25 and are laden with tradition, but also for the amount of players from California the Cornhuskers will be bringing to Los Angeles.

Of the two-deep depth chart released the last week of August, nine of the players hail from the state of California. Of those nine, three are starters. And, perhaps most importantly, only one starter is a senior.

Senior nose tackle Ola Dagunduro (pronounced "Dog-un-duro") hails from Inglewood, CA, and is one of two players on Nebraska's roster to transfer from Compton (Calif.) Community College. Dagunduro was a force backing up three-year starter Le Kevin Smith in 2005, recording 22 tackles, including four tackles for loss, and helped Nebraska lead the nation in sacks (50) and tackles for loss (124). He is one of three seniors on the Huskers' dominant defensive line.

Sophomore All-American Jordan Congdon from San Diego is Nebraska's record-setting placekicker, and has been recognized by the media numerous times. His most recent accomplishment came in early August when the NCAA announced Congdon was one of several players on the Lou Groza Collegiate Placekicker Award watch list. Congdon connected on 19-of-23 field goal attempts in 2005 and looks to extend his extra point streak beyond 31 against Louisiana Tech on Saturday.

Sophomore running back Marlon Lucky, from North Hollywood, is the only other starter from the state of California, and he shares starting running back duties with fellow sophomore Cody Glenn from Rusk, TX. Lucky was a prized recruit coming out of high school, and both he and Congdon were on the U.S. ARMY All-America Team. In 2005, Lucky largely backed up starter Cory Ross and saw action in all 12 games. He was the third-leading rusher on the team, finishing with 129 yards on 43 carries. Lucky was recruited by USC as well as Nebraska.

Junior wide receiver Maurice Purify is the only other player from California that is not from the Los Angeles area, hailing from the city of Eureka, which is in Northern California. Purify is listed as co-No. 2 "X" receiver on the depth chart, behind starter Nate Swift. Purify came to the Huskers after a great career at San Francisco City College, catching 92 passes in two seasons 1,762 yards and 21 touchdowns. He is also one of the tallest and heaviest receivers to play for the Cornhuskers, standing in at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds.

Freshman right guard Jacob Hickman, who will back up Mike Huff, is from Bakersfield; junior right tackle Carl Nicks, backing up Matt Slauson, is from Salinas; sophomore quarterback Beau Davis is from Venice; and freshman free safety Rickey Thenarse is from downtown Los Angeles.

In all, six of the players from California are underclassmen, and all will see significant playing time during the season. There are, of course, other players from the Golden State that did not make the two-deep roster but will still make the trip to Los Angeles.

Suffice to say that these USC and UCLA-bred players will be looking forward to going back home and playing in front of their friends and families again. This time, though, these same athletes who dreamt of playing for the Bruins or Trojans will instead be a part of the West Coast Offense from Midwestern Nebraska.

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CommentsComments: 17  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
ron reeves		12:44 PM
09/11/2006
I think that this game will be a lose lose situation for Nebraska. If USC wins, then they believe, yeah were great, back where we...
No.2
Robka		01:52 PM
09/11/2006
Lose, Lose? I don't get that. As a 17 1/2 point underdog this is a win win situation. The last two times Nebraska was a double...
No.3
Lee		02:08 PM
09/11/2006
I feel that NU has a great chance in this game. I think USC will expect to win and that will hurt them. NU will go in knowing we...
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