USC’s 18-point victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday night in Lincoln, Nebraska was a very different game than last year’s contest decided by an equal margin. Although there were some nervous moments in the early going when the Cornhuskers pulled ahead 10-7 and the Trojans seemed to be self-destructing with careless ball-handling and stupid penalties–and an inability to stop Nebraska QB Sam Keller–USC quickly corrected itself with two additional touchdowns before halftime, then dominated the third quarter to put the game far out of reach and into blowout territory. (Only some late scores by Nebraska in garbage time made the result seem a lot closer than the game actually was.)

Before we roundup all of the post-game coverage, we present some game notes and injury updates:

• The story of the game seemed to be the Trojans’ dominant line play, especially the work of USC’s offensive line against Nebraska’s defensive counterparts. The O-line opened up huge holes for the Trojan tailbacks, and USC out-rushed Nebraska a shocking 313 yards to 31. In addition, QB John David Booty was never sacked.
• Although Stafon Johnson was not the Trojans’ first-string running back going into the game, it sure looks like he is coming out of it. The sophomore rushed for a career-high 144 yards in just 11 carries, and although we don’t have a yards-after-contact number for him yet, he certainly seemed to be a difficult man to bring down. As a result of Johnson’s emergence, starter CJ Gable carried the ball just four times (although for an impressive 69 yards). In his first game of the season, senior Chauncey Washington rushed 12 times for just 43 yards.
• FB Stanley Havili impressed for the second straight week, picking up both rushing and receiving touchdowns, and rumbling for 50 yards on the Trojans’ first play from scrimmage.
• Booty had his second inconsistent performance in as many games, failing to develop a steady rhythm until the fourth quarter, when the contest was already decided. He threw for just 144 yards, but was not intercepted (although one pass should have been). The return of starting WR Patrick Turner unexpectedly appeared to hurt more than help, as Turner repeatedly had problems catching or holding onto the ball. (It should also be pointed out that with the way the Trojans were able to run the ball, there was no need to pass much.)
• The Trojan defense let Keller develop a rhythm early with short, quick passes, but was able to limit his effectiveness later in the game with relentless pressure, which led to two interceptions (but just one sack). And Nebraska seemed to have no chance at running the ball against the USC defense.
• Freshman RB Joe McKnight fumbled for the second week in a row (this time, on one of only two touches he received in the game). The good news: that was actually USC’s only turnover of the game, although they fumbled two additional times.
• Trojan special teams were anything but special on Saturday. Punt returner Desmond Reed misplayed a kick deep in USC’s own territory, although was somehow able to recover the fumble. Kick returner Vincent Joseph also fumbled (on a play in which he was injured), although freshman LB Malcolm Smith was able to grab the loose ball and return it 40 yards. Most other attempts at kick and punt returns went nowhere, and David Buehler wasn’t able to secure any touchbacks with his kickoffs. To add insult to injury, the Trojans even botched the coin toss decision, resulting in Nebraska receiving the opening kick in both the first half and the second half.
• One of USC’s disappointing 10 penalties was more obscure than careless. Ray Maualuga was flagged for “disconcerting,” an unsportsmanlike conduct infraction that resulted from the linebacker quickly shifting his position in an apparent effort to psyche out the offense. (No, we haven’t seen it called before, either.) From Rule 7 of the NCAA rulebook [PDF]: No player shall use words or signals that disconcert opponents when they are preparing to put the ball in play. No player may call defensive signals that simulate the sound or cadence of (or otherwise interfere with) offensive starting signals. An official shall sound his whistle immediately [S7 and S21].
• The Trojans’ 49 points were the third-most ever surrendered by Nebraska in Lincoln.
  

Injury notes

• Play was halted for almost fifteen minutes while Joseph was attended to by medical staff and eventually immobilized and taken off the field in a stretcher, and then to a nearby hospital. His diagnosis, however, is not nearly as serious as the injury looked: a bruised larynx. And the pause in action actually became a turning point in the game, with the momentum switching from Nebraska (then leading by three) to USC.
• In the second quarter, FB/S Alfred Rowe was also injured on a special teams play, when he reportedly sustained a concussion. He missed the remainder of the game.
• LB Brian Cushing (ankle) was not quite ready to play full time, but returned to action briefly at a few points during the game. Scott Wolf reports that his replacement in the starting lineup, Clay Matthews, actually broke his thumb early in the game and played sparingly after that point.

No. 1 USC Runs Past No. 14 Nebraska (Official USC site)
USC’s Joseph bruises larynx on kick return (AP via Yahoo!)
USC delivers a haymaker (LA Times)
USC Notes: Kicker Smith pays to make the trip (LA Times)
USC finds lots of running room (LA Times)
Plaschke: Trojans make a bold statement in the heartland (LA Times)
A USC run-away (OC Register)
Whicker: Trojans find open road (OC Register)
USC rolls past Nebraska, 49-31 (Daily News)
Banged-up Trojan duo doing OK (Press-Telegram)
Southern Cal at Nebraska Recap (Rivals)
Notes on a Scorecard: USC takes down Nebraska (Rivals, $)

You can also review all articles about this game on our Game Recap page:
USC-Nebraska Game Recap