LINCOLN, Neb. — USC survived a late Nebraska push on Saturday night, grinding out a 21–17 road win at Memorial Stadium to stay alive in the Big Ten title race.
Behind a gritty defensive performance and a strong second half on the ground, the Trojans overcame early struggles to outlast the Cornhuskers in front of a roaring Lincoln crowd.Nebraska opened the scoring in the first quarter when quarterback Dylan Raiola hit Dane Key on a 14-yard touchdown pass, giving the Huskers a 7–0 lead. USC answered with a pair of field goals from Ryon Sayeri to close the gap to 7–6, but Nebraska struck again before halftime on a 10-yard touchdown run from Emmett Johnson, extending the lead to 14–6 at the break.
Coming out of halftime, USC’s offense finally found its rhythm. Quarterback Jayden Maiava led a long third-quarter drive capped by his own 16-yard touchdown run, followed by a successful two-point conversion that tied the game at 14–14.Nebraska regained the lead briefly in the fourth with a 39-yard field goal from Kyle Cunanan, but the Trojans responded quickly. Running back King Miller, who finished with 129 rushing yards, powered in a 6-yard touchdown to put USC ahead 21–17 midway through the final quarter.
From there, the Trojans’ defense took control. After Raiola left the game due to injury, Nebraska’s offense stalled, and USC forced two key stops in the closing minutes to seal the victory.Maiava finished with 135 passing yards and a rushing touchdown, while Miller’s performance on the ground proved to be the difference. For Nebraska, Raiola threw for 91 yards and a touchdown before his early exit.
With the win, USC improves to 6–2 overall and 4–1 in Big Ten play, keeping its postseason hopes alive. Nebraska falls to 6–3 and will look to regroup after a tough home loss in a game that slipped away late.USC now heads home to prepare for another key conference test next week, while the Huskers will look to bounce back on the road as the Big Ten race heats up in November.
