pete and the boys will love this

[smazza]

'When we beat this team ...'

Huskers' Jones confident heading into game vs. USC

Posted: Wednesday September 13, 2006 1:06AM; Updated: Wednesday September 13, 2006 1:11AM

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- To Nebraska cornerback Andre Jones, it's not a matter of if the No. 19 Cornhuskers beat fourth-ranked Southern California on Saturday. It's a matter of when.

"When we beat this team, we can show the world that we are a great team and we restored the order," Jones said Tuesday.

 

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Jones, a transfer from Fresno City Community College, signed with the Huskers last winter after turning down an offer from USC. The Fort Walton Beach, Fla., native was supposed to back up Zackary Bowman this season, but when Bowman sustained a season-ending knee injury in August, Jones became the starter at strongside corner.

Jones isn't fretting about the Trojans having won 46 of their last 48 games, a Pacific-10 record 27 straight home games and that the Huskers are three-touchdown underdogs.

"I like to hear it. Most of my life, I've been the underdog anyway," he said. "People said I wasn't as good as I seemed, and I've always come out on top. That's why I came to this school. ...

"When we beat USC, its going to slingshot our season."

Jones also seems unfazed by the prospect of having to cover two of the top receivers in the nation in Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith.

"My friends have all been calling me, blowing up my phone, talking big noise and everything -- saying how they're going to beat us, saying all these threats they have on their team," Jones said. "We've got the same amount of threats over here.

"We're going to come up on top. USC is a great team. Of course, it's not going to be an easy game like it was against Louisiana Tech and Nicholls State."

Jones has two tackles and two pass breakups in two games.

Jones started his college career at Kentucky, where he played three games in 2003 before suffering a season-ending leg injury. He was awarded a medical redshirt for 2003 and transferred to Fresno.

He had five interceptions his first year and two interceptions and 13 pass breakups last season. He was ranked among the top defensive backs coming out of the junior college ranks, and he drew scholarship offers from four other Pac-10 schools in addition to USC.

"It came down between USC and Nebraska. When I went there, I just didn't sense that love that I felt when I came here," Jones said. "It's more Hollywood out there. It didn't seem real to me. I wanted to come to a town where football is loved. And what better town than [Lincoln]."

[smazza]

i always like it when people that have won nothing and have been      losers guarantee victory

[JoeB]

Nebraska sucks.  USC should win by 25 or more.

[smazza]

the times  work out

after i watch usf  destroy ftu/ou/oc

i will be guest of usc saturday

[smazza]

No. 4 USC vs. No. 19 Nebraska

A Bumper Crop of Fans

Nebraska supporters are expected to swarm Coliseum to see 19th-ranked Cornhuskers match up against No. 4 USC

By David Wharton, Times Staff Writer

September 13, 2006

In the hours before kickoff, as Notre Dame Stadium rustled to life, something felt terribly wrong.

No other field in college football can lay claim to a richer sense of tradition, adorned with touches of blue and gold, yet the gathering crowd looked out of place. A murmur began running through the stands: Where is all this red coming from?

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Nebraska fans.

The Fighting Irish were playing the top-ranked Cornhuskers that afternoon in the fall of 2000. Though the scarlet-clad visitors had received only a few thousand tickets, about 30,000 had come to South Bend, Ind., and, somehow, procured seats.

By game time, they accounted for roughly a third of the stadium crowd, chanting: "Husker home game."

"It was a sight to behold," said Byron Boslau, a longtime Nebraska booster.

Boslau had suspected something unusual might transpire that day, if only because the week before, everyone back in Lincoln had talked about making the trip.

Six years later, with the 19th-ranked Cornhuskers set to play No. 4 USC at the Coliseum on Saturday evening, there is a similar buzz.

At least 7,900 people associated with the school or living in Nebraska have bought tickets to the game, some of them apparently going so far as to purchase season tickets. In addition, ticket brokers report brisk sales, and Cornhuskers alumni groups are predicting a repeat of the Notre Dame showing.

Around Lincoln, USC has been the hot topic this summer.

"Every time you talk to somebody, the first question out of their mouth is, 'Are you going to the game?' " said Boslau, an insurance company president. "I think a lot of people are going out there."

The prospect of a red tide washing over the Coliseum might seem unlikely. After all, the hostile takeover at South Bend  a 27-24 overtime victory for Nebraska that ranks among the low points in Notre Dame history  occurred under far different circumstances.

With Bob Davie as coach, the Irish were suffering one mediocre season after another. Disgruntled season-ticket holders were seduced by invaders offering $500 or more a seat.

USC, on the other hand, is on a four-year high and consistently sells out. There has even been concern over not having enough seats for students.

Asked about a potential invasion of Nebraska fans, USC center Ryan Kalil said: "I can't see it happening. The Coliseum has been such a strong point for us, especially lately."

But in a stadium of 92,000 seats, there is room for error. And season-ticket holders who sell their seats aren't necessarily betraying the home team. They might have four seats and need only two, said Annie Libenson, a sports buyer for VIP Tickets in Los Angeles, which has experienced heavy interest in the game.

Nebraska received an allotment of 4,000 seats and USC officials said that people with Nebraska ZIP Codes bought 3,400 individual game tickets and 300 season tickets. Other fans appear poised to descend from all directions.

The state's population is less than 2 million, so many of the university graduates move away for jobs. Thriving clusters of alumni have sprung up in Arizona, Nevada and Colorado.

Perhaps not coincidentally, online ticket broker StubHub.com reported "substantial" sales of USC-Nebraska tickets  at an average of $195 each  in those states. An executive declined to provide an exact number of sales but said it was in the thousands as of last week.

The Californians for Nebraska club has purchased about 1,000 tickets, past president Kent Wiedel said. The group's website has received 4,000 or so e-mails, asking about additional tickets and tailgate parties at the Coliseum.

Alumni groups in Northern California and Arizona "have large quantities of folks coming in," Wiedel said. "I would be very surprised if Nebraska fans don't show up in the tens of thousands."

Many of them might arrive without tickets, said Tim Butler, whose Georgians for Nebraska club is bringing about 50.

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"They're going on the hopes they'll find tickets," he said. "A lot of folks will try to get them on EBay."

Los Angeles brokers say they have been doing good business on the game  with USC fans buying too  and an Omaha broker has been selling tickets since January.

"This is, by far, one of the biggest road games Nebraska has ever had," said Chad Carr, president of Ticket Express. "It's a huge, huge deal."

The game matters so much because the Cornhuskers are impatient to recapture the prominence they once enjoyed. Fans say a victory Saturday, or even a close score, would announce Nebraska's return to the national elite.

"People think it's a good measuring stick," said Lane Grindle, a nightly host on the school's official radio network. "This has been a game that every fan has circled since it was announced."

For weeks, the faithful have posted daily comments and predictions on websites such as bighuskerfan.com and huskerboard.com. They have discussed "Ten Reasons to Dislike USC" ("1. Two letters  O.J.") and "Ten Reasons to Like USC" ("1-10. The cheerleaders").

One fan created a photo illustration of red clouds enveloping the Coliseum and another offered a poem that read, in part:

After the Huskers had performed a perfect plan,

A small grin grew large on Coach Callahan.

More points than the Trojans, the Huskers had scored.

At the end of the day  Order Restored.

Nebraska's hunger for this matchup is such that alumni club leaders said fans would risk the trip knowing they might not get into the Coliseum. At the very least, they will tailgate in the parking lot beforehand, then find a bar with television sets.

"Southern California is a pretty desirable vacation," Butler said.

And there's always next season's rematch in Lincoln.

As Wiedel explained: "We've already received 200 to 300 e-mails for that game

LONG WAIT

Nebraska and USC have played only two times:

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1969 AT NEBRASKA

•  Result: USC 31, Nebraska 21.

•  Attendance: 67,058.

•  The game: No. 5 USC beat unranked Nebraska in the season opener.

1970 AT COLISEUM

•  Result: USC 21, Nebraska 21.

•  Attendance: 73,768.

•  The game: USC won the total yardage battle by one, 366 to 365.

[smazza]

USC REPORT

Ellis' Surgery Is Latest Hit to Defense

By Gary Klein, Times Staff Writer

September 13, 2006

USC's defense, which already lost a starting safety for the season, took another hit on Tuesday when nose tackle Sedrick Ellis had arthroscopic knee surgery that will force him to miss Saturday's home opener against Nebraska and, possibly, several Pacific 10 Conference games.

Ellis, a junior from Chino, hurt his right knee on Monday during a walkthrough early in practice. Coach Pete Carroll said he would miss about three weeks.

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Fourth-ranked USC plays Pac-10 games at Arizona and at Washington State after the Trojans play the 19th-ranked Cornhuskers on Saturday.

Sophomore Fili Moala, who split time with Chris Barrett at defensive tackle in the opener against Arkansas, will start in Ellis' place against Nebraska. Redshirt freshman Averell Spicer and freshman Alex Parsons will back up Moala.

"This is an extraordinary opportunity for Fili and Chris Barrett and they have to maximize it and do something with it," Carroll said during his weekly news conference.

Moala, 6 feet 4 and 295 pounds, played in 13 games last season but finished with only eight tackles. He had no tackles against Arizona State and two against Arizona in his only starts.

Moala had one tackle Sept. 2 in the season opener against Arkansas.

"Things hit a lot faster," he said of playing nose tackle. "I'm just trying to take it all in as fast as I can and contribute to the defense this weekend."

Taylor Mays will try to do the same.

The 6-4, 225-pound freshman safety will start in place of junior Josh Pinkard, who suffered a season-ending knee injury against Arkansas.

"It is a lot to ask from a young kid," Carroll said. "This is an exciting spot to watch. How does he handle it?"

USC got more suspense than it desired a few hours after Carroll posed that question when starting safety Kevin Ellison limped off the field grabbing his left knee. Ellison, a sophomore, tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the same knee last season against Arizona State and had surgery in October 2005.

Ellison spent the last hour of practice on the trainer's table, but said afterward that he only hyperextended the knee and would probably return Thursday.

"I was scared at first, but I'm OK," he said.

Sophomore cornerback Kevin Thomas, however, does not appear to be making much progress in his return from an ankle sprain.

Sophomore Cary Harris, who split time with Thomas in the opener and intercepted a pass, will start against Nebraska, Carroll said.

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Pinkard said he would have surgery next week and that it would be performed in Northern California by Arthur Ting, the father of former Trojans defensive backs Brandon and Ryan Ting.

Pinkard, who was injured while covering a punt in the fourth quarter against Arkansas, said he came to terms with the possibility of missing the season, "from the time I went down on the field to the time they got me on the table and examined me."

Pinkard spoke to Mays earlier this week.

"I just told him to be ready and some things he could do to help himself. Coach Carroll will have a scheme that will take care of him," Pinkard said.

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Junior tailback Chauncey Washington, still nursing a hamstring strain, went through limited drills.

Asked if he would play on Saturday, Washington said, "I'm not sure. I want to but the reality is they want to have me for the whole season.

"I'll try to practice the rest of the week and we'll see how the game plan goes on Saturday."

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Quarterback Sam Keller transferred to Nebraska after Arizona State Coach Dirk Koetter reversed a decision before the season and named Rudy Carpenter the Sun Devils starter.

Keller is not eligible to play for the Cornhuskers until 2007, but Carroll said he pondered what information the quarterback could offer his new team about the Trojans.

Last season, Keller led Arizona State to a 21-3 first-half lead before USC came back to win.

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USC has won most recruiting battles the last few years, but running back Marlon Lucky chose Nebraska over the Trojans in 2005 after starring at North Hollywood High.

"He decided real early in the process that he was locked in to Nebraska so we didn't really get a real long shot at getting after him," Carroll said. "He really liked it there and took off for Nebraska.

"He's one of the guys that got away from us."

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Carroll said offensive lineman Jeff Byers, who was scheduled to receive an epidural injection to relieve pain caused by a cyst in his back, probably would not play against Nebraska…. Middle linebacker Oscar Lua (hamstring) did limited work during practice, but Rey Maualuga remains on track to start

[smazza]

Chilling of the Corn

Efficient offense, dominant defense power No. 4 USC past No. 19 Nebraska, 28-10

By Gary Klein, Times Staff Writer

September 17, 2006

John David Booty did not expect it to be easy.

USC's quarterback had stood on the Coliseum sideline for three years and watched as the Trojans matured into one of the most potent offenses in college football history.

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But when Booty started at the Coliseum for the first time before an expectant sellout crowd Saturday night, his goal was modest: A mistake-free performance and a victory.

Booty engineered both as the fourth-ranked Trojans defeated 19th-ranked Nebraska in workmanlike fashion, 28-10, before 92,000.

"Not every game is going to be a walk in the park," Booty said.

It might have seemed that way after the Trojans routed Arkansas, 50-14, in their opener two weeks ago, but a stubborn and conservative Nebraska team looking for respect made USC work for its 28th consecutive victory at home.

On a clear and breezy night before a crowd bathed in USC cardinal and pockets of Nebraska red, the Trojans were unable to uncork the trademark scoring sprees that typified USC teams of the previous three-plus seasons.

Coach Pete Carroll said he was proud of the defense and the Trojans' hard-fought victory, but acknowledged that stylistically as a whole, "It didn't feel right. Too many issues."

Offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin agreed after the Trojans amassed only 399 yards.

Asked how he thought the offense played, Kiffin grimaced and said, "Not very well. We have a long ways to go."

For all the wringing of hands, there were several bright spots for the Trojans.

Booty completed 25 of 36 passes for 257 yards and three touchdowns without an interception.

"I thought I did all right, but I know I can keep getting better," said Booty, who has passed for six touchdowns with no interceptions in two games.

Booty benefited from an outstanding performance by All-American split end Dwayne Jarrett. The junior from New Jersey, who was slowed by a leg injury throughout training camp and the opener, caught 11 passes for 136 yards with two touchdowns.

Last week, Kiffin had criticized Jarrett for not playing at an All-American level against Arkansas.

"I kind of did need this game to let the world know I'm still working hard, I'm still out there," said Jarrett, who established a USC record with his 31st touchdown catch.

Jarrett's first touchdown came on a 12-yard pass after he beat Nebraska cornerback Andre Jones on a post route. Jones, a transfer from Fresno City College, had boldly predicted that the Cornhuskers would beat the Trojans.

"It felt good, just from his running his mouth," Jarrett said.

Nebraska (2-1) had looked efficient in easy victories over Louisiana Tech and Nicholls State, but the Cornhuskers struggled to move consistently against a USC defense that featured four players stepping in for injured starters.

Fili Moala played in place of nose tackle Sedrick Ellis, freshman Taylor Mays stepped in for safety Josh Pinkard, cornerback Cary Harris started in place of Kevin Thomas and sophomore middle linebacker Rey Maualuga made his first career start in place of Oscar Lua.

The quartet helped the Trojans limit Nebraska to 211 yards, only 68 rushing.

"They dominated," said Cornhuskers running back Marlon Lucky, a former North Hollywood High star who was limited to 27 yards in 10 carries.

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Before the game, Nebraska Coach Bill Callahan had called the matchup against the Trojans a measuring stick for the Cornhuskers.

"Our guys competed hard against one of the best teams in the country, but when you compete against teams like this, the margin for error is minute," Callahan said afterward. "We had critical penalties and mistakes."

Just as Arkansas did in the opener, Nebraska opened the door for the Trojans on its first possession of the second half.

Lucky and quarterback Zac Taylor could not complete an exchange and Harris recovered the fumble at the Cornhuskers 31.

Four plays later, Jarrett beat cornerback Cortney Grixby for a five-yard touchdown pass and a 21-3 USC lead.

Nebraska launched a threat with 1:16 left in the quarter, Taylor connecting with tight end Matt Herian on a 36-yard pass play on the final play of the period for a first down at the Trojans three.

USC appeared to be on its way to an easy win when Maualuga hit Taylor and forced a fumble that was recovered by Keith Rivers. However, linebacker Dallas Sartz was called for holding, giving the Cornhuskers another chance.

USC stuffed tailback Kenny Wilson twice before Taylor ran a bootleg around left end for a touchdown, cutting the deficit to 21-10.

But Booty completed five of seven passes on an 81-yard, 14-play drive that tailback Chauncey Washington capped with a seven-yard touchdown run.

"I didn't know what to do," said Washington, who is playing this season for the first time since 2003. "Coach Carroll says don't celebrate, so I just ran back to my O-line to thank them for letting me get in."

USC next travels to Arizona for its Pacific 10 Conference opener.

"We're starting to come together," linebacker Sartz said. "This is exactly where we wanted to be going into the conference.

"We're only going to get better."

[bulls96go]

and they still lose...get blown out

[smazza]

men of troy keep rolling

[smazza]

USC REPORT

Havili Has Chance at Fullback

By Gary Klein, Times Staff Writer

September 18, 2006

After starting freshman tailbacks in each of its first two games, USC could add a freshman fullback to the mix for the Pacific 10 Conference opener at Arizona.

Coach Pete Carroll said Sunday that Stanley Havili would be given a chance to take the place of senior Ryan Powdrell, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the Trojans' victory over Nebraska. Powdrell had surgery Sunday.

ADVERTISEMENTHavili, 6 feet 1 and 220 pounds, played against Arkansas and Nebraska but has not carried the ball or caught a pass. He will receive an extended look with the first-unit offense during practice this week.

"We're just going to throw him to the front, let's go," Carroll said. "It's a Taylor Mays-type of move."

Mays, a freshman safety, started against Nebraska in place of injured junior Josh Pinkard and made five tackles against a Cornhuskers offense that passed only 16 times.

"I thought I did pretty well," Mays said. "With all the guys around me supporting me, I didn't really feel intimidated."

Senior Mike Brittingham and junior Jody Adewale will try to help bring along Havili, who amassed about 1,500 rushing yards and about 1,000 receiving yards last year at Cottonwood High in Utah.

"He catches the ball, blocks hard, runs well; we're just going to go with it," Carroll said.

Carroll said the coaching staff had not decided whether another player such as freshman tailback Allen Bradford would be moved to shore up depth at fullback.

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Freshman tailback Emmanuel Moody showed flashes in his first start, freshman C.J. Gable also had moments and junior Chauncey Washington got his first score.

But the offensive line underperformed, according to Carroll and offensive line coach Pat Ruel.

Asked what he thought of the Trojans' running game, Ruel said, "What running game? I don't think we were very good, but part of that was Nebraska has a pretty good front seven. We just need to clean things up."

The Trojans also were handicapped by the condition of center Ryan Kalil, who suffered a concussion last week. Carroll said the senior was cleared to play but fought dehydration throughout the game.

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USC moved up one spot to No. 3 in the Associated Press poll. The Trojans are No. 2 in the coaches' poll…. Carroll praised the defense, especially a linebacker corps led by sophomore Rey Maualuga, who had a game-high 11 tackles in his first start…. Carroll said Moody's performance and running style warrant more opportunities…. Washington's first touchdown would be acknowledged during a team meeting today, according to Carroll, who added that he would like to see the junior "make a big jump" in production as junior receiver Dwayne Jarrett has. After catching five passes for 35 yards against Arkansas, Jarrett had 11 receptions for 136 yards and two touchdowns against Nebraska. Jarrett is ranked fifth nationally with eight receptions per game.