 "Photo: Vanessa Skocz")
No. 1-ranked Southern California was in town, ESPN College GameDay and a national audience were watching, and Cornhusker fans had worked themselves into a frenzy by Saturday's 7:13 p.m. kickoff.
Nebraska kept the score close for a half, even taking a brief 10-7 lead in the second quarter. Then the Trojans did what they do best - they took control and showed why they are among the most feared teams in college football right now.
USC used a punishing running game and a fearsome rush defense to build a 42-10 lead with five minutes left in the third quarter. The game was out of NU's reach, fans were heading for the exits and the Huskers looked like just another opponent on the Trojans' run to a possible national title.
USC left Lincoln with a 49-31 win, having racked up more points than any Husker opponent in Memorial Stadium since 1945. And Nebraska was left with yet another loss to a top 10 team - its fifth in five tries since last September.
NU senior linebacker Bo Ruud said Husker defenders just missed tackles and were frequently in the wrong position.
"Beyond disappointing," Ruud said. "It just feels terrible right now. This was a real bad performance from our team. I don't think it shows at all the way we expected ourselves to play.
"It was just a bad, bad performance by us tonight."
The Trojans rolled up 457 yards of total offense, including 313 rushing yards, while holding Nebraska to just 31 rushing yards.
The game got off to an ominous start for the Huskers when they were forced to punt on their first drive after NU senior quarterback Sam Keller was sacked for a four-yard loss on third down.
USC then needed only four plays and 1 minute, 38 seconds to go 96 yards and score a touchdown for a quick 7-0 lead. All but five of those yards came on the ground.
NU responded with a touchdown near the end of the first quarter for a 7-7 tie, and freshman kicker Alex Henery's 37-yard field goal with 9:14 left in the second gave the Huskers a 10-7 lead. USC then scored 35 unanswered points and the Huskers did not score again until the fourth quarter.
"We had everything going perfect," NU junior offensive lineman Matt Slauson said. "We were up 10-7, and then we just lost it. There were times that we just didn't show up to play. Other times we did great things, but it just wasn't us tonight."
Nebraska trailed 21-10 at halftime, but on the Huskers' first two drives of the second half, Keller threw interceptions that USC converted into touchdowns to give the Trojans a 35-10 advantage.
"We had a couple turnovers there at the beginning of the third quarter that hurt our opportunities," Nebraska Coach Bill Callahan said. "A couple of bounces went the wrong way a few times, but overall you've got to give (the Trojans) credit. They played a good game, and we've just got to get better. We've got to find a way to improve quickly."
NU outscored USC 21-7 in the fourth quarter to make the final margin the same as last season's 28-10 loss to the Trojans in Los Angeles.
Still, the Huskers were handily defeated by USC in a game that was billed by many as a chance for Nebraska to once again be mentioned among college football's elite.
For now, that will have to wait, as NU dropped to No. 24 in the new AP poll released Sunday. All the Huskers can do is watch the game film and try to fix what went wrong.
"You can't go in the tank after a game like this," Ruud said. "You've either got to have the mind-set to improve off this and get better and try to win out, or you go in the tank and call it a year."
bengouldsmith@dailynebraskan.com
