BLUE CHIPPERS:
STEWART BRADLEY, SENIOR LINEBACKER A bright spot on defense in Nebraska's 28-10 loss to Southern California, Bradley led the Blackshirts with 10 tackles, including three solos. The 6-foot-4 250 pounder also tallied a forced fumble in the first quarter. - Katelyn Kerkhove
DAN TITCHENER, SOPHOMORE PUNTER Not only did Titchener kick five punts for 193 yards, but he also completed his first career pass - a 28-yard completion to Todd Peterson on a fake punt in the first quarter. - Ben Gouldsmith
COREY MCKEON, JUNIOR LINEBACKER McKeon was part of an NU linebacking corps that was asked to do yeoman's duty defending quick screen passes while at the same time beefing up on the run. The junior from Naperville, Ill., made nine solo stops, tying with junior Bo Ruud for second on the team. - Jeff Sheldon
Market Watch:
Running Game - Sell. Sell quickly. Nebraska decided to prove a point by running the ball against the Trojans, then continued to hammer the point home long after it was obviously futile. The line - 36 carries for 68 yards, a robust average of 1.9 yards per attempt.
Passing Game - Wait and see, but only because Nebraska didn't display one against Southern California. Senior quarterback Zac Taylor threw only 16 times Saturday, with most passes being screen tosses to running backs or short underneath routes. The best pass of the day came on a fake punt from sophomore Dan Titchener, who hit Todd Peterson for 28 yards in the first quarter.
Defense - Holding steady. You knew Southern Cal would get its yards and points Saturday, but NU came out with a strong game plan. Make the Trojans go on long drives and hope they make mistakes. They didn't. Still, a lot of teams would be happy holding Southern Cal to 28 points.
Special Teams - Buy. Sophomore Jordan Congdon's first-quarter field goal gave the Cornhuskers their only lead of the game. Titchener was solid kicking and even executed a beautiful fake punt. Junior wide receiver Terrence Nunn added a nifty 31-yard punt return.
Game plan - Risky. So this is how you challenge the most talented team in the country? Handcuff your best player by handing off into the teeth of a stout defense and never take shots down the field until it's too late? The message this game plan sent to the players may have damaging effects later in the season.
The Ticker
2 - The number of times Nebraska attempted a first-down pass.
1.9 - The average yards gained on NU's 68 rushing attempts Saturday.
11 - The number of catches Southern California's Dwayne Jarrett pulled in, to go along with a pair of scores.
0 - The number of carries by sophomore I-back Cody Glenn, who entered the game with a team-high three rushing touchdowns.
