You’d think college football coaches only throw shade at one another, but not this week. Rivalries aside, respect for the game still runs deep. And when much of the football world was questioning Lincoln Riley’s situation at USC, one unexpected voice stepped up in his defense. Nebraska’s defensive coordinator, John Butler. Lincoln Riley’s squad is looking to bounce back this week against Nebraska after a tough 34-24 loss to Notre Dame.

The Trojans’ run game faltered badly, managing just 68 yards on 29 carries. Injuries to key running backs Waymond Jordan and Eli Sanders left the backfield depleted, USC’s running back room looks like a total mess. But for Nebraska’s defensive coordinator, John Butler, that’s not the case. As quoted by reporter Keely Eure, who hits Butler when asked whether injuries have impacted USC’s run game: “They’re not doing anything different… Unfortunately, there isn’t much drop-off. You’d hope when you get down to the fourth-string RB, he wouldn’t be as good as the first-string RB… They’ve got some dudes.”

And he’s not wrong. Losing Jordan and Sanders was a massive blow, Jordan had rushed for 576 yards and five touchdowns on 88 carries, ranking third in the Big Ten behind Nebraska’s Emmett Johnson and Michigan’s Justice Haynes. Sanders, too, had chipped in 264 yards and two touchdowns. Without them, USC’s offense was forced to lean more heavily on quarterback Jayden Maiava, especially in the loss to Notre Dame.

But let’s not forget, despite a 5-2 record and weak RB room, USC enters their game against Nebraska as the nation’s most explosive offense. They are leading all FBS with 530.1 yards per game and 326.1 passing yards per game. On top of that, Maiava’s chemistry with the receivers Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane is top-notch. ESPN’s FPI gives them a 72.1% chance of winning against the Huskers. So, let’s see if they can build on it despite the current setbacks.

Lincoln Riley makes a major off-field move

The USC Trojans’ fate might have taken a hit after their star RB Waymond Jordan went down because of injury, but now Lincoln Riley and his team are looking for exceptional players to expand success in their 2026 season. And they are already doubling down on it, grabbing their second JUCO commit of the month, TE Josiah Jefferson, after adding Northwest Mississippi’s cornerback Jakwon Morris.

Jefferson comes to USC from Southwestern College in Chula Vista, California, and he’s No. 8 overall JUCO player and No. 1 JUCO tight end in the class of 2026. But this wasn’t an easy move, as before committing to the Trojans, Jefferson was with Utah, but Lincoln Riley and his staff flipped him. Now, with that, USC grabs its 2nd TE of the 2026 class after Mark Bowman.

But what really grabbed Jefferson’s attention was that he made a switch within a week? “Every program has a lot of good things to offer,” said Jefferson. “But Lincoln Riley’s offense is absolutely incredible. If you just look at the place and how he schemes everything, they utilize everybody. The way they used the tight ends against the University of Michigan. Who wouldn’t want to play in an offense like that?” Now, it will be interesting to see how well he gels in Riley’s offense.