It’s gonna be a crazy Saturday night under the Lincoln lights, with Nebraska dressed out in all black, 90,000 supporters screaming. But Lincoln Riley’s Trojans will be battling a storm they didn’t expect. USC is still recovering from the devastating defeat to Notre Dame, managing injuries, and attempting to put an end to the “hot seat” rumors surrounding Riley. The Huskers, meanwhile, are eager to end some rather embarrassing streaks, 0-28 against teams that are ranked! But there’s another big problem waiting for USC in Lincoln, one they’ve managed to avoid all season until now.

It’s gonna be pretty chilly in Lincoln. The kickoff temperatures are predicted to be around 43 degrees, almost matching the lowest temperature Los Angeles experienced last year. So fans at Memorial Stadium must bring extra clothing. This will be unfamiliar ground for Lincoln Riley’s Trojans, who have been training under California heat waves that have reached the mid-90s for the past few weeks. They last experienced something like this in Seattle last year, and things didn’t go well then. But the stakes are bigger this time with a Big Ten rivalry and a blackout crowd.

Even the USC players agree on the tough weather conditions. But they are not letting that narrative take over. “Weather can’t define how we play. So we just got to go out there and have that attack mode,” said quarterback Jayden Maiava. Walker Lyons, a tight end, expressed a similar attitude, saying, “Can’t really prepare for that. We’re not gonna use that as an excuse. We’re gonna come ready to play.” 

With black clothes, black flags, and even black end zones, the Huskers have fully embraced the blackout theme. Lyons acknowledged that the Trojans haven’t exactly been road warriors lately and said, “It’s going to be loud, it’s going to be hostile, it’s Big Ten, so it’ll be cold. Just understanding that, just going into that, not as an excuse, but just able to understand that so we can start fast.” Dylan Raiola had previously predicted months earlier that USC wouldn’t be prepared for the cold. Well, he got his wish. Riley’s Trojans must prove that they can survive when the temperature lowers and the noise goes up.

Lincoln Riley’s USC looks to rekindle its fire in Lincoln

Till Week 6, fans dared to whisper playoff hopes when the scoreboard lit up, and it seemed like the Trojans were finally back. But as usual, the football gods had different plans. Before Lincoln Riley could blink, his starters began to reduce when one injury followed another. Riley said last week, “I couldn’t guarantee the offensive line will be back to how it started the season,” implying that C Kilian O’Connor and LT Elijah Paige are still not fully recovered. In their absence, USC’s offense has not looked good. Especially after the Notre Dame disaster in which they managed only 68 rushing yards and allowed Jayden Maiava to take hit after hit. That O-line had once stood solid and earned a Joe Moore Award.

Still, Riley hasn’t lost faith. He said, “It’s more realistic now,” on the return of his linemen. And he’ll need it. The Trojans’ backfield has also been severely injured. Eli Sanders and Waymond Jordan, who took up quite a lot of the early-season workload, are out, leaving USC struggling to find rhythm. But even John Butler, Nebraska’s DC, couldn’t resist giving credit where credit is due. “They’re not doing anything different,” he said. “You’d hope when you get down to the fourth-string RB, he wouldn’t be as good as the first… They’ve got some dudes.”

Even though everyone is talking about who isn’t playing, USC’s stars who are available still make this team a threat. With a 530-yard-per-game offense, Maiava is leading the FBS. He has developed some scary chemistry with Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane. The type of bond that can tear through even the stingiest secondaries. “We’ve improved. We learned a lot about ourselves,” Riley said reflecting on the recent weeks of turmoil. So USC’s goal is to shut out the noise, block out the cold, and prove that the Trojans’ flame isn’t dying out anytime soon.