// This is the single game page 2025 Southern Cal @ Nebraska football - HuskerMax game page

South­ern Cal 21
Nebraska 17

Nov. 1, 2025 • 6:30 p.m. Central
Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE • NBC
1st 2nd 3rd 4th  F 
South­ern Cal 0 6 8 7 21
Nebraska 7 7 0 3 17
Dylan Raiola hobbles
Kenny Larabee, KLIN
Dylan Raiola is helped off the field after the strip-sack that knocked him out of the game in the third quarter.
First quarter
 NU: Key 14 pass from Raiola (Cunanan kick) 6:29
Second quarter
 SC: Sayeri 24 field goal, 13:23
 SC: Sayeri 49 field goal, 6:07
 NU: Johnson 10 run (Cunanan kick) 1:37
Third quarter
 SC: Maiava 16 run (Miller run) 3:32
Fourth quarter
 NU: Cunanan 39 field goal, 12:53
 SC: Miller 6 run (Sayeri kick) 10:06

                        SC        NU
FIRST DOWNS ........... 20        20
  By rushing .......... 13        12
  By passing ........... 5         6
  By penalty ........... 2         2
RUSHES-YDS ........ 38-202    40-188
PASSING-YDS .......... 135        98
  Comp-Att-Int .... 9-23-1   15-22-0
TOTAL OFFENSE ..... 61-337    62-286
Punt Returns-Yds ..... 0-0       2-8
K.O. Returns-Yds .... 1-11      2-48
Punts-Avg. ........ 4-39.3    4-37.5
Fumbles-Lost ......... 0-0       4-1
Penalized-Yds ....... 8-49      4-45
Possession Time .... 27:02     32:58
Third-Down Conv. .... 6-14      5-12
Fourth-Down Conv. .... 0-1       0-1

Attendance: 86,529
Andrew Marshall INT
Kenny Larabee, KLIN
Andrew Marshall intercepts a USC pass in the third quarter.

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Blackout night not enough to end big-game blues

The Huskers lost quarterback Dylan Raiola to injury in the third quarter, and the 23rd-ranked Trojans kept Nebraska out of the end zone for the rest of the game for a 21-17 win that prolonged the Big Red’s drought in big games.

Nebraska led 14-6 at the half after a pair of 75-yard touchdown drives while the Trojans’ own promising possessions ended in a pair of field goals.

Things seemed to be going the black-clad Huskers’ way when Andrew Marshall picked off a pass at the USC 34. But the tables quickly turned when Raiola lost the ball and suffered a lower-leg injury on a strip sack. That forced true freshman TJ Lateef to finish the game in his place.

After Raiola’s exit, USC quickly tied the game on a five-play 66-yard drive, then answered Kyle Cunanan’s 39-yard field goal with a six-play, 75-yard TD drive that included a 43-yard flea-flicker to the NU 32. The Trojans now led for the first time, 21-17.

Nearly 13 minutes remained, but the Huskers never mustered a serious threat while playing from behind. Their last chance ended when Emmett Johnson stumbled on a fourth-and-1 run in the final two minutes — a rare misstep for the workhorse running back who rushed for 165 yards on 29 carries.

Omaha World-Herald*
HuskerMax/On SI
Lincoln Journal Star*
More Neb. Sources
Husker247
HuskerOnline
Inside Nebraska*
Corn Nation
Daily Nebraskan
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Los Angeles Times*
Orange County Register
Trojans Wire
USC Trojans On SI
247Sports
Associated Press
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2025 results
08/28 @ Cincinnati W 20-17
09/06 Akron W 68-0
09/13 Houston Christian W 59-7
09/20 Michigan L 27-30
10/04 Michigan St. W 38-27
10/11 @ Maryland W 34-31
10/17 @ Minnesota L 6-24
10/25 Northwestern W 28-21
11/01 South­ern Cal L 17-21
11/08 @ UCLA W 28-21
11/22 @ Penn State L 10-37
11/28 Iowa L 16-40
12/31 Utah L 22-44
— 2024 | 2026 —

Commentary

Stryker

If only the Cornhuskers had executed the read option with TJ Lateef a few more times, they might well have ended their long, painful losing streak to rated teams.

Tad Stryker
HuskerMax/On 3
Henry

USC was able to simply run out the clock since the Huskers had just a single timeout remaining. When did those timeouts get used? Back in the third quarter.

Kaleb Henry
HuskerMax/On SI
Feit

The men in black had multiple chances to seize control of the game. But Nebraska continually came up short - or shot themselves in the foot.

Dave Feit
HuskerMax/On SI
Christopherson

To lose the football and possible points to go up two scores is one thing. To lose your starting quarterback in the same moment is just a complete kick to the jewels.

Brian Christopherson
Husker247
Callahan

In the span of just a few minutes, Nebraska lost starting quarterback Dylan Raiola, left tackle Elijah Pritchett and burned two timeouts. It was quite the stretch for head coach Matt Rhule to navigate.

Sean Callahan
HuskerOnline
Shatel

Nebraska is going to break this streak against ranked teams one day. But it wasn’t to be on a night that looked right for the occasion.

Tom Shatel *
Omaha World-Herald
Sipple

To win anywhere on Earth, you better be able to stop the run at an acceptable level. In this case, USC hammered Nebraska to the tune of 202 rushing yards on 38 attempts.

Steven Sipple *
HuskerOnline
Just

Had Raiola bounced off the turf for the 26th time in a row this season, you wonder if the result would have been different.

Amie Just *
Lincoln Journal Star
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