Holiday Bowl 2014: Nebraska vs. USC TV Info, Spread, Injury Updates, Time, More
Nebraska looks to kick off a new football era, and USC hopes to end the first season of a new system in style Saturday in the National University Holiday Bowl.
Despite the chance to get to 10 wins with a bowl victory, the Cornhuskers come into San Diego without their head coach. Bo Pelini's surprise firing was followed by the surprise hiring of Oregon State's Mike Riley, but Pelini's staff (minus the man himself, of course) will be coaching Nebraska one final time.
In order to do so, it will have to notch its first win over a ranked team all season. The 24th-ranked Trojans come in with a worse record (8-4, 6-3 Pac-12), but they are flying high after a season-ending stomping of Notre Dame.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
You'd have to search far and wide to find a bowl game between more prestigious programs. USC and Nebraska have combined for 16 national championships and 10 Heisman Trophy winners.
Here's a breakdown of all the information and top storylines for the Holiday Bowl.
When: Saturday, Dec. 27 at 8 p.m. ET
Where: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Spread (via Odds Shark): USC -7
This One's for Coach
Maybe Nebraska did what it had to do in firing Pelini. But that didn't make it any easier for the players—a group that should be intent on making a statement at the end of a bizarre era.
It was bizarre because despite seven seasons from Pelini, which ended with a strong 62-27 record, the coach never made the jump to becoming a perennial Big Ten and national title contender. And it was even more bizarre because many players' sentiments seemed to reflect that the decision to fire Pelini may not have been warranted.
With the new coach already moving his boxes into Pelini's old office, soon-to-be former defensive coordinator John Papuchis summed it up perfectly.
“One way or another, that’s coming to an end Saturday night," Papuchis told ESPN.com's Mitch Sherman. "So if it’s going to come down to an ending, it might as well end on a good note.”
Beating a team of USC's prestige and ability would represent the type of wins Pelini couldn't find often enough in his seven years with Nebraska. Dating back to 2012, the Cornhuskers have lost their last six games to ranked foes.
They have a chance to end that streak along with the Pelini tenure in Nebraska on Saturday, and it could be the springboard these players need heading into a new system and a new coaching staff.
Caution: Contents are Hot
If it weren't for a few close losses and a guy named Marcus Mariota, we would've been talking about Cody Kessler as the nation's elite quarterback entering the postseason.
The junior quarterback has been absolutely scorching all season long. He has thrown for 36 touchdowns and just four interceptions, a ratio only Mariota can top for the season.
Kessler has also completed a ridiculous 70.7 percent of his passes on the season, generating talk about a potential NFL draft announcement instead of a return for 2015. It's weighing on his mind, but he's relaxed about it.
"No matter what I end up doing…it's a good decision to have," Kessler told Los Angeles Times' Gary Klein. "It's kind of cool."
We won't know until afterward whether Saturday's game will be Kessler's last in Trojan red, but it's safe to say the Nebraska defense would prefer if he had already left—him and dominant receiver Nelson Agholor, who has 97 catches for 1,223 yards on the year.
The coaching turnover is an obvious wild card that could impact the game in many ways, but there's no question about the impact of Kessler and running back Javorius "Buck" Allen, per ESPN's David Lombardi:
"Uneven" doesn't do the Nebraska defense justice. It allowed 34 points to Iowa and 59 to Wisconsin in two November losses that were the final straws in Pelini's coaching tenure.
Nebraska showed up defensively against Michigan State but allowed 27 points in an eventual defeat. The Spartans don't touch what USC can do offensively, which means even the best of performances from the Cornhuskers may not be enough.
Team Injury Reports
| Mark Pelini | C | expected to miss bowl | Out | Ankle |
| Ryne Reeves | OL | expected to miss bowl | Out | Undisclosed |
| Zach Sterup | T | expected to miss bowl | Out | Undisclosed |
| Randy Gregory | DE | probable | Prob. | Ankle |
| Corey Cooper | DB | questionable for bowl | Quest. | Foot |
| Alonzo Moore | WR | questionable for bowl | Quest. | Undisclosed |
| Marcus Newby | LB | questionable for bowl | Quest. | Undisclosed |
| Uchenna Nwosu | LB | is questionable for bowl | Quest. | Ankle |
| Cody Temple | DT | is questionable for bowl | Quest. | Back |
| Antwaun Woods | DT | will miss bowl | Out | Pectoral |
| Ajene Harris | WR | is questionable for bowl | Quest. | Hamstring |
| Chad Wheeler | T | will miss remainder of season | Out | Leg |
| Jordan Simmons | G | is questionable for bowl | Quest. | Knee |
| Tre Madden | RB | is questionable for bowl | Quest. | Toe |
Team injury reports available courtesy of The Sports Network, via USA Today.
Prediction
The Cornhuskers are too talented to be moving on from a head coach, and they'll demonstrate that by showing up to play in a big way. But it will take a stroke of magic to slow down Kessler and Co. enough to win this one.
Tommy Armstrong Jr. and the Nebraska offense score 37.4 points per game and put up enough points to keep this one close, but Allen will run his way to some big gains and open up things even more for Kessler.
Prediction: USC 34, Nebraska 27
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
