The Six Tries at Troy – Husker Football’s Trojan Odyssey

From Devaney to Dylan Raiola, Nebraska’s quest to topple Troy has spanned half a century — six tries, no triumphs, and a myth that still endures.

Nebraska has never beaten USC. | Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images

This Saturday, the USC Trojans invade Lincoln, Nebraska, with a platoon looking to continue its quest for an at-large playoff berth. If history is any indicator, they’ll walk out of Memorial Stadium with the spoils.

Since 1969, the Huskers have been mired in a Homeric struggle with the fighting men of Troy. In six contests with Southern Cal, the Huskers have never emerged as the victor. Five losses. One tie.

It’s a Greek Tragedy of Nebraska grasping for relevance, of being just one step too slow, and of bounces that wouldn’t go their way.

It’s worth examining each effort versus Troy for an appreciation for how the Huskers have tried, and failed, to overcome in this series.  

1969

The first clash between Huskers and Trojans happened, fittingly, on Nebraska’s 700th football game.

Head man Bob Devaney entered the 1969 campaign on something of a hot seat, which is an odd thing to say given that he was also the Athletic Director. Even then, Nebraska’s rabid fan base had made their feelings known in light of a late-season skid in ’68 that included shutout losses to lowly Kansas State and rival Oklahoma.

Trouble was, his team in 1969 was young and unsettled, the QB position still a tug-of-war between steady Jerry Tagge and electric Van Brownson.   

Coach Bob Devaney found himself on the hot seat in 1969. | Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images

Brownson, a latter-day Johnny Manziel with his dazzling play and off-field vices, got the call. But he took snaps without I-Back Joe Orduna, the Omaha native, out for the year in a costly injury that cast an ominous shadow over the fall ahead.

USC, as they would be in their first four contests against Nebraska, entered ranked in the Top 5. The Trojans jumped up 14–0 behind their storied “Wild Bunch” line and a perfectly thrown 46-yard TD. Down two touchdowns early in the second quarter, Big Red faithful were sharpening their pitchforks, set to drive Devaney and his diminishing product out of town.  

But then, out of their new I-Formation, Wingback Larry Frost took a handoff 36 yards and Brownson punched it in from the 2. Down 21-7 at halftime, Van Brownson still flashed: a pump fake and 14-yard scramble earned a frame-by-frame in the Omaha World Herald. After a brutal hit, Tagge relieved him. Monte Kiffin’s new Monster defense struggled with Trojan speed; All-America corner Dana Stephenson called it the worst performance of his career.

Tagge sparked a drive capped by Jeff Kinney’s score. An onside kick recovery and then Tagge’s 2-yard option keeper made it 28-21. The defense got a stop, but an ill-advised throw was picked, setting up USC’s clinching field goal.

Final: 31-21, USC.

The game may have ended in a loss, but it was hardly disappointing. In fact, Devaney privately praised his team in the locker room for not giving up, even if he’d publicly rebuke them for giving up 31 points. USC was an outstanding team, one that would go on to finish third in the polls and win the Rose Bowl. The tighter-than-expected win was something of a letdown for them and led to equivocations like saying they “let off” after going up 28-7 and criticized the officiating for their five pass interference penalties. They’d underestimated the Huskers. The rest of college football would soon learn not to.

1970

Among Nebraska’s five national championship teams, there are no losses. There is, however, one tie. That tie came courtesy of the fighting men of Troy in 1970, who hosted Nebraska on September 19th. USC was No. 3, unbeaten in 23 regular-season games, and fresh off a history-shifting rout of Bear Bryant’s Alabama.  

Both Van Brownson and Jerry Tagge, still vying for complete control of the starting QB job a year later, entered the day dinged up. The ever-dependable Tagge started.  

He wasn’t without help. He had the privilege of throwing to a sophomore, newly promoted to the varsity squad, named Johnny Rodgers. And the much-hyped Omaha product had a score to settle with USC after being jilted by them during the recruitment process because they felt Rodgers was too small (and missing a Geometry credit, depending on who you ask). Their loss was the Huskers' gain – Rodgers would amass 188 total yards on the day.

Jerry Murtaugh was a team captain in 1970 despite his tendency to land in coach Bob Devaney's doghouse. | Nebraska Athletics

But it would be I-back Joe Orduna they’d ride in the first quarter. Orduna ran for tough yards behind left tackle Bob Newton, a California native also motivated after being snubbed by the Trojans. But an early scoring opportunity slipped through their fingers, literally, when Orduna fumbled near the end zone.

Fortunately, their defense came to play. Behind state champion wrestler and reputed street brawler Jerry Murtaugh, the Blackshirts netted two turnovers and stonewalled the Trojans on their first five possessions. Most linebackers get caught in the wash. Murtaugh caused it.

 A 30-yard punt return by Rodgers set up a toss to fullback Dan Schneiss, who held up in the backfield and passed to a wide-open Guy Ingles for a score that put the Huskers up 7-0 early. Tagge threw a pick that ultimately tied the game, but redeemed himself with a 15-yard pass to Rodgers for another touchdown. Nebraska led by 7 at halftime, their confidence at an all-time high.

Opening the third, Tagge drove again – then threw his second pick. Tie, 14–14.

In a clash of titans going blow-for-blow, the Huskers quickly hit back. Orduna, who’d run for 135 yards on the day at 7.5 yards a carry, took a brilliant off-tackle pitch to the house. When All-American defensive tackle Larry Jacobson recovered a fumble at the Trojans’ 15, the Huskers seemingly had the game locked up. One more score would put the game out of reach. Their title aspirations would be validated, their arrival on the national landscape announced in full. USC was a blue blood even then, considered one of the premier teams in the sport.

But the Trojans repelled Nebraska at the gates. The Huskers managed only 3 yards and settled for a field goal try. But Paul Rogers’s kick sailed wide right after an errant snap, the opportunity to close the game out lost. The Trojans marched and tied the game yet again, this time with a 9-yard run by Clarence Davis.

The Trojans took over after a stalled Husker drive and had the ball at midfield with just a few minutes left on the game clock. On fourth and 1, the Trojans handed it off to their fullback Sam “Bam” Cunningham. Murtaugh stoned him for no gain, his 25th tackle of the game, which was a new school record. After the game, he’d be complimented by USC’s star players. Respect was earned.

While the clock ran out on the Huskers, resulting in a 21-21 tie, the prevailing consensus was that Nebraska was the better team. Even the Los Angeles Times felt USC was lucky to tie. AP voters concurred, promoting Nebraska in the polls the following week.

Nebraska would go on to win 23 straight. USC, however, was not of the same vintage. They’d lose four games and finish sixth in the Pac-8 conference. This was the Huskers’ best chance for a Trojan win, but it fell by the wayside due to a special teams blunder and both the offense and defense failing to put the game away when they had the chance.

2006

USC and Nebraska would not cross paths again until a home-and-home series kicked off in 2006.

By then, the roles had inverted. The upstart of the early ’70s was a certified blue blood in a lull; USC, once uneven, was now the sport’s apex predator – a ’90s Nebraska in cardinal and gold.

Pete Carroll prowled the sideline, flanked by Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian. The Trojans were fresh off back-to-back titles (’03–’04) and a near-three-peat in ’05. Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush were gone, but the roster still dripped with Sunday talent: Dwayne Jarrett, Brian Cushing, Rey Maualuga, Taylor Mays, etc.

Southern California head coach Pete Carroll and quarterback John David Booty celebrate at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Nebraska had ammo, too: future NFL starters in Adam Carriker and Stewart Bradley on defense, Marlon Lucky, who was heavily courted by USC, at I-back, and senior Zac Taylor piloting the West Coast offense. But they were crippled in the secondary – star CB Zack Bowman tore his patellar tendon in August – and DC Kevin Cosgrove left his corners, 5-foot-9 Cortney Grixby and JUCO newcomer Andre Jones, on islands against an NFL-caliber WR room.

Like fellow receiver Johnny Rodgers before him, wide receiver Maurice Purify wanted to go to USC but didn’t get the requisite green light. He’d be held without a catch on the night.

Early, Nebraska flashed teeth: after a gruesome injury to USC RB Ryan Powdrell, the Blackshirts got a fourth-down stop. In the only gambit he’d risk, Callahan called a fake punt. Punter Dan Titchener hit receiver Todd Peterson in stride for a 36-yard gain. But the drive sputtered into three points.

From there, the plan revealed itself: shorten the game, run clock, minimize risk – what Husker fans derisively labeled “Don’t Get Blown Out.” He should’ve told Andre Jones – he predicted victory for Big Red prior to the game. The broadcast team would chastise him every time he allowed a catch. They also criticized Nebraska’s conservative game plan. “Give your guys a chance,” broadcaster Bob Davie exclaimed when a third-down run was stuffed for a loss. 

With Zac Taylor handcuffed to underneath throws and no downfield shots until the game was in hand, Nebraska never forced USC out of its comfort zone.

They had their chances. Grixby dropped a walk-in pick-six early in the third. Down 11 with momentum, Lucky fumbled it back. Moments later, Jarrett effectively ended it.

At halftime, Titchener was Nebraska’s leading passer. Taylor finished 8-of-17 for 115 yards. The Blackshirts were solid up front, but dropped potential game-changing picks.

Final: USC 28, Nebraska 10.

They’d go on to play for the Big XII title but fell to Oklahoma in a freezing Kansas City setting. USC would cruise to an 11-2 record and win the Rose Bowl against a favored Michigan squad that was close to playing for the BCS crown.

2007

The table was set in 2007 for the Huskers to break their Trojan curse. Nebraska opened as a dark-horse contender at No. 14. Arizona State transfer Sam Keller had faced USC in 2005 – up 21–3 at half before throwing five picks – and wanted atonement.

It was ABC Primetime television. College GameDay came. Will Ferrell was on USC’s sideline. It was Pete Carroll’s 57th birthday. This was supposed to be the Huskers' national breakout game. Instead, it was the first indication of disaster looming on the horizon.

USC’s opening drive started against their own end zone. It only took four plays to reach Nebraska’s. Big Red responded. Running back Cody Glenn pushed past Rey Maualuga to tie the game up. Midway through the second quarter, Nebraska led 10-7.

The energy in Memorial Stadium was palpable. The years of blowout losses and a humbling fall from relevance sure to be washed away with this victory.

On the ensuing kickoff, USC fumbled. The opportunity to pounce and go up two scores was within their grasp.

But a backup linebacker for Southern Cal picked the ball up and rumbled 40 yards. With six minutes left in the second period, they took the lead 14-10. Nebraska would never threaten again. 

Nebraska Cornhuskers defenders Armando Murillo (5) and Larry Asante (4) tackle USC Trojans runner Stafon Johnson (13) in the second quarter at Memorial Stadium. USC won 49-31. | Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images

What was most concerning was that large, canyon-sized holes began opening up for USC’s running backs on trap and counter plays. Stafon Johnson practically walked into the end zone just before half. 21-10 USC. 

When the dust settled, the Trojans had amassed 313 rushing yards. It was one of the worst defensive line performances in Blackshirt history, an assertion made even more puzzling when you remember that Ndamukong Suh was part of it. The linebackers looked lost; the secondary missed tackles.

Keller threw the ball all around the yard, tying Zac Taylor’s school record for completions with 36, but also threw two picks.

The final score read 49-31 USC in a game that was much worse. Out of their five losses to USC, this one was the worst effort.  

Callahan punished his team for the embarrassment in practice the next week. The Huskers flatlined from there. They nearly lost to Ball State the next week and would win only two conference games, leading to a complete house cleaning that saw both Bill Callahan and his boss Steve Pederson fired to much fanfare. USC, meanwhile, trotted off another 11-2 record and a humdrum Rose Bowl crown.

2014

The Huskers wouldn’t have to wait decades to see USC again. After the 2014 season concluded with a 9-3 record, Nebraska was invited to play the Trojans in San Diego for the Holiday Bowl.

It was an emotional game for the Huskers, with coach Bo Pelini having been fired after the regular season. Barney Cotton stood in his place on the sideline, two of his sons on the field playing for him. On the opposite sideline was Steve Sarkisian, who had history with Nebraska from his time as head coach at Washington and being an assistant under Pete Carroll. His Trojans came in as a fringe top-25 team, their depth thinned out by sanctions but not their top-end talent.

Offensive coordinator Tim Beck, unshackled, let loose. Nebraska marched the opening possession down for a field goal, signaling they were ready to fight.

But so was USC. 

Freshman phenom Adoree Jackson returned the subsequent kickoff to the house, flipping into the end zone as he did so. It was the first of eight penalties USC would incur in the first quarter alone.

Sophomore quarterback Tommy Armstrong answered. A would-be touchdown pass to left tackle Alex Lewis was reversed on review; no matter, on 3rd-and-13 Tommy hit Kenny Bell (with “Pelini” scrawled on his wrist tape) for six.

Opposite Tommy was USC gunslinger Cody Kessler, who boasted the usual bona fides befitting a Trojan triggerman. Kessler came in having thrown 36 touchdowns on the year and completing 70% of his passes, tops in the nation. Nebraska was allowing a 47% completion rate, also tops in the country. 

But the Huskers hadn’t seen Nelson Agholor before. The Nigerian-born receiver was virtually uncoverable, especially against a Nebraska linebacker unit smarting from injury. Kessler also leaned on a strong ground game that gashed Nebraska like Wisconsin and Minnesota had earlier in the season. Javorius “Buck” Allen ran for 152 yards and two touchdowns on the day.

After trading scores in the first half, USC took a two-touchdown lead early in the third quarter. But Nebraska wouldn’t go away. Ameer Abdullah got loose for a score. Then Kieron Williams blocked a punt. Nebraska could only translate it into a field goal after being rebuffed at the goal line. Settling for field goals was a fatal trend in the USC series.

Seconds later, USC threw another touchdown and went up 45-27. The situation appeared dire.

Southern California Trojans tailback Javorius Allen (37) is pursued by Nebraska Cornhuskers linebacker Austin Williams (24) on a 44-yard touchdown run in the third quarter in the 2014 Holiday Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

On Nebraska’s ensuing possession, USC’s defense was poised to put the game out of reach with an exclamation mark. On third down, they had Armstrong in their sights, a game-ending sack within reach. But Armstrong scrambled out, bought time, and found his roommate Jordan Westerkamp for a 65-yard catch and score.

After a defensive stop, Tommy ran for a touchdown on a speed option keeper on fourth and one. A 2-point conversion meant the Huskers were down only 3 with 6:52 to go. And the Blackshirts, as they’d done the entirety of the 4th quarter, dominated USC on the following possession. But with a game-defining drive at their doorstep, the Huskers failed to convert a 4th and 3 on a Pierson-El jet motion. A final Hail Mary attempt would also go for naught. 

The last breath of the Pelini era was a riotous back-and-forth shootout. It was recognized as a valiant, relatively painless defeat. The Huskers were simply outmanned in this war of attrition.

2024

Ten years later, the Huskers entered on the most equal footing they had had with the Trojans since 1970. For the first time in series history, neither team would come in ranked. And this time they’d cross swords as conference brethren, their days as Big XII/Pac 12 members a distant memory. USC had already lost four games, including outings against Minnesota and Maryland.

After the Huskers’ first drive stalled, USC quarterback Jaiden Maiava threw a pick-six to Ceyair Wright. Wright transferred from USC over the summer and was anxious to show off in front of his former team. It would not be his last big play.

Maiava nearly did it again next series; instead, a bobble turned into a goal-line catch, and Zachariah Branch tied it.

Dylan Raiola slid a yard early on a chain-moving scramble and USC began riding Running Back Woody Marks, as they would the remainder of the afternoon. A juggling TD catch gave USC a break this series specializes in. A catch and run by Emmett Johnson tied things again. The Huskers had a game at halftime, tied 14-all.

Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola (15) throws as offensive lineman Bryce Benhart (54) provides coverage against Southern California Trojans defensive end Kameryn Fountain (49) during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Two field goals in the third gave Nebraska a brief lead. But Maiava answered with a big TD throw. 21-20 USC.

Ceyair Wright blocked a field goal to keep the deficit at one. “He’s having the game of his life,” the Fox broadcast crew remarked. But it was a short-lived reprieve. Marks and Maiava continued their assault on the Blackshirt defense and went up 28-20.

Late in the fourth, Raiola drove the team down with a series of pinpoint passes. One nearly fell into Jacory Barney’s hands in the end zone after USC defenders juggled it. With five seconds to go, Dylan threw to Jahmal Banks in the corner of USC’s end zone but the senior Receiver was prevented from coming back to the ball by a USC defender blatantly holding him. No flags came out.

It added another chapter in Nebraska’s pantheon of one-score losses. Afterward, true freshman Dylan Raiola guaranteed the Huskers would get the sixth win needed to punch their bowl game ticket. He backed it up. USC ended the season 7-6, with fans grumbling over Lincoln Riley. They’d go big on the Transfer Portal in the offseason.

And that’s where things pick back up this Saturday in Lincoln, one more climb up the walls of Troy.

A Husker win might start the clock on Riley’s time in LA. But to do so will require Herculean effort on the part of Nebraska. USC has already felled Michigan, who left Lincoln bloodied weeks ago, and they won’t flinch at the black parade Troy Dannen plans to march out. For Nebraska, it’s another chance to play up to their considerable — and perpetually elusive — potential.

After fifty-five years of heartbreak, maybe the real myth of Nebraska football isn’t about defeat at all.

It’s about never stopping the siege.

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