USC Trojans' Unexpected MVP in Road Win Over Nebraska

The USC Trojans took on the Nebraska Cornhuskers, seeking their second road win of the season and just their third in the past two seasons. It didn’t get off to a great start as the Trojans went into the half down by a score of 14-6.

The USC defense kept them in the game. They limited Nebraska to just 286 total yards, and was the biggest reason for the 21-17 USC win. The MVP of the game for the Trojans was defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn.

D’Anton Lynn MVP of USC’s 21-17 Win

USC Trojans Defensive Coordinator D'Anton Lynn Nebraska Cornhuskers Coach Lincoln Riley Road Big Ten Conference Jayden Maiava — Oct 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley (wearing white visor) celebrates along with defensive end coach Shaun Nua after kicker Ryon Sayeri (48) hit a 54-yard field goal in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

D’Anton Lynn was hired by USC for games like these. With the USC offense not firing on all cylinders and quarterback Jayden Maiava having the worst game of his season, Lynn’s side of the ball stepped up.

Lynn was hired prior to the 2024 season after being the defensive coordinator for the UCLA Bruins. The Trojans defense has made a big improvement since.

It looked like things were going downhill for USC early in the second half. Still down 14-6, Maiava threw an interception in USC territory. The Cornhuskers got the ball with a chance to take a two-possession lead.

Then, arguably the most important play of the game occurred. Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola was strip sacked and was injured in the process. USC scooped the ball up off the ground. Raiola would not return to the game.

After another empty USC possession, the Cornhuskers got the ball back. On the edge of field goal range, the Trojans defense forced a long field goal attempt that was missed. USC’s offense finally woke up and found the endzone on the following possession and the one after that to take a 21-17 lead. The defense sealed the deal after that. The leading tackler for USC’s defense was linebacker Desman Stephens II, who had 10 tackles.

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Lincoln Riley on USC Defense: “They Were Awesome”

USC coach Lincoln Riley was impressed by his defense.

“They were awesome. Especially the start of the second half when they kept getting stops and we weren’t playing very good offensively,” Riley said postgame on NBC. “Defense led the way. Kept us in the game, gave us a chance to win…It was fitting that they closed it out.”

The win moves USC to 6-2 on the season and 4-1 in Big Ten conference play. It was especially important for Riley to pick up a road win in a hostile environment. The Trojans now still have a chance to make the College Football Playoff.

“It’s huge. We’ve got three out of the last four here at home. This was an important one for us. We knew this was going to be a big time atmosphere,” Riley said. “Really important game for both sides. So to come win it, get to 4-1 here in the Big Ten is huge.”