The Injury Factor

I was reviewing USC's roster and depth chart (again). And, as I've noted in the past, I'm impressed with their overall talent level. But, the two recent injuries on the defensive side of the ball prompted me to issue this reality check for the USC fans issuing predictions along the lines of a 42-10 USC win. Losing two defensive starters hurts. I don't care who you are. And, if Husker fans are going to bemoan the match up problems created by cornerback Zackary Bowman's injury, we might as well look at how USC's injuries might help NU.

Safety First

It has been widely reported USC's starting safety and punt returner Josh Pinkard is injured and out for the year. He's being replaced by a true freshman, Taylor Mayes. Now, Mayes is a real talent and he's huge for a safety at 6'4'', 225 pounds. He could be a Sean Taylor in the making. But, he's a true freshman. You can't tell me that he's seen the kind of complicated pro-style offense that NU runs. It's a coaching truism that the farther a position is from the line of scrimmage on defense, the harder it is to pick up all the plays, checks and calls. So, it's harder to replace a safety - mentally - than it is a down lineman. Mayes may be so talented and have so much around him that it doesn't matter. But, it certainly merits watching.

A War of Attrition

It's also very intriguing to me that USC will also be without their starting nose tackle (Sedrick Ellis) for this game. While that stuff I said about the mental part of the game is true, it is also true that you can never have enough depth at the "big" positions. You need 4 defensive tackles that can play. Three, and you'll survive for a while. Two, and unless they are supermen, they will eventually wear out. Maybe Fili Moala will step in nicely, and freshman Averell Spicer will spell him enough that USC won't miss a beat. Maybe they are just that deep. But, with Bill Callahan's eye for match ups and his newfound willingness to run the ball, I'm not going to dismiss the notion that NU may try to grind on USC's tackles, and see what breaks. It would also set up the play-action pass over the top of the aforementioned Mr. Mayes.

The Cover-My-Ass Caveats

Of course, most Husker fans remember when NU lost starting strong safety Mike Minter (he was pretty good) in the 1994 season, and replaced him with a player - Veland - who had started out as a quarterback. And, I'm pretty sure NU won all of their games that year. So, this notion of replacing a safety might just be nothing but smoke for a team of USC's caliber. But, it's something to think about.

And, NU could very likely be without their starting center, Kurt Mann. That could likely negate any advantage NU might have against a backup nose tackle.

But, backups are backups for a reason, right? And, USC's injuries are in the middle of their defense, which is not a good place to have them. It's just something to keep your eye on Saturday in between staring at the USC song girls and trying to block out the stupid things Musburger says.