What USC Trojans Said About Nebraska's Dana Holgerson, Dylan Raiola: 'Impressive'

The Nebraska Cornhuskers made a drastic move earlier this week by handing play-calling duties to Dana Holgerson, who joined the staff just on Nov. 5. How is USC Trojans coach D'Anton Lynn approaching the changed and preparing for quarterback Dylan Raiola?

Oct 5, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola (15) throws a pass against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Similar to the USC Trojans making a switch at quarterback, Nebraska made a drastic change of their own, handing play-calling duties over to new offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen earlier this week. The former West Virginia and Houston head coach spent most of the season as an offensive consultant for TCU, before he was hired by Nebraska for the same role on Nov. 5.  

So how is Trojans defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn preparing for the sudden change on the Cornhuskers staff?

Oct 5, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola (15) throws a pass against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

“You have to go off of what you see on tape, obviously watching some Houston stuff,” Lynn said. “You know what were they good at, what do they do there that they already do at Nebraska and then what were staples where you know in a span of two weeks that he could incorporate in that scheme."

“You don’t really know. That’s why you want to see like how much of what they’re doing were they already doing when he was the head coach so he can just add on to that. Is there anything that he did that’s different that we think they can incorporate in the spam of two weeks. You can’t change too much but you can definitely change some stuff over a bye,” Lynn said.

Lynn has the luxury of leaning on a couple of members of the Trojans staff to gather information on Holgorsen. USC safeties coach Doug Belk was a cornerbacks coach under Holgorsen at West Virginia for two seasons. Belk then became one of his co-defensive coordinators at Houston in 2019 and eventually took over full control in 2021 until the conclusion of the 2023 season when Holgorsen was fired. Lynn spoke about what he will be able to take from Belk when preparing for Holgerson.

“Just as far as knowing just his philosophy and tendencies, personality wise. I don’t know anything about him,” Lynn said.

USC coach Lincoln Riley also has experience coaching against Holgorsen. Riley was 3-0 between 2017-2019 as the head the coach at Oklahoma. The two had their fair share of shootouts, including a 59-56 thriller in 2018, in a game that propelled Kyler Murray into the lead for the Heisman trophy. Although, Holgorsen will not be installing his own offense, he will implement his own strategy that will be revealed Saturday afternoon. 

“We see some of it from our offense which is nice, but it’s tough to prepare for both that’s why you have to try and pick,” Lynn said. “What’s he going to do from his scheme, what’s he going to pick from theirs, it’s kind of a guessing game. At the end of the day you have to go out there and just execute the call that’s called.”

Sep 21, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; USC Trojans safety Akili Arnold (0) celebrates in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Holgorsen most important job is getting former five-star recruit Dylan Raiola back on track if he is able to play after sustaining a back injury against UCLA on Nov. 2. The Georgia native was superb through the first half of the season, leading Nebraska to a 5-1 record. However, since then the Cornhuskers have dropped each of its last the contests. The offense has sputtered, and Raiola’s play has dropped off drastically. During the three-game skid, Raiola has thrown just one touchdown versus five interceptions and Nebraska has averaged only 14.7 points per game. They rank 96th in the country in yards per game (354.1). The change at offensive coordinator was a drastic one this late in the season, but a necessary one as the Cornhuskers are just one win away from becoming bowl eligible for the first time in eight years.

Despite his recent struggles, Lynn has been impressed by what he's seen from Raiola on tape. Raiola's numbers may have slipped over the last month, but the talent is undeniable. 

“He can just make about every throw, he has some very impressive throws for a true freshman. He does a great job seeing the field, when he scrambles to extend plays his eyes are always downfield so for a DB and even the backers, plastering is going to be huge, the play is never over.”

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