Click here for the recap and final stats.
Click here for the post-game press conference.
Classic Holiday BowlThe Holiday Bowl has a long reputation for luring teams into shootouts, and USC and Nebraska played right along highlighted by the two offenses combining for 38 third quarter points (Holiday Bowl record). Head coach Steve Sarkisian was impressed by the Cornhuskers' "firepower," which included QB Tommy Armstrong (381 yards passing) and RB Ameer Abdullah (269 all-purpose yards), but the Trojans responded with horses of their own, including RB Buck Allen (152 yards rushing and 2 TDs). "That's our job to score," said Allen, who praised the coaches' game plan. "It's my job to execute and make it look good."
Showstopper
USC QB Cody Kessler and DE Leonard Williams were named the Holiday Bowl Offensive and Defensive Players of the Game, but three-way threat Adoree' Jackson stole the show. The electrifying freshman returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown and then later took a catch-and-run 71 yards to the house. Sarkisian called Jackson "uniquely special" and noted that the celebratory flip in the end zone "was reminiscent of another guy I have seen wearing our uniform before."
One More Year
"I am absolutely coming back," QB Cody Kessler stated plainly after the game. He will return for his senior season having already tied Matt Barkley's Pac-12 single-season touchdown pass record (39), and Sarkisian is equally excited about it. "Let's see if we can go break some more records together," he said. Kessler finished the Holiday Bowl 23/39 for 321 yards and 3 TDs.
Building the Foundation...
The USC seniors and departing juniors went out as winners, but their greatest legacy will be the example they set for the next generation of Trojans. "We just watched how they really worked all the way through the season," said true freshman S John Plattenburg. "Those were guys that came to USC in its darkest time and persevered through everything without making excuses." Senior captain Hayes Pullard is looking forward to watching this young team grow into champions. "It's going to feel good," said Pullard. "Even though we didn't win a national championship this year, it's laying down the foundation for these guys, so they know what to expect for the future and are able to finish what we started."
...For a Bright Future
"I can't wait to get going in 2015 quite honestly," said Sarkisian. "Our future is ridiculously bright. We're going to compete for championships." The head coach pointed at the young offensive line, which started three true freshmen, and held up nicely against Nebraska's talented front, as "symbolic of the whole program." Jackson, JuJu Smith (66 yards receiving and 3 special teams tackles), sophomore OLB Su'a Cravens (interception) and a host of others are more than enough reason to be optimistic about 2015 and beyond.
Fitting Ending
The Holiday Bowl went according to the script of the season. In need of catharsis, the Trojan Family got to see an opponent's fourth quarter comeback thwarted by a batted down Hail Mary bringing full circle the season's craziness. "Believe me. That was not the intent of any of this," Sarkisian joked about righting the wrong from the ASU game. "We've been through it. At the end of the day, you can only get burned so many times I guess. Let's just get the ball on the ground. That's what I was hoping for." Plattenburg noted that the young team "learned from its mistakes" as WR Nelson Agholor was the man to aggressively swat the ball to safety and set off the celebration.
Here are the USC highlights:
