Getting After USC's QB

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, lot of sports Breeth now Oscar Buzz edition
with our Big Red Insider Sean Callahan, liven Leg and Rosie.

Speaker 2 (00:05):
All Right, thanks Ada, Now, Seano, you've carved out quite
a career niche for yourself with stats like this on blitzes.
This year, Jadon Mayeva is hitting seventy two percent of
his passes against blitzes, six touchdowns, no interceptions. And if
you don't blitz the guy, you don't get to him.

(00:26):
And if you don't get to him, he just throws
it down the field to Mikayle Lemon or Jacoby Blaine
and they score a touchdown from seventy yards. How do
you stop this passing game?

Speaker 3 (00:35):
Yeah, you've got to get him uncomfortable. He's not running
it that much. I mean the last two games he's
only actually taken off and run once. But he moves well,
kind of like the Maryland guy. You know that, you
know Elik Washington the way he moves. Now, what's different
about usc GYM is the injuries at running back. Wayman
Jordan and Eli Sanders are both out with injuries. Those

(00:58):
are their top two backs. Walk On King Miller has
stepped into that number one role. He's had eighteen carries
each of the last two games, averaging one to fourteen games.
So they still are getting production at the running back
spot from re Chew freshman to walk on King Miller
out of Calabasas. But Jordan and Sanders were a big
blow not having just what they started the year because

(01:20):
Jordan was a preseason like you mentioned, he was a
mid season All American by these publications. So I do
think their offense has changed since Michigan, and that is
an advantage for Nebraska. Maiva, It's excellent with the deep ball.
He's twenty of thirty five on throws of twenty plus
yards down the field. In perspective, Nebraska has only completed
I believe two twenty plus yard passes over their last three.

Speaker 2 (01:43):
Games, and our corners have not had a great season.
Hartsog has been injured and Marshall hasn't had trouble tackling people.
So it's a concern you really, I don't think you
can play these guys man to man, so you're going
to have to bring safeties over. And you're right about Miller,
the third stringer, but he's averaging nine yards of carry,

(02:03):
which means that their offensive line is opening up holes
for somebody. I think Nebraska's best chance to stop USC
is to control the ball, run the ball, make this
game shorter because if they go three and out, three
and out, USC is going to get the ball, and
what they're to me, they're going to get more opportunities
to put points on the board.

Speaker 3 (02:22):
Yeah. You look at how Nebraska has played their power
four games this year. They've been, you know, predominantly a
passing team. But they were they They only passed at
forty forty two percent of the time last week in
that game against Northwestern. In comparison, they threw it sixty
nine percent. Are called pass play sixty nine percent of

(02:42):
the time against Minnesota, fifty eight point nine percent against
Michigan State, sixty five point three against Michigan Cincinnati was
almost sixty percent. So they have almost been a predominantly
passing team other than their two of their latest biggest
wins Northwestern and Maryland, were the two aims that they
respected the opponent's pass rush and they chose to run

(03:04):
the ball more and then they threw it.

Speaker 2 (03:05):
All Right, we don't see what they do now. There's
a lot of chatter out there. Shano about Matt Rule
and contracts. In fact, some people on sports talk radio,
and I'm ashamed to admit that I was ever in
it because they just make declarations that are fundamentally factually untrue.
But if you're if you're the university and you're you're

(03:26):
trying to battle these swirling rumors about where Matt Rule
is going to be coaching next year, how do you
handle this? Do you throw a massive contract in front
of him, contract extension, knowing that he can sign it
and then leave in two days. Or do you wait
until after all of this ends and say, all right, Matt,
if you're still here at the end of this, we'll
talk extension. What would if you're the university, what.

Speaker 1 (03:46):
Do you do?

Speaker 3 (03:47):
Well? I think they are working on something. I know
they are, but as of late last night, nothing's been signed.
I know there's a report that's made the rounds that
he has signed, but you saw Will Compton make a
report there's nothing that's been so I can confirm that
as well. It was a little premature. So yeah, I
mean that's what goes on this time of year. You're

(04:07):
working on something. But to say a new deal has
been inked and signed and ready officially is is not true.
I mean, there's a lot that goes into this, and
you're talking about a piece of paper. It's probably worth
eighty or ninety million dollars, you know, it's all said
and done, or seventy million, whatever the number is. So
it's not just signing a contract to become a Best
Buy store manager or something. It's a big pay. It's

(04:30):
a big deal, and there's a lot that goes into it.

Speaker 2 (04:32):
Those are big paying jobs. But just so everybody knows,
Matt rules deal right now is eight point five million
dollars a year. By the end of his current contract,
it'll be twelve million dollars a year. The university paid
his buyout to get out of his contract at Carolina,
which was worth thirty five million a year thirty five

(04:52):
million dollars. So the notion that Nebraska is paying starvation
wages so that his family is going to be eligible
for snap benefits is just not true. And there aren't
too many people making eight point five million dollars a
year in college football right now. The ones that are
are typically in the top ten. So if you're the university,

(05:12):
it seems to me, Seanough, you say, look Matt, I
think our commitment to you, because he has a forty
nine million dollar buyout right now, our commitment to you
is pretty significant. How about this, If you're still the
coach when all these other jobs are filled, then we'll
talk extension. But we're not going to put an extension
in front of you knowing that you can walk away
from it. And well I have agne our face.

Speaker 3 (05:32):
Yeah. Will Compton, who you know talked directly to rule
last night, said I can tell you with absolute certainty
the coach rules not sign an extension. Hopefully they get
all this change tomorrow. Yeah, I mean there is something
being worked on. There's no doubt to say last night
it was a done deal signed. I mean, I think
there's still a lot there's still some things that are
getting hashed out and so what we'll see if something

(05:55):
plays out on this before the USC game. But you know,
I think there was a no that hey, maybe today
we'd see something from the university. I don't know if
that's the case at this point.

Speaker 1 (06:05):
It's all up to the athletics director's confidence in him too, right.
I mean, there looked there's four games left. This could
go south in November, which I'm sorry to say I
think it will.

Speaker 2 (06:16):
Sean, that's negative.

Speaker 1 (06:18):
Well, that's very negative. I'm just trying to look.

Speaker 2 (06:21):
I know you've been through them. Hopeful.

Speaker 1 (06:23):
Well, it doesn't sound like I'm not optimistic. I hopeful, Shauna. Thanks.
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