USC has won 32 bowl games. None of those wins have come in the Holiday Bowl. The Trojans have yet to appear in the San Diego bowl but will be 619-bound later this month.
For the first time in school history the Trojans will be playing in the Holiday Bowl. They'll take on Nebraska on Dec. 27 at 5pm.
This marks the USC's third straight bowl appearance since serving an NCAA-induced two-year bowl ban in 2010 and 2011.
USC head coach Steve Sarkisian has experience coaching against the Cornhuskers in a bowl and coaching in the Holiday Bowl. He led Washington to a 2010 Holiday Bowl win over Nebraska.
"We are excited to go play in the Holiday Bowl and be the first USC team to do so," Sarkisian in a statement. "We get to play close to home and our fans will show up in force."
USC finished tied for second in the Pac-12 South. The Cornhuskers were tied for second in the Big Ten West.
USC was back at practice today, energized and ready for bowl prep. Here are @CoachSark’s thoughts from day one: http://t.co/j1QtQW1yKT
— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) December 5, 2014
The Huskers are a team the Trojans can certainly relate to. Their head coach Bo Pelini was recently relieved of his duties by the school. In a move that caught many in the college football world off guard, former Oregon State head coach Mike Riley was named Nebraska's new head coach last week.
Associate head coach Barney Cotton has been named interim head coach and will lead the team into the bowl game.
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The Trojans were in a similar situation last year when Sarkisian was named head coach. Offensive coordinator Clay Helton became the team's second interim head coach of the season and led the team to a 45-20 win over Fresno State in the Las Vegas Bowl.
"We'll face a real challenge against a very good Nebraska team," Sarkisian said. "Although they have made a coaching change, teams in transition like that usually band together and play well, as we saw last year here at USC and at Washington."
USC has never lost to Nebraska in four meetings. They defeated the Huskers 49-31 in Lincoln in 2007.
