Listen to Show White Thursday night, Nebraska’s football defensive coordinator certainly sounded like a man who knows the battle ahead and is locked in as a result.

White, the same man who called the Huskers’ defensive play that held No. 2-ranked Ohio State to just 21 points on the Buckeyes’ home court, believes there are positive lessons to be learned from that loss in Columbus — especially if it concerns a matchup with a talented roster of offensive playmakers against USC this weekend.

“Certainly the confidence of going out on the road, in a big venue, and playing against explosive athletes, the confidence you get from that (helps),” White said during an appearance on Sports Nightly. “As well as the new message of the week and making sure those guys are fresh, have a clear mind and kind of a renewed spirit about what they’re doing this week.”

Maybe that’s a welcome message for Husker Nation to hear this week. Fans are gearing up to watch an offense that got an infusion of juice and new philosophies this week Dana Holgorsen’s recruiting, but the defense has suffered significant losses in the shuffling, as White’s squad faces an array of explosive athletes at the skill positions – and an offense undergoing its own massive change this week.

Below are 10 takeaways from White’s interview, in which he provided a scouting report on USC’s new quarterback, thoughts on retiring “Baby Tyreek” and the Trojans’ string of explosive athletes, a health status, and an updated evaluation of the top cornerback Tommi Hillmentioned a handful of young players on the Blackshirts who “it wouldn’t be a surprise to see in the game tomorrow or in the last two weeks,” and many more ahead of Nebraska-USC.