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“Dylan’s ready to go,� NU coach Matt Rhule said Thursday. “Great week of practice.�

There was doubt as to the freshman’s availability early in the week as he recovered from a back injury sustained after taking a hit late against UCLA on Nov. 2. The team is taking four quarterbacks to Los Angeles after Heinrich Haarberg and Daniel Kaelin were also among those to stack strong weekday sessions.

Clarifying the quarterback situation resolves one unknown variable in a game full of them for the Huskers as they debut new offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen less than two weeks after he joined the program.

Rhule said his role in integrating Holgorsen has been to be flexible about what the former head coach may need during practices and meetings. Holgorsen is adapting to NU’s terminology and staying most involved in game planning and running parts of practice. He is sitting in on various position-group sessions, though those continue to be run by individual assistants.

Rhule said both he and Holgorsen see the challenge of coming together during the condensed in-season window, but also the opportunity. He called the entire process “seamless,� with the entire offensive staff helping make it that way.

“Everyone’s excited to have someone of Dana’s resume in the building,� Rhule said. “It’s been way smoother than maybe one would think. But I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t know Dana, know his ability to do something like this. I think it’s been good.

“We’ll go play Saturday and see if there’s any hiccups in the process and we’ll adjust them moving forward. That’s why I said this wasn’t some short-term splash thing, this was, to me, an opportunity to make an epic move that can push us into the next tier. This is our first game kind of on that push.�

Other notes

* Nebraska is dealing with no new injuries of note out of the bye week, Rhule said — “I think we’re pretty healthy.�

* The Huskers will have to “play our best� offensively against a talented USC defense, Rhule said. The unit boats cornerbacks standing well above six feet tall and can rush the passer as well as play man. Senior linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold is a top-10 tackler in the Big Ten at 74 total stops.

* USC can run “what amounts to a triple option� with versatile running back Woody Marks and now more so with new starting quarterback Jayden Maiava, who is more mobile than former starter Miller Moss. Maiava can throw an “elite� deep ball and present challenges defensively when he rolls to one side as a threat to run or pass.

“He’s a really, really talented player,� Rhule said of Maiava. “There’s a reason why everybody wanted him when he went in the portal last year and he’s getting his opportunity.�