The 330-pound tattooed man was scared.

Scared of speed. Scared of embarrassment. Scared of a guy named Lawrence Jackson.

Matt Slauson was scared, but only for a quarter.

“I was just waiting for him to bust something out that just blew my mind and it never happened,” Slauson said. “I actually did pretty well against him and I think a lot of other guys felt that too.

“After the first quarter was over, everybody realized, ‘We can play with them.’ ”

The Husker junior offensive lineman was talking about last year’s football game at Southern California. The Trojans won 28-10 and ended the night taking a knee inside Nebraska’s 10-yard-line as to not run up the score.

You see no optimism there? Slauson did. It was with him as he exited the field.

The Trojans are good, maybe great, but not so close to perfect he doesn’t think the outcome will be different three days from now at Memorial Stadium.

“After playing them, and playing Auburn, and playing Texas, we can play with whoever comes to us,” Slauson said. “It’s all about us now. We have to do what we have to do and the other team isn’t a factor for us.”

Of course, this was just Tuesday talk before the big game,  before USC becomes the first No. 1 team to come to town since Oklahoma in 1978.

It’s one thing to say you’re not scared anymore. It’s quite another to actually put Mr. Jackson — that USC senior defensive end Slauson so respects — on his back when the lights come on.

The fact is last year’s offensive output by Nebraska against USC was lacking in most every department.

If the Huskers weren’t playing scared, plenty of fans were sure as heck accusing Bill Callahan of coaching scared.

A common complaint was that Nebraska played it too conservative on offense.

The Huskers ran it 36 times and passed it only 17, numbers that would have found more acceptance if rushing success was had. But it wasn’t.

Nebraska only gained 68 yards on the ground — averaging 1.9 yards a carry.

Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson is well-aware of the criticism last year’s game plan received from outsiders.

“I think the big thing last year for us was we were just a little bit out of what became our character,” Watson said. “I don’t know if that time we played them last year, we really knew what our team was. We were beginning to get an idea, but that developed as the season wore on. I think we have a better grasp of who we are right now.”

Of course, no players were about to question Callahan’s game plan last year.

“He’s the coach. We’re the players. He calls the plays. We run them,” Husker senior receiver Maurice Purify said. “We do what he says. Whatever he calls he calls and we have to live with it.”

Slauson said he didn’t disagree with the game plan at all. After all, Nebraska was still in the game — down just 21-10 — in the early parts of the fourth quarter.

“He’s a lot smarter than me,” Slauson said. “Obviously, he knows what he’s doing. And really, people criticize him in everything. That’s just going to come.”

The task Saturday will be establishing enough of a run game to keep the offense on the field long enough to wear down a USC defense that returns 10 starters.

“Our biggest goal is to take their legs,” Slauson said. “Oregon State (last year) did well with that. USC came out and they were flying around when you’re watching in the first quarter. Then watching in the fourth quarter, it’s a completely different team.”

In that 33-31 Oregon State win, the Beavers had about as balanced a run-pass ratio as a team could have. They ran the ball 35 out of 67 plays. The Beavers only ended up with 89 yards rushing, but they kept doing it enough to keep USC honest.

Slauson has seen lots of that game film. He respects USC a whole bunch, but he isn’t scared anymore.

“To us, they’re another team coming in trying to take our trophy away,” he said. “To me, they’re really good. I look at their defensive line and I’m just like, ‘Wow. This is going to be the biggest challenge for me.’

“This is going to be huge for our team’s future, huge for my future. This is going to be one of the games that if somebody in the future is looking at me, he is going to turn on that film and see how I did against all those All-Americans.”

Reach Brian Christopherson at 473-7439 or bchristopherson@journalstar.com.