No. 10 USC invades No. 21 Notre Dame and something’s got to give
The weaker opponent 6-0 Trojans and their long-beleaguered defense head to rainy South Bend to face a struggling, desperate Fighting Irish offense. But Notre Dame Stadium has been a nightmare for USC recently. The Trojans haven’t knocked off their rivals on the road since 2011, yet ended a four-game losing streak in the series last year propelled by Caleb Williams.
The 2023 humbled Irish still could play a huge spoiler role while fighting to salvage their major bowl hopes. For USC, this looks like their toughest contest of the year by a mile, though one wonders how things could get much more difficult than last Saturday’s wild three OT affair…
USC’s defense stops Notre Dame on 4th and 1 in the first half on Nov. 26, 2022, at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Luca Evans (OC Register) — LOS ANGELES — It looked almost comical, a member of USC’s staff carrying a handheld jug attached to a thin hose a few yards in front of Zachariah Branch, jetting water directly into Branch’s face as he practiced fielding punts at Tuesday’s practice.
While Branch, the first Trojan since Adoree’ Jackson in 2016 to have a punt return, kick return, and receiving touchdown in the same season, was on the field this week, Lincoln Riley said Thursday he still hadn’t participated fully in practice since missing in action.
The next day, coaches brought out a longer system, a red extender connected to an already-lengthy green hose connected to a spigot poking out of the turf. Because, really, what else was there to do?
There is a roughly 90% chance of rain in South Bend on Saturday, and if USC was indeed trying to simulate a harsh environment against Notre Dame, they couldn’t exactly hope for natural methods under an oppressively blue Southern California sky.
“I think ultimately, the most … we probably do is put a little bit of water on the football before we roll it out,” grinned Trojans safety Jaylin Smith, when asked about the defense’s preparation for the weekend weather.
USC is the undefeated program here and the program that convincingly won this last rivalry matchup. Notre Dame (5-2) is reeling, coming off a 33-20 loss to Louisville that Fighting Irish offensive coordinator Gerad Parker called “brutal.”
And yet, between harrowing finishes against Colorado and Arizona, between head coach Lincoln Riley getting fed up with criticism over his defense, between USC coming into a harsh and wet South Bend environment against a highly motivated Fighting Irish team – it feels publicly as if the Trojans are the ones with backs against the wall.
Particularly, an already-elite Notre Dame defensive unit now has a quarter-length model of how to try to defend Caleb Williams from Arizona last week: Load up the secondary with DBs, mix in blitzes, and hope defensive linemen are nimble enough to contain when he escapes the pocket (Arizona quickly failed at this).
“We’ve seen that before,” Riley said Thursday when asked about opposing defenses copying aspects of successful schemes against USC. “It certainly happened a couple of times last year. Happened a little bit in this game, last year. It’s always on the table.”
There’s one piece, however, that Notre Dame can’t quite prepare for, one 5-foot-10 joyful X-factor who was running around snapping balls between his legs when he wasn’t fielding water-sprayed punts at practice Tuesday. After an explosive first few games as a Trojan, Branch hasn’t played in the last two with an injury shrouded in mystery, despite participating in media-viewing portions of practice in each of the last two weeks.
“He’s in a better place than he was last week,” Riley said Thursday, “but he’s not able to do everything yet. He’s eager. But we obviously want to be smart and turn him loose at the right time.”
Not exactly a ringing endorsement for Branch suiting up Saturday. If Saturday is indeed deemed the right time to turn the electrifying speedster loose, however, it’ll add a dynamic special-teams unpredictability and a playmaking option in the flat, USC notably generating not much on screen passes (3.8 YPA) against Arizona last week.
When Notre Dame has the ball
This is a showdown of struggling offense against struggling defense, each unit desperately needing to make a statement. Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman is coming off a five-turnover game. The Trojans’ defense is coming off back-to-back games surrendering 40-plus points.
Parker, however, backed up Riley’s Tuesday assertions that there’s more to USC’s defense than meets the eye.
“This defense, and how they play early in football games, doesn’t tell the whole story,” the Notre Dame offensive coordinator said this week. “This defense is talented, they have lateral movement, they create havoc up front.”
USC’s front and linebackers will have to slow steamrolling Notre Dame running back Audric Estime, who’s run for seven touchdowns in seven games, and an injury-riddled cornerback group needs strong production out of returning Domani Jackson and some combination of Ceyair Wright, Jacobe Covington and Christian Roland-Wallace, whoever is available.
When USC has the ball
Even after Williams’ crowning Heisman statement in this matchup last year, Notre Dame’s defense is better-geared to slow him than perhaps any team on USC’s schedule this year. Its cornerback duo of Benjamin Morrison and Cam Hart is strong. Its front forces consistent quarterback pressures. And its linebackers – particularly senior JD Bertrand – drew effusive praise from USC this week.
A noticeable trend: running back MarShawn Lloyd has received a steadily increasing number of carries across six games this year. Expect that to hold steady, or increase, in a wet and unforgiving South Bend atmosphere Saturday.
“No. 1 thing is we gotta stay out of third-and-longs more than we have in the last couple of weeks,” Riley said.
No. 10 USC (6-0) at No. 21 Notre Dame (5-2); 4:30 p.m. PT Saturday; Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana; TV/radio: NBC/790 AM
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