USC Trojans (3-3) at No. 13 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-1)
Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, IN, at 4:30pm PT on NBC
THEMES
*USC takes a break from Pac-12 play and starts the second half of its regular season when it goes to No.
13 Notre Dame for the 92nd edition of the greatest intersectional rivalry in college football.
*The game is a battle between schools with glorious gridiron heritages. The winner gets year-long
possession of the jeweled Shillelagh. *Will form hold true for the Trojans, who are undefeated on the road this season (but struggle mightily at home) and who have gone W-L-W-L-W-L so far in 2021?
*The Trojans have lost only 7 of the past 18 contests with the Irish, but the losses all have been since 2010 (including in the past 3 meetings). Troy has dropped its last 4 games in South Bend.
*Historically, USC has held the upper hand against Notre Dame whenever either team is coming off a bye, and particularly in the rare instances (like this year) when both teams enter the game following an off week.
*This will be the seventh time since 1961 that USC goes to South Bend with 3 or more losses, but the
Trojans have won several of those games. *This is just the sixth Trojan night game at Notre Dame Stadium (2011 was the first) and also ties for the
latest USC-ND kickoff time ever.
*USC and Notre Dame did not play each other last season (due to COVID-19 scheduling limitations),
marking the first time since World War II that the rivals didn’t meet.
*The Trojans, with interim head coach Donte Williams at the helm, are looking to bounce back from
their first-ever Coliseum loss to Utah before the bye. USC features one of the nation’s best players in
All-American nominee WR Drake London, the leading candidate for the Biletnikoff Award. London’s astounding 64 receptions (many of the eye-popping variety) and 832 receiving yards are both second most
in the nation. The Trojan offense is directed by QB Kedon Slovis, a 68% career passer (above the USC record) who is in the school’s all-time Top 8 in completions and total offense. He is coming off a 400-yard
passing outing (his USC record fifth). TB Keaontay Ingram has emerged as the top ball carrier (he averages nearly 6 yards per carry) and he gets spelled productively by TBs Darwin Barlow and Vavae Malepeai (he has more than 1,700 career rushing yards). The USC defense features top tacklers in ILB Kana’i Mauga and S
Chase Williams, sack meister OLB Drake Jackson (10.5 career sacks) and emerging QB-chasing freshman
DL Korey Foreman, along with solid play from DLs Jacob Lichtenstein and Tuli Tuipulotu and S Isaiah PolaMao. Aussie P Ben Griffiths, in the national Top 20 in punting, had a 71-yard boot last game (the longest by a Trojan since 2002). PK Parker Lewis has missed just one field goal this season and most of his kickoffs
have been touchbacks.
Notre Dame rebounded from its first loss of 2021 (to Cincinnati at home) with a last-minute victory at Virginia Tech before its bye. The Irish have won their past 36 games against unranked opponents. Head coach Brian Kelly, in his 12th season at Notre Dame, recently became the winningest coach in school history. QB Jack Coan directs the Irish offense, with RB Kyren Williams topping a ground attack that averages less than 100 yards per outing and TE Michael Mayer (in the national Top 25 in receptions) the leading pass catcher. RB Chris Tyree has scored a TD this year rushing, receiving and returning kickoffs. ND’s defense is in the national Top 25 in interceptions, pass efficiency defense and turnover margin. Top tacklers include LB JD Bertrand, S Kyle Hamilton and DL Isaiah Foskey, who are Top 20 ranked nationally in tackles, interceptions and sacks, respectively. PK Jonathan Doerer’s late 48-yard field goal beat Virginia Tech.
Irish to Watch: Junior S Kyle Hamilton
The Notre Dame offense has been extremely inconsistent all season, rotating through three quarterbacks, but the Fighting Irish are still 5-1 thanks to a stout defense and some typical late game heroics. The defense is led by Hamilton, a 2020 First Team All-American, who started the 2021 season with a two-interception performance at Florida State. He will be keyed in on Kedon Slovis, looking to make the game-changing pick in South Bend.
Beware the Bye
Both teams come into this matchup well rested, coming off a bye week which allowed both coaching staffs to reassess things at the midway point of the season. Donte Williams used the extra time to get his team locked back in to the fundamentals of the game, hoping the Trojans can find some consistency, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. Brian Kelly will have used the bye to sort out his offense, which ranks 87th in the country in yards per game. The Trojans will need to expect the unexpected as Kelly won’t be satisfied with what he’s seen so far.
Weakness vs. Weakness
USC’s biggest issue this season has been run defense, giving up 180 rush yards and 3 TDs to Utah last time out. Traditionally, that would spell doom against Notre Dame which perennially features one of the biggest and best offensive lines in the country. However, this Irish team is 118th nationally in rush offense, which should give the Trojans some hope that if they can hold up in the run game, Notre Dame does not have the quarterback play to shred USC’s secondary.
Early Offense
The USC offense is not nearly as bad as its critics suggest. The Trojans are No. 12 in the nation in passing and 30th nationally in total yards per game. The issues have been twofold. First, USC has kicked too many field goals in the red zone, leaving four points on the field each time. Second, the Trojans have played from behind so often that despite rushing for 4.5 yards per carry (the same number as Alabama), they end up giving up on the run in an effort to quickly chase points. To win in South Bend, USC will need to score touchdowns early and play from the lead.
Information provided from USC Athletic Department.