(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will host the University of Southern California (USC) Trojans Saturday afternoon in South Bend.
Notre Dame (4-1) currently has a seven-game losing streak to USC (4-1) and has been humiliated by the Trojans in the teams' last two contests by a combined score of 76-3.
“I think that our university really, really could use this win,” Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis said in the understatement of this millennium.
The portly Weis, 53, who was given $40 million and a five-year contract to coach the Irish, has been roundly criticized for the ineptitude he has displayed on the sidelines since he was hired by Notre Dame in 2004.
Weis, whose Irish are currently ranked No. 25 in the nation, lost a school record 15 games over a span of two seasons in 2007 and 2008 and has been defeated in his last six consecutive contests against top-10 teams.
“USC is one of the best teams in the country,” Weis acknowledged. “They’ve beaten us seven times in a row. Some of them have been ugly. So I think winning this week would do wonders for my spirits. But it wouldn’t just be my spirits; it would be everyone affiliated with Notre Dame.”
The Trojans are presently the No. 6 team in the country and are 10.5-point favorites this weekend to again slaughter the Irish.
If Notre Dame somehow manages to trump USC and improve its record to 5-1, it will skyrocket in the upcoming polls.
On the flip side, if Notre Dame again succumbs to the Trojans and descends to 4-2, Weis and the Irish can ill afford to lose another game for the remainder of this regular season.
Considering that Notre Dame has been afforded with a uniquely easy schedule this year, it would be unacceptable for Weis to allow his team to squander three games before the bowl season even begins.
Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen is the one player who can most ensure that the Irish complete their 2009 campaign with fewer than three defeats.
Clausen, 22, leads the nation in passing efficiency and he has thrown for 12 touchdowns and 1,544 yards to date.
At this juncture, Clausen deserves to be awarded the Heisman Trophy as much as anyone else on the collegiate gridiron.
“I think he’s had a heck of a year,” Weis said of his much-ballyhooed 2007 recruit. “I mean, you look at what he’s done through these first five games, there couldn’t be anyone in the country playing better than him.”
Saturday Clausen will encounter a Trojan defense that has not conceded a scoring pass to date through five games.
“He (Clausen) is going against the best defense that he’s seen all year long,” Weis said. “He’ll be judged by what he does against USC.”
If Clausen is able to dissect the Trojans defense, it is a virtual guarantee that he will forgo his senior year and declare himself eligible for the 2010 NFL Draft in the spring.
We're going to send you the most entertaining Notre Dame Football articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
19 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete