USC vs. Notre Dame Complete Game Preview

WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 29; 3:30 p.m. ET

WHERE: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 

TV: Fox 

USC is afforded a rare luxury few college football teams have on their schedules: The Trojans get a rivalry week do-over. 

After suffering a 38-20 loss at UCLA to conclude its Pac-12 docket, USC ends its first regular season under first-year head coach Steve Sarkisian against its other traditional rival, Notre Dame.

National championship implications and Heisman Trophy jockeying have been on the line in past installments of the USC-Notre Dame series.

No such stakes are on the line in the 86th meeting, but the Jeweled Shillelagh is reward enough to motivate two teams limping into the Coliseum. 

Notre Dame is a loser of four of its last five against Florida State, Arizona State, Northwestern and Louisville. USC sports an identical 7-4 record but is trying to avoid its only losing streak of the season. 

The Trojans are also out to salvage Sarkisian's goal of a strong November. They can still finish 9-4, which could be enough to land them in the final rankings and build some positive momentum heading into an important offseason.

Keys to Victory for USC

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Establish the Run 

USC's inability to get standout running back Javorius "Buck" Allen going at UCLA was central to the Trojans' loss, but the run game has been uncharacteristically stagnant for three games straight.

As a team, USC has run for 127, 79 and 62 yards in its last three contests.

“Probably nobody’s more frustrated by it than me,” Sarkisian said on his weekly conference call Sunday. “I love to run the football, we just haven’t been where I’d like us to be at this stage in the season, especially the last three weeks.” 

Conversely, Notre Dame has struggled to stop the run in the last month. Since holding Florida State to just 50 yards on the ground, the Fighting Irish have given up 336 yards to Navy’s triple-option attack; 188 yards to an Arizona State team USC held to 31; 263 to Northwestern and 229 to Louisville.

USC has an opportunity to reestablish itself as a running team, but the Trojans need a stronger effort up front than they got against UCLA.

“For a variety of reasons, we’re not great at the point of attack right now,” Sarkisian said. “We’re getting beat in one-on-one scenarios and giving up penetration.”

Get Physical 

Many of the phases in which USC struggled at UCLA—blocking, rushing, tackling—all come down to physicality.

In Notre Dame, USC sees an opponent that at times has been among the nation's more physical teams.  

USC is also faced with the dilemma that has plagued it all year. The pinch of NCAA-mandated scholarship reductions has never been tighter than in 2014, the last of three years the Trojans have carried a depleted roster.

“The challenge with [playing physically is]…where do you draw the line in what’s in favor of taking care of your players so that they’re in great physical condition and you’re not in fear of injury,” Sarkisian said. “Where’s the line where you need them to be physical, you need them to be tough, you need them to be hard-nosed?”

With a month between the regular-season finale and bowl game, USC has no choice but to go all-out against Notre Dame.

Keys to Victory for Notre Dame

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Avoid Critical Turnovers

Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson has struggled mightily with turnovers throughout the season, throwing at least one interception in each of the Fighting Irish’s last eight games.

But giveaways have vexed the erstwhile Heisman Trophy contender particularly amid this current losing skid.

In Notre Dame’s four losses, Golson has thrown eight interceptions. Overall, nine of his 13 interceptions were thrown in the Irish’s last five games.

Don’t Fall Behind Early

Opponents have consistently jumped out on Notre Dame early in the last month. Last week, it was Louisville building a 14-3 advantage through the first quarter.

The week prior, Northwestern scored 23 first-half points. And USC’s Pac-12 South counterpart Arizona State deluged the Fighting Irish with 34 points by intermission; 17 in each quarter.

Part of Notre Dame’s turnover problem is due to the Irish digging early holes and leaning on Golson to throw them out of trouble. Obviously, the formula has not been successful.

While falling behind early is never ideal against any opponent, doing so against USC could be especially taxing for Notre Dame.

Before UCLA’s 14-7 first-quarter advantage last week, USC had thoroughly dominated opening periods. The Trojans’ season-long edge through the initial 15 minutes is a remarkable 136-36.

USC has been prone to fourth-quarter lapses, but Notre Dame has yet to show that it’s particularly adept at final-period comebacks.

USC Players to Watch

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OFFENSE

QB Cody Kessler

After a run of three of the four best games in his career, a stretch in which Cody Kessler threw for 16 touchdowns and 1,090 yards, the redshirt junior quarterback struggled mightily at UCLA. 

A collapsed pocket certainly contributed to Kessler’s woes, as he was sacked a season-high six times. But Sarkisian said Kessler must be more decisive in the pocket and get the ball out quicker than he did vs. the Bruins.

Kessler has had no trouble bouncing back this season but must be more decisive if he’s to rally against Notre Dame. 

OL Damien Mama

Freshman Damien Mama battled injury all season, and it finally forced him out in the latter half of the campaign. He reintegrated into a prominent role against UCLA, however, splitting time at guard with Khaliel Rodgers.

Sarkisian said Mama's role could expand this week. The Trojans will need it; just six offensive lineman played against UCLA, one of whom was Mama in limited capacity.  

DEFENSE

Safeties Leon McQuay III and John Plattenburg

Sarkisian praised the potential of young safeties Leon McQuay III and John Plattenburg. And indeed, both have bright futures ahead of them.   

The issue for the Trojans is that potential does little to help now, particularly when the duo are filling in vital roles for the USC secondary.  

Both have had standout moments this season. Plattenburg was vital to the Trojans’ win at Arizona in October, for example. But UCLA was able to attack the duo effectively last week, bringing up questions that hadn’t been present in the weeks before the rivalry tilt.

“[Saturday] night wasn’t our night from the safety spot,” Sarkisian said. “We missed some tackles that we’d been making over the last six weeks or so.”

The problems UCLA presented USC’s secondary are similar to the game plan Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly would like to implement this week. When the Notre Dame offense has been at its best, it has been able to isolate defenders with a diverse and talented corps of receivers.

USC needs both McQuay and Plattenburg to rebound from last Saturday’s performance to prevent the Irish from converting big plays in space similar to those UCLA employed.

LB Hayes Pullard

In a season of ups and downs for USC, linebacker Hayes Pullard has been as steady as it gets. His nine-tackle effort at UCLA was a season-high that he’s reached five other times on the campaign.  

Trojans fans will watch Pullard in the Coliseum for the final time Saturday, and Pullard has the opportunity to cap an outstanding career on a high note. 

He’s 30 tackles of the program’s all-time career record, thus needs a couple of monster games against Notre Dame and in the bowl to reach that milestone. Don’t be surprised if the senior surpasses that nine-tackle barrier this week to move a little closer to the record.

Notre Dame Players to Watch

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OFFENSE

WR Will Fuller

In a vein similar to UCLA, the USC defense is up against another multifaceted receiving corps this week. Five players have caught for at least 273 yards and eight players have hauled in touchdowns.

As multidimensional as Notre Dame is, however, Will Fuller stands out as unquestionable primary weapon.

Fuller has 962 yards on the season and a remarkable 14 touchdowns. Only Colorado State’s Rashard Higgins has more.

DEFENSE

S Max Redfield 

Southern California prep product and one-time USC verbal commit Max Redfield returns home for the first time, donning rival Notre Dame's navy and gold.

Redfield has been a primary playmaker in the Notre Dame defense this season, racking up 49 tackles, three pass deflections and an interception. But Redfield was benched against Northwestern, and Kelly said he's still honing his game via UND.com: 

"

I mean, he's got a trait, obviously, a physical trait. The football part is still coming, and just recognition of formations and understanding alignments and assignments, that's where we're still working with a young player.

"

Redfield is definitely one of the more talented playmakers on the Fighting Irish's defense, but how much he's able to impact Saturday's contest will be an intriguing subplot. 

LB Jaylon Smith 

Jaylon Smith’s style might look familiar to USC fans. The Irish linebacker is a versatile run-stopper and effective pass-rusher who also drops back into pass coverage with ease, all qualities that have made the Trojans’ Su’a Cravens so vital to their defense.

While Smith is a more natural linebacker than Cravens, who operates as a hybrid SAM linebacker and safety, Smith’s ability to fill several roles gives Irish defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder options in his scheme.

Where Smith is most likely to make an impact Saturday is rushing off the edge. He has six quarterback hurries on the year and is the member of the Notre Dame most likely to pressure Kessler in passing situations.  

What They're Saying

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USC 

Sarkisian on whether more emphasis is placed on the Notre Dame rivalry:

 “Whether it’s Notre Dame or UCLA or Cal or Stanford, they all mean the same. I know not everybody wants to hear that, but if you’re truly and innately a competitor, I don’t pick and choose which games I’m going to get up for. I don’t pick and choose which games I’m going to better prepare our players for.

“I do it every single week, and I will never waiver off that.”

Notre Dame 

Kelly on the importance of the rivalry game, via UND.com:

"

It's a huge rivalry game. Great tradition in the match up, but we just need to find a win. I think finishing the season with a victory is all we're really focused on, again, great rivalry, great tradition, great history.

In a sense, I think this week is even more about just finding a way to get a win for these guys. They've played with such great effort. I feel for these guys. They gave everything they had. They've got three losses now by a total of ten points, so really the focus is just trying to find a way to get a win.

"

Prediction

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From College Football Playoff contender to free-fall—this is the most accurate description of Notre Dame’s last month.

While the Fighting Irish have just one loss by more than a single possession, the streak has been marked with some ugly performances, particularly on the defensive side. They have given up an average of 40 points per game in losses and even surrendered 43 and 39 points in wins over North Carolina and Navy.

The sputtering Notre Dame may be just what USC needs to see to jump-start its offense, particularly on the ground. The sluggish rushing attack of the last three weeks has USC dealing with the identity crisis it seemingly had shaken off midway through the campaign.

Beating Notre Dame won’t win USC the Pac-12 South title that slipped away at UCLA, nor will it undo any of the other disappointments suffered in Sarkisian’s first year. But it is a nice consolation prize, and a possible springboard into greater success as the program continues to rebuild.

Prediction: USC 34, Notre Dame 27

Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise cited. Statistics courtesy of CFBstats.com.