Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. USC Trojans Complete Game Preview

The greatest intersectional rivalry in college football lost some luster last week, when both Notre Dame and USC dropped critical football games. For Brian Kelly's Irish, a third straight defeat came on senior day in Notre Dame Stadium. For Steve Sarkisian's Trojans, it came at the hands of their crosstown rivals, with UCLA trouncing USC, their third straight loss in the all-important matchup.

But there's no time for either team to dwell on a difficult defeat. Not when they're playing for the Jeweled Shillelagh. For the 86th time, Notre Dame and USC will battle, in a rivalry that's swung like a pendulum over the past 50 years. 

After two consecutive ties to close out the 1960s, the Trojans dominated the next decade and change, winning 11 of 13 games. But the Irish struck back, winning 11 straight between 1983 and 1993, before a 17-17 tie in 1994 rebooted the series. 

From there, the Trojans and Irish traded three-game winning streaks, before the Pete Carroll era took hold. USC won the next eight games, blowing out the Irish in 2002 in a battle of Top 10 teams. Outside of two one-score games (none more memorable than the Irish's 34-31 loss in 2005), this series served as a stark reminder that the Trojans were an elite program and Notre Dame was not. The Trojans blew out Notre Dame in six of eight games by 20 points or more, with five coming by 30 or more. 

But that all changed when Brian Kelly took over the Irish. With Pete Carroll in Seattle before the NCAA came down hard on the USC football program for improper benefits, Notre Dame did its best to flip the rivalry again, winning in the Coliseum for the first time in a decade on a rainy night in 2010. 

Kelly has now won three of his four meetings with USC. Saturday he'll meet Trojans head coach Steve Sarkisian for the first time, in a game both teams need to help salvage a season. 

Let's get you ready for rivalry weekend. 

Date: Saturday, November 29

Time: 3:30 p.m. ET

Place: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

TV: FOX

Radio: IMG College Sports, SiriusXM Channel 129

Spread: USC by 7, according to Odds Shark.

*Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand.  

Notre Dame Keys to Victory

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Same Story Different Week: Hold onto the Football and Score Points

Everett Golson's interception deep in Notre Dame territory didn't end up killing the Irish's chances to win. After struggling all season in sudden change situations, Notre Dame's defense held Louisville to a field goal. 

But every missed opportunity for the Irish offense is amplified with the current state of Notre Dame's defense. And with all eyes focused on Everett Golson—his decision making, his body language and his ball security—Notre Dame's quarterback needs to put together one of his best games of the season for the Irish to topple the Trojans. 

Holding onto the football is the most important thing. But cashing in and scoring touchdowns is just as vital to the Irish's success.

Against Louisville, Notre Dame only managed two touchdowns in their five red-zone appearances. While Kyle Brindza converted two appearances for field goals, his 32-yard miss at the end of the game was a stark reminder the Irish can't rely on their special teams unit in the clutch. 

Notre Dame's offense needs to win the football game. It can do that by holding onto the football and taking advantage of its scoring chances. 

Find a Way to Slow Down USC's Offense, Starting with the Running Game

Through nine games, USC's junior running back Javorius Allen was doing special things. He had broken the 100-yard barrier eight times, including a 205-yard, three-touchdown performance in a win over Arizona.

But the past two weeks have been tough sledding for Allen and the USC rushing attack, with the Trojan workhorse limited to just 60 yards on the ground in a closer-than-expected win over Cal and a disappointing 38-20 loss to UCLA. 

For the Irish to have a chance at beating USC, they're going to need to keep the Trojans running game in check. And after attempting to do that against Louisville and still giving up 226 yards on the ground, the battle at the line of scrimmage will be one of the keys to the game. 

USC's injury-plagued offensive line was constantly under siege against the Bruins last weekend. Quarterback Cody Kessler was sacked six times by a UCLA front that entered the game with just 14 sacks.

Defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder manufactured a pass rush against Louisville last week, with the Irish getting four sacks of their own. But it'll start with stopping the run, inviting the Trojans to be one-dimensional.  

USC Keys to Victory

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Get the Offensive Mojo Back

At its best, USC's offense looks like a vintage Pete Carroll attack: a quarterback with elite decision-making skills and accuracy, a receiving corps filled with top-end talent and a lead running back who can move the chains or hit the home run. 

But the Trojans were stuck in neutral against UCLA, held to just 276 total yards on an evening when the defense even spotted the offense its first touchdown. The biggest problems came when they tried to protect Cody Kessler, who was blitzed and battered into one of his worst games of the season. 

Kessler still managed to complete nearly 65 percent of his 34 passes but threw for just 214 yards, checking down for much of the evening and connecting just three times with star receiver Nelson Agholor. With the Trojans able to run for just 62 yards against a UCLA defense that's far from elite against the run, the one-sided nature of the line of scrimmage had to be a disappointment for USC. 

Steve Sarkisian's offense has succeeded when it's been able to move uptempo, something that's giving Notre Dame's young defense continual fits. So expect the Trojans to try and push the pace of the game almost immediately, forcing a front seven filled with kids to communicate and play assignment-correct football. 

Find a Way to Slow Down Notre Dame's Passing Attack

It didn't take long for Trojans defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox to find his way into USC fans' doghouse. A rising star in the coaching profession, Wilcox went from the aggressive architect of the Boise State defense to landing with Sarkisian in Washington before joining him in Los Angeles. 

But after having one of the best defenses in the country under Clancy Pendergast, USC's defense has struggled in its transition to a new scheme. And nowhere has that been more noticeable than in the secondary. 

USC's play against the pass has been dreadful, with the Trojans ranked 111th in the country in pass defense. After losing captain and star cornerback Josh Shaw to a bizarre preseason incident, the Trojans have relied on young, but highly recruited talent to get by. (Sound familiar, Irish fans?) 

The result? A lot of grumbling and a fanbase that wants change as it's watched elite recruiting talent consistently miss tackles and blow assignments. 

With Will Fuller entering the game capable of blowing the top off a defense at any time, he'll have an opportunity to join the Notre Dame record books with one more touchdown. The rest of the Irish receiving corps should be ready to have a big day as well. 

Notre Dame Players to Watch

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Everett Golson

The last time Golson was in the Coliseum he played one of the best games of his rookie season, leading the Irish to a BCS-clinching victory and assuring Notre Dame an undefeated regular season. While the game doesn't mean as much, he'll need to play just as well this weekend to get out of Los Angeles for a desperately needed eighth victory.

Notre Dame's veteran quarterback survived a nightmarish first 30 minutes against Louisville, held without a touchdown in the first half for the first time all season. Golson will need to get the Irish off to a better start on Saturday, while knowing full well that the Trojans have had their share of second-half issues as well. (The Trojans have given up more points in the second half in six of their last seven games.)

Golson's turnover streak continues, with last week's interception the lone blemish on the box score. But another fumble that cost the Irish 26 yards had most fans calling for Malik Zaire, though Kelly stuck with Golson at the half and watched the quarterback play much better in the second half.

Kelly's bet on Golson paid off. Now he's going to need to reward his head coach with a prime performance. 

Greer Martini

Notre Dame is down to Greer Martini as its starting middle linebacker. Entering this season, he was likely no higher than the sixth-best option for that job.

But injuries and opportunity have turned the freshman into the Irish starter against their biggest rival, a decision that gives you an idea of just how decimated the defensive personnel is for Notre Dame. 

Martini is playing because Nyles Morgan will be suspended for the first half of the game after his targeting ejection. Yet Martini might be just what the doctor ordered for an Irish defense in desperate need of an instinctive football player in the middle of their defense. He may lack the sheer athleticism of Morgan, but he's found a niche quickly as a player who finds his way to the football. 

That'll come in handy as the Irish need to stop Buck Allen. 

USC Players to Watch

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Nelson Agholor

Notre Dame lost out on a recruiting battle for Agholor when the Florida native chose the Trojans over the Irish, even after Tony Alford went all out to land the talented playmaker. And entering the final regular-season game of the season, Agholor is the elite receiver just about everyone expected, potentially playing his final game in the Coliseum before embarking on an NFL career. 

Agholor has been the lifeblood of the Trojan passing game, making 85 catches for 1,103 yards and 10 touchdowns. He's made six or more catches in every game but two, including an amazing 16-catch performance against Cal in early November, his second straight 200-yard performance. 

But against UCLA Agholor was off his game. He was held to just three catches on nine targets after connecting with Cody Kesler at a 78 percent clip. He also coughed up a punt return, fumbling the ball back to UCLA on the Trojan 8-yard line, leading to UCLA's first touchdown. 

With Cole Luke likely landing the assignment to cover Agholor, it'll be a key matchup to watch on Saturday. 

Leonard Williams

There's no defensive player that's giving Brian Kelly a bigger headache than Williams. The defensive tackle, who looks to be one of the NFL draft's top players selected, is the toughest assignment Notre Dame's offensive line will face all year. 

"Leonard Williams is probably, singularly the best defensive front [player] that we'll see this year," Kelly said Tuesday. "He's one of the best defensive linemen I've seen in a few years. He's that good of a player." 

Just as Notre Dame's ground game has found a rhythm, it'll have to find a way to contain Williams. And after seeing some of the struggles the interior of the offensive line have had this season, it's a critical matchup for the Irish to have offensive success on Saturday afternoon. 

Prediction

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There isn't a lot of happiness going into this game. USC fans worry that they hired the wrong head coach, with "Seven-Win Sark" potentially finishing his debut regular season with a 7-5 record that could include losses to both UCLA and Notre Dame. That's not exactly the debut anyone was expecting. 

Irish fans are also reeling, with the reality of a 6-0 start and a 7-5 finish just now setting in. While devastating injuries to the defense are the main culprit, the reputation of Brian Kelly has taken a hit as well, with some coaching decisions going the wrong way in tight games that the Irish needed their coach to help pull out.

The key to the regular-season finale for both teams will be desire. There are no postseason implications for this one.

And ultimately, that's why the strength of Notre Dame's program will be the difference in this game, even if injuries have 16 of the 22 spots in the defense's two-deep filled by freshmen or sophomores. After five years, the foundation of the Irish program is in a much better place than USC's, in the middle of another reclamation project as scholarship restrictions end and Sarkisian brings stability. 

After being a house of horrors, Notre Dame hasn't lost in the Coliseum in six years. And while it might not be pretty, here's a hunch that the Irish pull off the upset, finishing the regular season on a winning note. 

Final Score: Notre Dame 34, USC 28