USF vs. Notre Dame: Previewing the South Florida Game

With the season-opening game against the Bulls of South Florida only four days away, it's time to take an in-depth look at the first ever matchup of the two schools.

There are many storylines heading into Saturday's contest, but the biggest of all is the return of USF head coach Skip Holtz to campus.

His father, legendary Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz, has publicly stated that he'll be rooting for USF when the two teams take the field because his wife would kill him if he didn't.

Aside from that, there are a number of things to watch for on the field at Notre Dame Stadium this Saturday.

Follow along as we preview the season-opening matchup for both teams.

The Play of USF QB B.J. Daniels

The success of South Florida's offense is heavily dependent on how well quarterback B.J. Daniels plays.

Last season Daniels completed 143 of 245 pass attempts for 1,685 yards, but tossed 13 interceptions to only 11 touchdowns.

It's likely that he'll be an improved player this season with a year of experience in Skip Holtz's system under his belt, but it remains to be seen how well he'll fare against Notre Dame's stout defense.

If B.J. Daniels can avoid turnovers, then the offense will have a much better chance at getting into the red zone and potentially reaching paydirt.

However, if he struggles early and never finds his groove, it'll be a long day for the Bulls.

Notre Dame's Rush Offense

All elite teams are able to establish the run and Notre Dame must be able to do the same if it wishes to reach its BCS aspirations.

It's never too early to start pounding the football, so it'll be interesting if Brian Kelly and offensive coordinator Charley Molnar will add elements of the straight ahead, smashmouth style of play seen during the four-game winning streak to end last season. 

It's imperative that the Fighting Irish get the ground game going because South Florida's experienced secondary will expose any weaknesses in the passing game if the play-calling becomes pass heavy.

However, Notre Dame's veteran offensive line should have no problem paving the way for feature back Cierre Wood. A 100-yard game certainly isn't out of the question for Wood in this contest.

South Florida's Underrated Defense

South Florida had a very quiet, yet solid 2010 season on the defensive side of the football.

The Bulls ranked 22nd nationally in both scoring defense and rushing defense as well as 24th in passing defense.

The unit has six returning starters featuring linebackers Sam Barrington and DeDe Lattimore. Safeties Jon Lejiste and Jerrell Young are also returning starters. 

With that kind of talent and experience, there's reason to believe that South Florida will have another outstanding year on defense.

The Fighting Irish simply cannot underestimate the USF defense, or else Year 2 of the Brian Kelly era might start with a loss.

Notre Dame's Defensive Line

Over the offseason, Notre Dame's defensive line went from mediocre to elite with the addition of two of the nation's best defensive end recruits in Aaron Lynch and Stephon Tuitt.

Both players are listed on the two deep at their respective end positions.

With Lynch and Tuitt being able to give incumbent starters Kapron Lewis-Moore and Ethan a breather every now and again, Notre Dame will finally have a fearsome pass rush. 

Don't forget about nose guard, though.

Sean Cwynar and Louis "Irish Chocolate" Nix will be splitting time at the position. Each possesses the ability to take away runs up the middle.

USF has new starters at each of the offensive tackle spots, so look for the Irish defensive ends to have success coming off the edge.

South Florida RB Darrell Scott

Darrell Scott, the nation's No. 1 running back prospect in the 2007 class, has joined the USF program after transferring from Colorado.

The Bulls are hoping that Scott will live up to that No. 1 billing by proving it on the field this Saturday.

The Irish defense will certainly have its hands full with Scott, but showed it could shut down opposing rush offenses down the stretch last season.

Despite that excellent play and momentum carrying into this season, it will be difficult for Notre Dame to shut down a player of Darrell Scott's caliber.

Notre Dame's Special Teams

Notre Dame's special teams were nothing to be proud of last year aside from the brilliant performances of kicker David Ruffer.

This upcoming game against South Florida figures to be quite a physical one, making field position that much more important.

The Irish have tabbed true freshman Kyle Brindza as the man on kickoffs, and it's paramount that he put the ball into the end zone to pin the Bulls deep in their own territory.

Punter Ben Turk may not be used much in the game, but may be put in a position to make a coffin corner punt if the game is still in question late.

Conclusion

Like every team that comes to South Bend, the Bulls would love nothing more than stealing a win from the Fighting Irish on their home field.

It'd be a huge boost to Skip Holtz and his program.

Unfortunately, that won't be happening.

USF will make things interesting early, but Notre Dame's superior talent and Brian Kelly's coaching will be South Florida's demise in the second half.

Final Score: Notre Dame 34, USF 13