Notre Dame Football: USC Looks to Break Irish Momentum

Notre Dame (4-2) vs. USC (5-1)

Saturday, October 22nd 7:30 P.M.

TV: NBC

After a blowout victory over Air Force and a bye week, the Irish look to continue to build momentum toward a possible, although unlikely, BCS invitation. USC comes to South Bend following a blowout win over Cal and seems to be improving as the season progresses. Let's take a look at this matchup and see who has the advantage.

USC Offense vs. Notre Dame Defense

With all of the turmoil in Troy over the last thee plus seasons, Matt Barkley has been the rock that the to which the program seems to have clung. Barkley by all accounts is an athlete of the highest character and an excellent leader. 

Given the controversy of the Reggie Bush era, Barkley is exactly the kind of face that Athletic Director Pat Haden wants associated with his program. Thus far he has connected on 68 percent of his passes with 16 touchdowns and just four interceptions. Barkley will need to produce an excellent game in order for USC to be successful versus the Irish. 

With two freshmen and two sophomores on the offensive line, USC has struggled running the ball as they are just 71st in the nation. Head Coach Lane Kiffin has used a number of backfield combinations thus far in an effort to get more production out of the run game. 

Wide Receiver Robert Woods already has 60 catches for 783 yards and six touchdowns. Perhaps the weakest link in the Notre Dame defense thus far has been the pass coverage, and they will be heavily tested in this game. 

Notre Dame's defense has been solid for the most part this season, particularly against the run.  I believe Notre Dame will continue this trend and minimize the damage in the run game from USC. 

At this stage of the season, teams settle in and are defined. In other words, if you have struggled to run the ball through six weeks (USC), you are not all of the sudden going to be solid overnight, especially against Notre Dame. 

As a result, this game comes down the Notre Dame pass rush vs. Barkley, and Barkley and Robert Woods vs. the Notre Dame secondary.

Robert Woods will get his yardage, as will Matt Barkley, however, this USC team is too one-dimensional in my mind to do consistent damage against Notre Dame.

EDGE: NOTRE DAME

Notre Dame Offense vs. USC Defense

USC is giving up close to 24 ppg and on average 371 yards through the first six games. They also got lit up for 41 and 43 points versus Arizona and Arizona State respectively. This defense is a far cry from the USC defenses under Pete Carroll that used to physically and mentally demoralize opponents.

Could anyone have predicted after Week 1 that Jonas Gray would be averaging eight yards per carry, and that through six weeks, he and Cierre Wood would combine for nearly a thousand yards?

Tommy Rees has put together two consecutive games without an interception, and the addition of Andrew Hendrix to the offense could not have come at a better time, giving the Irish yet one more weapon for teams to worry about. 

A bye week will have allowed the Irish to refine their game plan and add a few new wrinkles to an already potent offense. I look for the Irish to put up a ton of yardage and points against an average SC defense.

EDGE: NOTRE DAME

Special Teams

The Irish have recently found more consistency in the kicking game. Ben Turk's punting average is slowly creeping towards 40 yards, and he has been much better the past two to three weeks. 

David Ruffer and Kyle Brindza have been a disappointment thus far. Ruffer is just 4-8 on field goals, and Brindza has only seven touchbacks on kickoffs. 

Nevertheless coverage has been good, opponents are averaging a starting field position on the 24-yard line which is more than acceptable.

Is this the week we see Michael Floyd full time on punt returns? Or with the week off does Brian Kelly re-introduce Theo Riddick into the mix? 

Something has to give as the Irish continue to struggle in the punt return game. USC's punter Kyle Negrete has a similar average to Ben Turk while Andre Heidari is 10-11 on field goals. USC also has much better numbers in the return game.

EDGE: USC

Intangibles

Is this the game that launches Brian Kelly's Notre Dame career? 

Clearly USC has not been as dominant, however, the importance of this game cannot be underestimated.  A convincing win by Notre Dame could do a number of things for the Irish. 

For starters, it will bring back some of the excitement and enthusiasm that was lost following the South Florida and Michigan debacles. It will also likely get the Irish back in Top 25 if they are not there following Week 6.

In addition, as we move later in the season, the bowl executives will start to identify teams that they are interested in. Finally, as always this game will have recruiting implications for this season and beyond.

A night game against USC following a bye week will result in perhaps the loudest most hostile crowd in recent Notre Dame history. 

EDGE: NOTRE DAME

Final Analysis

This has been a series of momentum. I believe Notre Dame snatched that momentum back when Ronald Johnson dropped a likely game winning touchdown pass last season. 

Yes, Notre Dame will have to worry about Matt Barkley, however, USC will have to prepare for an entire arsenal of weapons that is becoming the Notre Dame offense. 

When you add a steady Notre Dame defense against a USC offense that is rapidly becoming one-dimensional, you have the recipe for a big Irish win!

Notre Dame 31, USC 17.