Notre Dame Rush Offense vs. USC Run Defense

The Irish are very impressive when it comes to running the ball as they are ranked 11th in the nation averaging 221.8 rushing yards per game with 37 touchdowns and an average of 6.3 yards per rush. The Irish have rushed for more than 200 yards in 5 out of the last 6 games as well using multiple players to do so. Jeremiyah Love leads with 121 attempts for 850 yards with 14 touchdowns and an average of 7 yards per rush. Quarterback Riley Leonard has 112 attempts with 671 yards with 13 touchdowns and an average of 6 yards per rush. Jadarian Price has 77 attempts for 540 yards with 6 touchdowns and an average of 7 yards per rush. Aneyas Williams has 26 attempts for 174 yards with 2 touchdowns and an average of 6.7 yards per rush. Kedren Young has played in 3 games and has 21 attempts for 116 yards with 1 touchdown and an average of 5.5 yards per rush. The Irish have allowed 47 tackles for loss this season.

The Trojans have been solid against the run as they are ranked 43rd nationally allowing 130.1 yards per game with 15 touchdowns and an average of 4.3 yards per rush. They have held 2 teams, Utah State and Maryland, to less than 100 yards in those games. Only 1 team has rushed for more than 200 yards which was Michigan, who had 290 yards. USC has allowed 6 teams to average 4 or more yards per rush in those games as well. USC also has 48 tackles for loss this season but Eric Gentry, who leads with 6.5 tackles for loss, redshirted after 4 games due to injuries. Kamari Ramsey has 5.5 tackles for loss while Easton Mascarenas-Arnold has 5 tackles for loss.

The Irish are coming off an excellent performance where they rushed for 273 yards against an impressive Army run defense. Using a deep unit has really helped as many players were able to rest for a majority of the 3rd quarter and all of the 4th quarter. The Irish will easily be the best rush offense that the Trojans face all season and with multiple players that are able to make plays on the ground could make things even more favorable for the Irish. Look for the Irish to continue to use a strong rush offense in this matchup.

Edge: Notre Dame

USC Rush Offense vs. Notre Dame Run Defense

The Trojans have been average when it comes to running the ball as they are ranked 84th in the nation averaging 144.3 rushing yards per game with 17 touchdowns and an average of 5.2 yards per rush. The Trojans have been held to less than 100 yards in 4 games this season with it happening in the previous game at UCLA where they had 86 yards. They have rushed for 200 or more yards in 1 game when they had 249 against Utah State and also averaged less than 5 yards per rush in 5 games this season. Woody Marks leads with 192 attempts for 1,100 yards with 9 touchdowns and an average of 5.7 yards per rush. Quinten Joyner has 53 attempts for 395 yards with 3 touchdowns and an average of 7.5 yards per rush while Bryan Jackson has 14 attempts for 51 yards with an average of 3.6 yards per rush. Quarterback Jayden Maiava has 12 attempts for 38 yards with 2 touchdowns and an average of 3.2 yards per rush. The Trojans have also allowed 51 tackles for loss this season as well.

The Irish have been solid against the run this season as they are ranked 48th in the nation allowing 133.6 yards per rush with 9 touchdowns and an average of 3.5 yards per rush. The Irish have held 2 teams to less than 100 yards rushing in those games. The Irish have allowed just 2 teams to rush for more than 200 yards which were Navy and Army. The Irish have also held every team except for Navy to less than 5 yards per rush in those games. The Irish have been successful with getting into opposing backfields with 57 tackles for loss. Rylee Mills leads with 6.5 tackles for loss while Howard Cross has 5.5 tackles for loss.

The Irish are coming off an impressive performance where they largely shut down the top Army rush offense until the game was well out of hand when they went a long drive for most of the 4th quarter. The Trojans just rushed for 86 yards in a close win at UCLA after doing well in the previous win over Nebraska. USC is not very deep as nearly all of the rushing yards have come from 2 players and also have an extremely large majority of the attempts as well. The Irish have been able to rotate in players quite frequently on the defense to help stop the run. After missing the last 2 games to injury, Howard Cross should hopefully be back, but his status is questionable as of writing. If the Irish are able to contain Woody Marks and Quinten Joyner along with making plays in the backfield, this will put USC into passing situations and will make things favorable for the Irish on defense.

Edge: Notre Dame

Notre Dame Pass Offense vs. USC Pass Defense

The Irish are showing improvement when it comes to passing the ball as they are ranked 99th in the nation averaging 198.1 passing yards per game with 17 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, and a completion rate of 65 percent. Riley Leonard has 177 completions on 271 attempts for 1,937 yards with 14 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, and a completion rate of 65.3 percent. Steve Angeli has 18 completions on 28 attempts for 224 yards with 3 touchdowns and a completion rate of 64.3 percent. Beaux Collins leads with 34 receptions for 427 yards with 2 touchdowns and an average of 12.6 yards per reception. Jaden Greathouse has 25 receptions for 339 yards with 1 touchdown and an average of 13.6 yards per reception. Jayden Harrison has 17 receptions for 211 yards with 1 touchdown and an average of 12.4 yards per reception. Jordan Faison has 14 receptions for 177 yards with 1 touchdown and an average of 12.6 yards per reception. Kris Mitchell has 16 receptions for 165 yards with 2 touchdowns and an average of 10.3 yards per reception while Jayden Thomas has 14 receptions for 132 yards with 1 touchdown and an average of 9.4 yards per reception. Mitchell Evans leads the tight ends with 24 receptions for 213 yards with 2 touchdowns and an average of 8.9 yards per reception. Cooper Flanagan has 4 receptions for 55 yards with 2 touchdowns and an average of 13.8 yards per reception while Eli Raridon has 6 receptions for 50 yards with 1 touchdown and an average of 8.3 yards per reception. The Irish have allowed 13 sacks and 14 quarterback hurries with 20 passes broken up.

The Trojans have been below average against the pass as they are ranked 93 nationally allowing 235.6 passing yards per game with 10 touchdowns, 9 interceptions, and a completion rate of 67.7 percent. USC has held 5 teams to below 200 yards, but 4 of those were during the early part of the season when they happened from game 2 against Utah State until game 5 against Minnesota. The Trojans have allowed 6 opposing teams to pass for 200 yards or more, with 4 teams able to pass for 300 or more and 1 team to pass for 400 or more. USC has also allowed opposing teams to be quite accurate as they have held only 3 teams to a completion rate of less than 60 percent and 5 teams have had a completion rate of 70 percent or higher. The Trojans have had a bit of trouble in getting to opposing quarterbacks with 18 sacks and 16 quarterback hurries with an impressive 43 passes broken up.

The Irish are coming off a performance where they did not have to pass much as they had 189 passing yards but it was primarily on big plays where multiple players were each making plays to move the chains. The Trojans have allowed a lot of passing yards in a majority of the recent games after not allowing many early on this season along with allowing most opponents to be very accurate as well. As USC might try to stop the run more, this could mean more opportunities for the passing game to make some plays. With the Irish having multiple players that are capable of making plays and the passing game continuing to improve, this could help the Irish even more. Look for the Irish to build upon the recent games where the passing offense has improved to make the offense closer to being more balanced.

Edge: Even

USC Pass Offense vs. Notre Dame Pass Defense

The Trojans have heavily favored throwing the ball as they are tied for 13th in the nation averaging 285.5 passing yards per game with 22 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and a completion rate of 64.1 percent. The Trojans have passed for 200 or more yards in every game so far this season with 4 games where they passed for 300 or more yards. USC has also been held to a completion rate of less than 60 percent in just 3 games. The Trojans have had 4 games where they had a completion rate of 70 percent or higher in those games as well. Miller Moss was the starter coming into the season, but has been since benched and has 233 completions on 362 attempts for 2,555 yards with 18 touchdowns, 9 interceptions, and a completion rate of 64.4 percent. Jayden Maiava has started the last 2 games and has 52 completions on 81 attempts for 546 yards with 4 touchdowns, 1 interception, and a completion rate of 64.2 percent. Makai Lemon leads with 37 receptions for 532 yards with 3 touchdowns and an average of 14.4 yards per reception. Zachariah Branch has 43 receptions for 458 yards with 1 touchdown and an average of 10.7 yards per reception. Kyron Hudson has 36 receptions for 436 yards with 3 touchdowns and an average of 12.1 yards per reception. Ja’Kobi Lane has 33 receptions for 372 yards with 6 touchdowns and an average of 11.3 yards per reception. Duce Robinson has 20 receptions for 333 yards with 5 touchdowns and an average of 16.7 yards per reception while Kyle Ford has 17 receptions for 217 yards with 2 touchdowns and an average of 12.8 yards per reception. Running back Woody Marks has 47 receptions for 321 yards with an average of 6.9 yards per reception. Tight End Lake McRee has 23 receptions for 243 yards with an average of 10.6 yards per reception. The Trojans have allowed 13 sacks and 32 quarterback hurries with 65 passes broken up.

The Irish have been outstanding when it comes to defending the pass as they are ranked 1st in the nation allowing 139.5 passing yards per game with 6 touchdowns, 15 interceptions (3 returned for touchdowns), and a completion rate of 47.6 percent. The Irish have allowed just 2 opponents, Louisville and Georgia Tech, to pass for 200 or more yards. The Irish have held 4 opponents with 3 out of the last 4 to less than 100 yards in those games. The Irish have also held every opponent to a completion rate of less than 60 percent in those games as well. The Irish have also been able to get to opposing quarterbacks as well with 29 sacks and 36 quarterback hurries along with an impressive 43 passes broken up.

The Irish are coming off a performance where they did not have to worry about the pass as they allowed 26 passing yards to an Army team that heavily favored running the ball. The Trojans will be among the best passing teams that the Irish will face this season. With multiple players that are capable of catching the ball, this will be quite a challenge for the Irish, who will have to cover multiple players. If the Irish shut down the rush offense, it will mean even more passing. This could mean having more players in coverage at that point. With that being said, the Trojans have Jayden Maiava who can run if needed. The Irish will want to make plays in the backfield along with having pass breakups as well as the Trojans have had a significant number of passes broken up this season. This will certainly be an extremely important matchup to keep an eye on.

Edge: Notre Dame

Special Teams

Mitch Jeter has not been at full strength as of late and is 6 of 11 (3 were blocked) on field goals with an accuracy rate of 54.5 percent and a long of 48 yards. Zac Yoakam had filled in at times this season and is 2 of 5 on field goals with an accuracy rate of 40 percent and a long of 42 yards. Marcello Diomede has also been used and is 0 of 1 on field goals. James Rendell has punted 35 times with an average of 41.4 yards. Jayden Harrison has returned 8 kickoffs for 181 yards with an average of 22.6 yards. Max Hurleman has returned 16 punts for 93 yards with an average of 5.8 yards. The Irish have blocked 6 kicks and have had 3 kicks blocked this season.

Michael Lantz is 14 of 20 on field goals with an accuracy rate of 70 percent and a long of 54 yards. Eddie Czaplicki has punted 36 times with an average of 48.8 yards. Makai Lemon has returned 12 kickoffs for 351 yards with an average of 29.3 yards. Zachariah Branch has returned 11 punts for 63 yards with an average of 5.7 yards. The Trojans have blocked 1 kick and have had 2 kicks blocked this season.

Stronger Unit: USC

Final Thoughts

The Irish are coming off an impressive 49-14 win over previously undefeated Army and now close out the regular season on the road against their archrival. The Trojans are coming off a close win at UCLA to put them at 6-5. The Irish played very well on offense and defense in that win and were able to get backups in during the 3rd quarter to allow players to rest in what was arguably the most physical game played this season. USC has been in a significant number of close games this season as only 3 games saw a result where the winner had won by more than 7 points. Those games were home wins against Utah State, Wisconsin, and Rutgers with 2 out of those 3 games happening in September. The Trojans will certainly be competitive as they notably had a close loss to Penn State, but also had close games against teams with fewer wins. A major matchup that is certainly notable is seeing how the Irish do against the pass offense as the Trojans throw the ball a considerably large amount of the time. If the Irish are able to have Howard Cross back from injury, it will be of great help with putting pressure on the Trojans offensive line. Look for the Irish to run the ball and pass in a balanced way, the run will help set things up for the passing game to make plays against a Trojans defense that allows a large number of passing yards. The Irish will not want to overlook the Trojans as they have had a majority of the games be close games this season. Look for the Irish to build upon the win over Army as they head into the regular season finale.

Prediction: Notre Dame 38, USC 24

As always, GO IRISH!

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