It’s rivalry week in this Week 8 NCAAF matchup, as the USC Trojans face off against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in a battle for the Shillelagh trophy. Can this be the game that turns the tide for the 3-3 Trojans, or will Notre Dame be able to build off their win against Virginia Tech and keep their NCAAF playoff chances alive? We will dive deeper into how I believe both teams fair in this matchup, as well as highlighting three players to spotlight, ending with my predictions for the game.
USC
The Trojans have had a relatively easy schedule to this point, with their toughest opponent being Oregon State. Through eight weeks, USC sits with a baffling 3-3 record. No one could’ve saw this coming, especially with quarterback Kedon Slovis being 10th in the preseason Heisman rankings. Despite Slovis having a ton of hype, he’s now plummeted to being outside the top-50. Slovis isn’t the only one struggling, as this Trojan offense is ranked 29 in overall (11th in passing, 93rd in rushing).
Slovis hasn’t lived up to his preseason hype, though he’s had a couple games that stick out to me. Against Utah State, Slovis threw for 401 yards on 33 completions with two touchdowns and one interception in a losing effort. The week prior in a win against Colorado, Slovis completed 19 out of 29 passes for 276 yards and three touchdowns, taking care of the football with no interceptions.
As we transition to the positives of this offense, we must talk about Drake London. London is fourth in the country in receiving yards. He’s been one of the top receivers in the country, thus making him my first ‘Player to Watch’ in this matchup against the Irish. Will Slovis and London be able to stay in sync and torch an Irish defense that ranks 55th in overall?
The Trojan defense is ranked 70th in the NCAAF. It will be a battle of who will crack first, as the 88th ranked Irish offense isn’t too great in their own right. There seems to be a recipe for this years Trojan team; allow less then 21 points, or lose. Every game the Trojans have won they allowed 14 points or less. Every game they’ve lost, they’ve given up 21 or more.
One player I would like to highlight from this underwhelming defense is Senior linebacker Kana’i Mauga. Mauga has been quite impressive so far this season. Through six games, Mauga has 37 tackles and one sack. He’ll look to anchor a defense that really needs to find their leaders, and their identity as a whole.
Notre Dame
Boosting a 5-1 record in NCAAF, the Irish are looking to continue their hot start; in spite of their 55th ranked defense and 88th ranked offense. The last time we covered the Irish, we saw quarterback Drew Pyne enter the game and out-play current starter Jack Coan in a losing effort to Cincinnati.
So who will start in this rivalry matchup for the Irish? It has been reported they will give the ball to the veteran in Coan. Don’t let that fool you though, as head coach Brian Kelly has already proven he will make a quarterback change to whoever he feels will win him the game. Kelly has already played three quarterbacks in six weeks.
Last week, it was both Buchner and Coan who led the Irish to 32-29 win against Virginia Tech in a very hostile environment. Both QBs had almost identical stats in that game as well. Buchner had 113 yards on 6 of 14 passing with a touchdown; though he did turn the ball over twice. Coan had 108 yards and a touchdown on 9 of 12 attempts, but did not surrender a turnover. It will be very interesting to see who Kelly eventually goes to as his starter.
The Irish have had some success passing the football ranking 31st in the NCAAF in that regard. The Irish will have to rely on their plethora of receivers as they look to help out whichever QB is playing. Their rushing attack has been pitiful however. Their 118th ranking in the country shows a glaring hole in a playoff hopeful team.
For my second ‘Player to Watch’, I’m going to go with a bit of a wildcard in Junior wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. Austin has had a couple big games in recent memory. He had a 3 reception, 70 yard game last week against Virginia Tech, and a 6 reception, 76 yards, and 3 touchdown game against a good Wisconsin team. I believe Austin will have a huge impact in this game.
This Irish Defense has been quite unpredictable. They’ve held top teams like Wisconsin and Cincinnati to 13 points a piece, but they’ve also given up 29 to unranked Toledo and Virginia Tech.
As I was scouting the Notre Dame defense looking for someone to highlight, Sophomore linebacker JD Bertrand looked the most intriguing. Bertrand has posted an impressive 58 tackles thus far, while adding a sack and a fumble recovery. Notre Dame desperately needs someone to step up and lead this defense. I believe Bertrand will be just the man for the job. He’ll look to continue his hot start and help his defensive front get even better as the season rolls on.
Game Predictions
- Drake London continue to dominate (London gets at least 60 yards and a Touchdown)
- Kevin Austin breaks the 100-yard mark
- Notre Dame’s defense shows improvement headlined by a 1.5 Sack/TFL performance by JD Bertrand
- Final Score Prediction – ND 31 USC 24
