Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2020 Notre Dame Football Preview
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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2020 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 133 BY PATRICK ENGEL H ead coach Clay Helton still isn't a fan favorite in Los Angeles, but he bought himself another year at USC by nailing an assistant hire. Offensive coordinator Graham Harrell came from North Texas and lit the wick on a stagnant unit. Helton hopes a similar defensive overhaul can take USC from resurgent eight-win team to Pac-12 champion. Former Texas defensive coordinator Todd Orlando and an entire new crop of position coaches are charged with turning around a defense that gave up the most yards in team history last year — and they must do so fast. USC scooped up Orlando following a dis- appointing 2019 season at Texas. His prior work was apparently enough. Texas jumped 43 spots in total defense in Orlando's first year (2017). He ran top-35 defenses both years at Utah State. Before that, he engi- neered a 30-spot jump in total defense at Florida International. He is known for ooz- ing intensity and embracing toughness, both of which USC lacked. "Orlando said all the right things off the bat," said TrojanSports.com publisher Ryan Young. "It's only a small step of the process, but it got people to be intrigued that this over- hauled defensive staff can make a difference." He has plenty to work with. USC returns nearly all its defensive line contributors from 2019, led by sophomore edge player Drake Jackson and redshirt junior interior lineman Jay Tufele. The secondary returns all of last year's starters and important contributors, namely all-conference safety Talanoa Hu- fanga, a junior, and former five-star corner- back Chris Steele, a sophomore. "There's a ton of internal optimism," Young said. "They feel there's no reason the defense should do what it did last year given the talent it has. I'd concur, but I'm in a wait-and-see mode. But certainly, there's no reason to think they won't be better." They'll get a boost from Harrell's offense, which returns its top three rushers and proj- ects to have one of the country's best receiv- ing units even after losing team MVP Mi- chael Pittman, a second-round pick. Junior Amon-Ra St. Brown is the expected go-to target. Sophomore quarterback Kedon Slovis will throw to them again. No USC running back had more than 503 yards rushing in 2019, but that is a re- sult of injuries more than ineffectiveness. Maladies torpedoed the rushing attack and sidelined USC's top three backs for at least three games each. When healthy, one-time Notre Dame commit and redshirt sophomore Markese Stepp should be a major factor. "He was the one guy who when the of- fensive line broke down could create his own yards," Young said. "If he's healthy, we're going to see him get at least 12 carries per game and be able to show he's a true lead back." Slovis grabbed USC's starting job when JT Daniels tore his ACL in September. After recovering from an early season concussion, he pumped out four 400-yard games. His 71.9 completion rate set an NCAA freshman and Pac-12 record. ✦ USC TROJANS GAME 12 • NOV. 28 • LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL COLISEUM X-FACTOR: Former three-star recruit Kedon Slovis became USC's starting quarterback as a true freshman and threw for a USC single-game record 515 yards in a win over UCLA. He will lead a powerful offense once again. PHOTO COURTESY USC ATHLETICS/JOHN MCGILLEN 2020 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2019 Result Sept. 5 vs. Alabama* — Sept. 12 New Mexico — Sept. 19 at Stanford W, 45-20 Sept. 26 Arizona State W, 31-26 Oct. 2 at Utah W, 30-23 Oct. 10 California W, 41-17 Oct. 17 at Arizona W, 41-14 Oct. 31 Colorado W, 35-31 Nov. 7 at Oregon L, 56-24 Nov. 14 Washington L, 28-14 Nov. 21 at UCLA W, 52-35 Nov. 28 Notre Dame L, 30-27 * at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Notre Dame leads 49-37-5 Last Meeting: Notre Dame 30, USC 27 (Oct. 12, 2019 in South Bend) Head Coach: Clay Helton, 40-22 at USC and over- all (6th year) 2019 Record: 8-5 overall, 7-2 Pac-12 South (2nd) Returning Starters: 17 (8 offense, 9 defense) Prediction: Notre Dame 35, USC 34 RETURNING LEADERS Rushing: TB Vavae Malepeai (503 yards, 6 TD) Passing: QB Kedon Slovis (3,502 yards, 30 TD) Receiving: WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (1,042 yards, 6 TD) Tackles: S Talanoa Hufanga (90, 7.5 TFL) Sacks: LB Drake Jackson (5.5, 11.5 TFL) Passes Broken Up: CB Olaijah Griffin (9, 0 INT) Reasons For Optimism • Offensive firepower • New defensive voice • Skill position depth USC overcame its worst-ever defense and still won seven league games because it could outscore just about anyone. That's unlikely to change. USC doesn't have a talent issue on defense, and new coordinator Todd Orlando delivered when he inherited a skilled but under- achieving defense at Texas. USC has three reli- able running backs and five former highly rated receivers who should be in the rotation. Reasons For Concern • Long climb for defense • Offensive line uncertainty • Clay Helton's seat is still warm Even if Orlando can make a difference with USC's defense, will it be enough of a climb from No. 77 to help win games? USC lost both of- fensive tackles and appears likely to shuffle its line and replace them with players who were at guard last year. There's still a lot of pressure on Helton, and signing the No. 64 recruiting class in 2020 didn't help.