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SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TROJANS BY DAN MURPHY he talent pool in Southern California doesn't appear that it will ever run dry, but a few years of scholarship sanctions are starting to take their toll on the Trojans. USC, a preseason favorite to win the national championship a year ago, finished the 2012 season with a 7-6 record and a loss in the Sun Bowl. Head coach Lane Kiffin caught the blame for most of their troubles, and he enters this fall on thin ice. Kiffin's first move to shake things up this offseason was to fire his defensive coordinator and father, Monte Kiffin. He was replaced by Clancy Pendergast and a new 5-2 defensive alignment. Pendergast's defense is designed to be more aggressive and force an opponent's hand. It was met with a lot of excitement in the USC locker room, according to 247Sports beat writer Scott Schrader. "They love it," Schrader said. "Last year with Monte it was a soft defense. There is going to be a lot more challenging of receivers, trying to jam them at the line and so on. Every one of the players I've talked to welcomed the change." The defense also welcomed the opportunity to hit again in practice this spring. USC, be- GAME 7 • OCT. 19 • NOTRE DAME STADIUM T Quick Facts All-Time Series: Notre Dame leads 44-35-5 Last Meeting: Notre Dame 22, USC 13 (Nov. 24, 2012, Los Angeles) Head Coach: Lane Kiffin, 25-13 (4th year) and 3219 overall (5th year) 2012 In Review: 7-6 overall, 5-4 Pac-12 (2nd South) Final 2012 Ranking: Unranked 2012 Stats Rankings: 41st total offense (432.9 yards per game) and 60th total defense (394 yards allowed per game) Returning Starters: 14 (7 offense and 7 defense) Key Losses: QB Matt Barkley (3,273 passing yards) and S T.J. McDonald (112 tackles) 2013 Preseason Rankings: No. 6 by Phil Steele's, No. 25 by Lindy's and No. 26 by Athlon Last Bowl Appearance: 2012 (Sun Bowl, vs. Georgia Tech, L 21-7) Did You Know?: Notre Dame has not defeated USC in South Bend since 2001, a stretch of five straight losses … Athlon Sports lists USC head coach Lane Kiffin as its No. 1 coach on the "hot seat" headed into the 2013 season … USC's visit to South Bend in 2013 will kick off at 7:30 p.m., just the third night game in the past 21 years at Notre Dame Stadium. Returning Leaders Rushing: Silas Redd (905 yards, 9 TD) Passing: Max Wittek (388 yards, 3 TD) Receiving: Marqise Lee (1,721 yards, 14 TD) Tackles: Hayes Pullard (107) Sacks: Morgan Breslin (13) Interceptions: Dion Bailey (4) 122 ! X-FACTOR: Marqise Lee, the 2012 Biletnikoff Award winner, could be in line for even more prestigious college hardware in the fall. Last year, the junior set program single-season records for receptions (118) and receiving yards (1,721). He might also moonlight in the Trojans' secondary in 2013. PHOTO COURTESY USC cause of its short roster, decided not to tackle during fall practices a year ago, which eventually took its toll on the Trojans defense. A rash of injuries came from the more physical spring, although Schrader said most problems came in non-contact drills. Twenty different players sat out the spring scrimmage with some type of ailment. Most, if not all of them, are expected to be healthy in time for the regular season. The depth chart may be threadbare in some 2013 Schedule Date Aug. 29 Sept. 7 Sept. 14 Sept. 21 Sept. 28 Oct. 10 Oct. 19 Oct. 26 Nov. 1 Nov. 9 Nov. 16 Nov. 23 Nov. 30 Opponent at Hawai`i Washington State Boston College Utah State at Arizona State Arizona at Notre Dame Utah at Oregon State at California Stanford at Colorado UCLA 2012 Result W 49-10 — — — W, 38-17 L, 39-36 L, 22-13 W, 38-28 — W, 27-9 L, 21-14 W, 50-6 L, 38-28 Strength: Pass Catchers Marqise Lee on his own would be enough to make the wide receiver group a strong point this year. The Trojans have a full battery of complementary pass-catching playmakers in their own right, to go along with last year's Biletnikoff winner. Sophomore Nelson Agholor will start opposite Lee. The former five-star athlete prospect made 19 catches last season while battling former USC star Robert Woods for playing time. Tight ends Xavier Grimble and Randall Telfer are good options over the middle. They both sat out spring practice with injuries, but are expected to return in plenty of time to start the season. places, but the players they have on campus still have the type of athletic ability for which USC is known. The skill positions are stocked again in 2012. Leading rusher Silas Redd (905 yards, nine TD) will be joined by early enrollee Justin Davis, who made a huge splash this spring, and incoming freshman Ty Isaac in the backfield. At quarterback, redshirt sophomore Max Wittek looked like the easy answer to replace Matt Barkley after an effective outing in his first start against Notre Dame last November. However, classmate Cody Kessler made a strong case for the starting job this spring. "He's more athletic than Max and he can extend plays," Schrader said. "He doesn't have the arm that Max does, but it's more than adequate. He doesn't make a lot of bad decisions." Prediction Notre Dame 31, USC 24 — Notre Dame has two weeks to prepare for the Trojans. Kiffin and company will have nine days following a Thursday night game. There's a fair chance the Irish will have two losses at this point, and a third would press their postseason hopes against the wall. Kelly's group seemed to figure out how to play in big games during the 2012 regular season, which will help push them past USC. Weakness: Secondary USC's lack of scholarships hit hardest in the defensive backfield, a group that lost All-American safety T.J. McDonald this year. The cupboard is most bare at cornerback, with only four players on scholarship. Starters Kevon Seymour and Torin Harris are talented, but any injuries could create some big problems in the pass-heavy Pac-12. "The starters are going to be quality, but after that, oh man," 247Sports USC beat writer Scott Schrader said. "There were some ugly looking plays out there [this spring]." Freshman Su'a Cravens, who enrolled in the spring semester, might be called on to lend a hand immediately at the safety position. BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2013 FOOTBALL PREVIEW 116-127.Opponent Previews.indd 122 6/25/13 2:54 PM