Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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36 OCT. 23, 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED GAME PREVIEW: USC BY TODD D. BURLAGE USC RUNNING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE The Trojans' rushing game relies on the veteran tailback duo of senior Vavae Malepeai and Texas graduate transfer Keaontay Ingram, but the pro- duction has yet to match the preseason projec- tions for either player. Through five games, Ingram paced the Trojans with 349 rushing yards and three touchdowns, along with a respectable 5.8 yards per carry. Malepeai — who led USC with 238 rushing yards last season — had 216 yards with one touchdown through his five games. Heading into its matchup against Utah last week- end, USC rated eighth in the Pac-12 and 89th in the country in rushing offense at 137.4 yards per game. And while those rankings and production num- bers aren't overly impressive, USC last season aver- aged only 97.3 yards and finished last in the Pac-12 and 120th nationally in ground production. Anchored by redshirt seniors Brett Neilon at cen- ter and Jalen McKenzie at tackle, the Trojans offen- sive line features four returning starters from 2020. After allowing 264 rushing yards against Florida State in their season opener, the Fighting Irish's rush defense has become one of the strengths for the team. In fact, the four Notre Dame opponents post Florida State averaged only 86.0 rushing yards per game, and three of those — Purdue, Wisconsin and Cincinnati — didn't manage 100 yards on the ground. Advantage: Notre Dame USC PASSING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME PASS DEFENSE As has been the norm for almost two decades, USC makes its offensive hay from a high-profile quarterback and talented wide receivers. But with a mediocre 1,118 passing yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions in five starts, Trojans junior quarterback Kedon Slovis — a first- team All-Pac 12 selection in 2020 — remains far off his impressive statistical pace that brought him those honors a season ago. During a 2020 schedule trimmed to only six games because of COVID-19, Slovis still threw for nearly 2,000 yards with 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Against Notre Dame in 2019 — the last time these two rivals met — Slovis started and played well, finishing with 255 passing yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in a 30-27 Notre Dame win. USC junior Drake London was already a legiti- mate NFL prospect after last season and he's build- ing a strong case in 2021 to become a first-team All-American and a finalist for the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the nation's best wide receiver. London entered his game last weekend against Utah ranked second in the nation with 134.0 re- ceiving yards per game and he easily led the coun- try with an average of 9.6 receptions per outing. Redshirt senior tight end Erik Krommenhoek provides Slovis with another talented target, espe- cially in third-down and goal-line situations. Notre Dame has ranked in the middle of the NCAA statistical pack most of this season in pass- ing efficiency defense, but with nine interceptions through five games — two of those returned for touchdowns — it has been one of the most pro- ductive and opportunistic units in the country. On PaPer Texas graduate transfer Keaontay Ingram led the Trojans with 349 yards and three touchdowns on the ground through their first five contests. PHOTO COURTESY USC ATHLETICS