Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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22 OCT. 30, 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED TURNING POINT Notre Dame dominated the first 11 minutes of the opening quarter, controlling the ball for 9:28 and outgaining USC 144-3 in total yards. However, thanks to a 36-yard missed field goal by graduate student kicker Jonathan Doerer, the Fighting Irish led just 7-0. The Trojans appeared poised to even the game, driving 63 yards in seven plays over the final four minutes of the quarter. They opened the second quarter with a third-and-eight from the Irish 12- yard line, but graduate student defensive end Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa came off the right side and pressured USC quarterback Kedon Slovis. Tagovailoa-Amosa batted the ball as Slovis re- leased it and the pass fluttered into the waiting arms of senior linebacker Bo Bauer, who returned it 79 yards to the USC 4-yard line. The Irish had to settle for a field goal to go up 10-0, but they were never really threatened the rest of the way while building a 24-3 lead. Even after the Trojans reeled off 13 unanswered points early in the fourth quarter, the lead never felt in jeopardy. The Irish immediately responded with an eight-play, 75-yard drive that took four minutes off the clock and extended the lead back to 15. STATS OF THE GAME USC entered the contest ranked 83rd nationally in turnover margin (-0.17 per game) and 98th in turnovers lost (11), and were 122nd in few- est penalties per game (8.33) and 126th in few- est penalty yards per game (83.17). Both issues reared their ugly heads against the Irish. Despite outgaining Notre Dame in total yards (424-383) and yards per play (6.1-5.4), and get- ting big games from senior tailback Keaontay Ingram (24 carries for 138 yards and one touch- down) and junior wide receiver Drake London (15 catches for 171 yards), the Trojans managed to score just 16 points. USC committed a pair of turnovers and was penalized nine times for 65 yards. Quarterback Kedon Slovis threw a red-zone interception early in the second quarter and then lost a fumble on a strip sack by junior vyper Isaiah Foskey late in the game. He nearly had a third on another strip sack by Foskey in the first quarter but was able to jump on the loose ball. Throw in a missed extra point, a missed field goal and bad clock management at the end of the first half, and the Trojans looked every bit the 3-4 team they are. EFFICIENT EFFORT Head coach Brian Kelly called his team's effort against USC its "most complete" offensive per- formance to date. It didn't result in the highest point and yardage totals of the season, but it was clearly the most efficient. Notre Dame made a concerted effort to play at a faster pace with graduate student quarter- back Jack Coan at the helm. It paid immediate dividends with drives of 74 and 70 yards to open the game — the first time all season the Irish put together back-to-back 70-yard drives — and Coan finished 20-of-28 passing (71.4 percent) for 189 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Playing at an up-tempo pace with quick throws also benefitted the offensive line, which had its best statistical effort of the season with just one sack and three tackles for loss allowed. The Irish also did a good job of getting the ball in the hands of top playmaker Kyren Williams. The junior running back got 31 touches (25 car- ries and six catches) and produced 180 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns. With everything clicking, Notre Dame con- verted 8 of 12 third downs (66.7 percent) and its lone fourth-down attempt. It was a strong all-around performance the Irish can build on. THREE OBSERVATIONS BY STEVE DOWNEY LB BO BAUER The senior linebacker made all kinds of plays for the Notre Dame defense. His 79-yard interception return prevented the Trojans from tying the game early in the second quarter. It also led directly to a Notre Dame field goal. Bauer tied for the team lead in tackles with seven, and he also recorded one tackle for loss and one pass broken up. CB TARIQ BRACY The senior saw the field quite a bit with Notre Dame employing many five-defen- sive back looks to counteract USC's pass-happy offense. Bracy also finished the game with seven tackles and recovered a fumble in the fourth quarter. Head coach Brian Kelly said it was the most physical game Bracy has played in his four-year Notre Dame career. S DJ BROWN It's not easy replacing an All-American, but that's what the senior safety was tasked with late in the first quarter. Junior Kyle Hamilton went down, and Brown went in. He finished the game tied for the team lead in tackles with seven, and though USC wide receiver Drake London had an impressive statistical game, Brown was a big rea- son why the Irish defense kept him out of the end zone. WR LORENZO STYLES JR. The freshman wideout has certainly taken baby steps in his first year at Notre Dame. He went into the game with two catches for 16 yards. He topped both of those marks against the Trojans alone in catching three passes for 57 yards. It could be a sign Styles is going to be a much larger part of the Irish offense in the second half of the season. RB KYREN WILLIAMS This was the junior running back's best game of the season. He ran for 138 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. He also had a team-high six catches for 42 yards. Notre Dame went to him often after the Irish had established their lead, and he protected it as well as any running back could have done. GAME BALLS BY TYLER HORKA Freshman wide receiver Lorenzo Styles Jr. had the best game of his freshman season with three catches for 57 yards. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER