Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM OCT. 14, 2023 35 GAME PREVIEW: USC BY TYLER HORKA T he Notre Dame-Southern Cal ri- valry has been one of runs. Kind of like a basketball game, when one team gets hot it's hard to stop the momentum. Notre Dame has been on the better end of that historically. There have been five instances in which the Fighting Irish have won four or more games in a row. USC has had only two such streaks. But right now, the Trojans have the last laugh in the grudge match. And they've got a chance to win back-to- back games against Notre Dame for the first time since 2008-09. Considering they have the reigning Heisman Trophy winner on their side and he's playing even better than he did last year, they should be favored to do so. Here's the thing, though; this USC team isn't invincible like the one that beat Notre Dame eight consecutive times from 2002-09. Even with quar- terback Caleb Williams playing as well as any college quarterback ever has, Notre Dame can notch what would be the biggest win of the Marcus Freeman era. It doesn't feel like a long shot. It's en- tirely doable. Yes, USC head coach Lincoln Riley has completely revamped the roster and turned the program around from where it was at 4-8 just two seasons ago. The transfer portal has been his best friend. Riley groomed back-to-back Heis- man Trophy winners at Oklahoma in Baker Mayfield (2017) and Kyler Murray (2018). Williams might win the coveted award back-to-back on his own. Taking Williams with him from Norman to Los Angeles is one of the best things Riley has ever done as a coach, and he's done quite a lot. The USC defense could spoil one of the best careers for a collegiate signal- caller ever, though. That unit ruined the 2022 season for Williams; the Trojans lost three games and gave up at least 40 points in all three of them. Williams completed 66.7 percent of his passes for an average of 402 yards per game with 13 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in games he went 0-3 in last year. Utah, twice, and Tulane proved that even this version of USC — the one with the most unstoppable quarterback of his time and maybe ever — can be beaten. That's because the USC defense has a hard time stopping anybody or anything itself. The Trojans allowed 28 points to San Jose State and 28 more to Arizona State early this season. In Week 5, Colorado exploded for 41 points on the porous USC defense seven days after nearly getting shut out by Oregon. The Buffa- loes didn't score until there was 2:51 left in that game against the Ducks, and they were losing 42-0 at the time. Somehow, although his team is ranked outside of the top 100 in total defense through Week 5, Riley is more confi- dent in his 2023 bunch even though the struggles resemble those of the 2022 squad that came up short three times. "When something doesn't go our way, it doesn't look like last year," Riley said after a 48-41 win over Colorado. "Not to the trained eye. Not to a coach." Notre Dame doesn't want it to look like last year anyway. USC beat the Irish 38-27. Williams had his Heisman moment(s). The Trojans twice led by 17 points in the second half. An 11-point loss to the eventual Heisman winner looks OK on paper, but everyone knew when it was 24-7 midway through the third quarter Notre Dame was not going to win the football game. That was partly because that ver- sion of the Irish was quarterbacked by a backup turned starter in Drew Pyne. DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD Notre Dame has a huge opportunity for a marquee win against USC, but it's also a chance for the Trojans to keep climbing Facts & Figures USC AT NOTRE DAME Date: Oct. 14, 2023 Site: Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET Television/streaming: NBC/Peacock Radio: This game can be heard on Notre Dame IMG affiliates. Series facts: Notre Dame is 50-38-5 all-time against USC. The Irish most recently beat the Trojans 31-16 in South Bend on Oct. 23, 2021. USC won the last meeting 38-27 in Los Angeles on Nov. 26, 2022. Head coaches: USC — Lincoln Riley (17-3, second season); Marcus Freeman (14-7, second season). Noting USC: Through Week 5, the Trojans had the No. 1 scoring offense in the nation at 53.6 points per game and No. 3 total offense nationally at 555.0 yards per game … USC quarterback Caleb Williams started the season with an incredible 21:1 touchdown to interception ratio … Williams had 9 more pass- ing touchdowns in his first five games this season than he had in his 2022 Heisman Trophy campaign … Through Week 5, Williams led the nation in passing efficiency, passing touchdowns, points responsible for per game and yards per attempt … USC has one of the worst red zone defenses in the country, allowing opponents to score points on 91.67 percent of their red zone trips through five games; that ranked No. 113 in the FBS at the time … USC forced 28 turnovers in 14 games in 2022, but the Trojans only came away with 7 takeaways through the first five games of 2023 … If there is one thing the USC defense does well, it's get to the quarterback; the Trojans ranked tied for sixth in the country with 19 sacks through Week 5. USC quarterback Caleb Williams is having an even better season in 2023 than he had in 2022 when he won the Heisman Trophy. PHOTO COURTESY USC ATHLETICS