Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/421584
GAME PREVIEW: USC On PaPer BY DOUGLAS FARMER USC RUNNING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE USC redshirt junior Javorius Allen rose from sixth- string tailback to leading rusher last season, finishing with 135 carries for 785 yards (5.8 yards per tote) and 14 touchdowns. He has maintained his mo- mentum through 10 games this season, leading the Trojans with 217 attempts for 1,184 yards (5.5 yards per carry) and eight scores. USC's offensive line lost first-team All-Pac-12 cen- ter Marcus Martin, and returned only three starters and 53 career starts this season. However, the line had paved the way for 163.1 rushing yards per game and 14 ground scores through 10 contests. The Irish defensive front has been decimated by injuries. A knee sprain prevented freshman tackle Daniel Cage from playing against Louisville, while an MCL strain also kept junior lineman Sheldon Day on the sidelines versus the Cardinals and most likely will prevent him from playing versus the Trojans. The increasingly patchwork line gave up 150.6 rushing yards per game through 10 games, including 262.3 yards per game in November's first three contests (336 to Navy, 188 to Arizona Sate and 263 to North- western). Without Day and senior linebacker Joe Schmidt, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury against Navy Nov. 1, Notre Dame relies on a bevy of under- classmen led by sophomore linebacker Jaylon Smith and his 78 tackles through 10 games. Advantage: USC USC PASSING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME PASS DEFENSE Redshirt junior quarterback Cody Kessler has qui- etly put together one of the best seasons in the NCAA. Through 10 games, he had thrown 29 touch- downs passes and only three interceptions, while racking up 2,919 yards on 238-of-339 passing (70.2 percent completion rate). More than a third of Kessler's yards, touchdowns and completions have come via connections with junior wide receiver Nelson Agholor. A Biletnikoff Award semifinalist, Agholor has caught 82 passes for 1,079 yards and 10 touchdowns in 10 games. True freshman JuJu Smith, a former Irish recruiting target, has complemented Agholor nicely. He hauled in 42 passes for 531 yards and five scores in the season's first 10 games, highlighted by a four-catch, 104- yard, one-touchdown performance against Colorado Oct. 18. The same injury bug that has weakened the defen- Redshirt junior tailback Javorius Allen led the Trojans in rushing attempts (217), yards (1,184) and touchdowns (eight) through 10 games. PHOTO COURTESY USC ATHLETICS