Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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3-11 Record of USC coaches in their first game against Notre Dame. Steve Sarki- sian became the third Trojans head coach to de- feat the Irish in his first try. The others were John Robinson in 1976 (17-13) and Paul Hackett in 1998 (10-0) — but both did lose the following season at Notre Dame. 19 Different starters on defense for Notre Dame this season, with sophomore nose guard Jacob Matuska the most recent member. The only three players on defense to start all 12 regular-season games were sophomores: lineman Isaac Rochell, line- backer Jaylon Smith and cornerback Cole Luke. In 2012, nine of the 11 starters on defense played every game, a 10th (linebacker Danny Spond) started the BY THE NUMBERS BY LOU SOMOGYI What Worked • Backfield in motion. For the first time this sea- son, sophomores Malik Zaire and Greg Bryant re- ceived much awaited, extensive game action at quar- terback and running back, respectively. Keeping in mind there is nothing to lose and the game takes on a different slant once the team is behind 35-0, Zaire and Bryant nevertheless both acquitted themselves well against a fierce and hard-charging USC defense. Zaire accounted for 188 yards of total offense (170 passing) in just more than one half of action, displaying a live arm that will need to balance the constant fastballs with some off-speed pitches, too. Meanwhile, Bryant (seven carries for 79 yards and one score) showed an aggressive burst and the abil- ity to plant his feet and head upfield once he found seams during 16-, 20- and 27-yard jaunts, plus rip- ping through arm tackles on the shorter runs. Senior Everett Golson and sophomore Tarean Folston will be the starters at quarterback and run- ning back entering 2015 based on their volume of experience, but Zaire and Bryant now at least have a foundation on which to build quality depth and intense competition for more playing time. What Didn't Work • Third-down defense. Notre Dame's MASH unit was unable to get off the field on the money down. It began with a 48-yard USC scoring pass on third-and- four for the first touchdown, and even on the next series a basic running play on third-and-10 at the Irish 36 picked up the needed first-down yardage. USC redshirt junior quarterback Cody Kessler was sacked once on a third-down play, but he completed all nine of his third-down pass attempts for a total of 152 yards. The Trojans were 6 of 8 in the first half on third-down conversions and began the second half 6 of 8 while draining an already physically depleted Notre Dame defense. • Counterattack from the offense. While the Irish defensive injuries provided at least some alibi, the Irish offense was intact in what was projected to be a shootout contest comparable to the win versus North Carolina (50-43) and the losses to Arizona State (55-31) and Northwestern (43-40 in overtime). But senior quarterback Everett Golson appeared dazed and shell-shocked from a season's worth of travails, the line was unable to match USC's physi- cality — a point of emphasis for the Trojans in their quest to return to glory — and the Irish running game remains an ancillary element that is unable to help settle down the offense into a patient and physical rhythm. • Running on empty. This Notre Dame team ap- peared to have a mental toll overtake it in the finale after a brutal November that — hard to believe now — began with College Football Playoff aspirations. Devastating back-to-back home losses to North- western and Louisville made this youth-oriented team much more fragile than anyone might have anticipated. — Lou Somogyi TAKING A CLOSER LOOK