Blue and Gold Illustrated

GAME PREVIEW: USC loss to Stanford because people thought Stanford wasn't going to be that good after Northwestern," said Chris Swan‑ son, the publisher of TrojanSports.com on the Rivals network. "The expectation was that USC was going to win that game big. "And [head coach] Steve Sarkisian's first season didn't blow people away, so some people quickly piled on him. But things swing game to game naturally with him since it's so early in his tenure; fans aren't real certain how to feel about him yet." Notre Dame gets no break after facing Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson and Navy quarterback Keenan Reyn‑ olds in consecutive weeks. Fifth‑year se‑ nior gunslinger Cody Kessler returned to the Trojans after completing 315 of 452 passes (69.7 percent) for 3,826 yards with 39 touchdowns and just five inter‑ ceptions last year. Through five games this season, Kes‑ sler was 105‑of‑151 passing (69.5 per‑ cent) for 1,453 yards with 15 scores and three picks. As impressive as those num‑ bers are, Swanson noted that Kessler's totals might be more attributable to his ability to run USC's offense than raw talent. "The thing with Kessler, I feel like him being outstanding is a national media thing, because he's at USC and has great numbers," Swanson said. "He's off to a great start this year, but he's not a first‑ round NFL Draft talent like Mark San‑ chez or Carson Palmer. "If you asked me to assess him, he doesn't make mistakes. He always makes the right throws, he's a veteran; he knows how to run the offense. He's very smart. His game against Arizona State was maybe his best of the year; he went out and won that game for them. But so far in his career, I just haven't seen him become that guy regularly." At running back, USC started the year with a committee approach. Through the first five games, senior Tre Madden led the Trojans with 54 carries for 333 yards and four touchdowns, but fresh‑ man Ronald Jones II was just behind with 38 carries for 307 yards and three scores. Jones' average of 8.1 yards per rush was the highest on the team. "They have a stable of guys right now that can all do different things," Swan‑ son said. "Madden's been a starter for them before getting hurt in previous Facts & Figures NOTRE DAME VS. USC Game Info Date: Oct. 17, 2015. Site: Notre Dame Stadium (80,795). Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET. Television: NBC. Radio: This broadcast can be heard live on SIRIUS Satellite Radio (channel 129). Series Facts: This is the 87th meeting between Notre Dame and USC. The Irish lead the series 45-36-5. Coaches: Notre Dame — Brian Kelly (50-20, sixth season); USC — Steve Sarkisian (12-6, sec- ond year). Noting USC: Notre Dame is 2-6 the last eight years against the opponent it faced the week after playing Navy … Adoree' Jackson was ranked as the No. 1 cornerback and No. 6 overall player in the country in the class of 2014 by Rivals … Freshman running back Ronald Jones II ran the 100-meter dash in 10.37 seconds during his prep career at McKinney (Texas) North.

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