Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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40 NOV. 28, 2016 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY LOU SOMOGYI YOUTH MOVEMENT Notre Dame and USC each had 1‑3 starts this September that left their fan bases up in arms. However, there were a couple of differences during that time and since then. One, USC's defeats all came on the road versus teams currently ranked — the 52‑6 annihilation in the opener against No. 1 Alabama at a neutral site, and then losses at Stanford (27‑10) and Utah (31‑27). Conversely, all three of the Fight‑ ing Irish setbacks came against teams that are either struggling to reach .500 (Texas), or at home versus teams that didn't even win its first confer‑ ence game until Nov. 12 (Michigan State and Duke). Second, whereas the Trojans dra‑ matically turned around their for‑ tunes and recorded six consecutive victories, highlighted by the 26‑13 victory at No. 4 Washington Nov. 12, Notre Dame lost three more games during a tumultuous campaign that had them enter Senior Day against Virginia Tech with a 4‑6 ledger. Also, while the Notre Dame team has been advertised as young — it's the youth movement at USC that has the Trojans on the upswing. In February 2015, Rivals rated USC's 26‑man recruiting class No. 1 in the country, even ahead of Alabama, which has monopolized that spot the past four years in virtually every re‑ cruiting service. That USC haul is now the "Super Sophomores" of 2016 that have greatly facilitated the turnaround. Members from that class on offense who have aided the revival include quarterback Sam Darnold, running back Ronald Jones II, wide receiver Deontay Burnett, and the tight end tandem of Daniel Imatorbhebhe and Tyler Petite. Darnold replaced former five‑star quarterback Max Browne in the fourth game and has had a profound effect as a passer and with his mobility. Jones II rushed for 987 yards and 6.5 yards per carry as a true freshman last season, and he was ahead of pace to eclipse that this year while still averag‑ ing more than six yards per attempt. Burnett came in a little more under the radar, but his 35 receptions (with four touchdowns) were third on the team, behind the explosive junior JuJu Smith‑Schuster and senior Dar‑ reus Rogers. Meanwhile, the two tight ends combined for 22 catches and six touchdowns while averaging a no‑ table 15.8 yards per catch. Defensively, it's been just as impres‑ sive for USC's stellar sophomore class. Through 10 games, linebackers Cameron Smith and Porter Gustin, a five‑star recruit, were among the top three in tackles, with nine of them by Gustin for lost yardage (four sacks). Two other five stars from this class — lineman Rasheem Green and cor‑ nerback Iman Marshall — also have been making profound impacts, and sophomore free safety Marvell Tell is in the starting lineup as well. At least five other sophomores have seen some action for the Tro‑ jans defense, including yet another five‑star in linebacker John Houston, although injuries have sidelined five‑ star sophomore lineman Noah Jeffer‑ son since the second week. Every preseason we believe USC is usually the one team on the Notre Dame schedule that can match or even often eclipse the Irish in overall talent and recruiting rankings. GAME PREVIEW: USC Top STorylineS Sophomore running back Ronald Jones II rushed for 772 yards (6.3 per carry) and eight touchdowns in the Trojans' first 10 games this season. PHOTO BY PERCY ANDERSON/COURTESY USC