Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 28, 2016 41 With this No. 1-ranked sophomore class and a freshman haul last Febru- ary that was ranked No. 10 by Rivals, the Trojans have the opportunity to re-stake their claim as the best in the Pac-12 in the coming years. COOLING THE HOT SEAT Talent is seldom ever an issue at USC, but coaching can be. In Clay Helton, the Trojans are on their fourth head coach since Brian Kelly's arrival at Notre Dame in 2010. Both Lane Kiffin in 2013 and Steve Sarkisian in 2015 were fired before mid-season for different reasons, and the promotion of Helton last year did not elicit a "wow factor" in Los Angeles, especially after he finished the year 7-6. Helton fired four coaches after the Pac-12 Championship loss to Stan- ford, including three on defense. He hired former co-worker Clancy Pen- dergast to coordinate the defense. On offense he brought in two more coaches, both from Western Ken- tucky: his brother, Tyson Helton, to instruct the quarterbacks, and Neil Callaway, the fifth Trojans offensive line coach in as many seasons. A new special teams coach (John Baxter) and new running backs coach (Tommie Robinson) also were hired — both had been on previous USC staffs — while Tee Martin, the quarterback for Tennessee's 1998 national champs, was promoted to offensive coordinator. Wrote Ryan Phillips of The Big Lead after USC fell to 1-3 this September: "It's clear that while he's a good man, Helton just isn't capable of leading a glamour program. He doesn't know what he's doing. That's not his fault, he just doesn't have the experience, the know-how or the connections to put together the kind of support system that leads to wins at a place like USC. "The Trojans have plenty of talent, but no direction. We all know it, but more importantly USC fans, boost- ers, the administration and new ath- letic director Lynn Swann know it." Since then, USC has been on a tear while improving to 7-3 before facing cross-town rival UCLA and archrival Notre Dame. The outcome of those two games, as much as any, will help determine the fate of a Trojans coach- ing staff. Can USC be at an emotional fervor four straight weeks after getting re- venge wins over Oregon and Wash- ington before facing the Bruins? It's not often teams come out flat versus Notre Dame. USC's talent can match up with most anyone in the country, but it's going to be more about leadership at the top to help stabilize its program. TELLING STATS There are two notable stats for the Irish entering the USC game. First, dating back to November 2013, Notre Dame is 3-9 in "true" road games, meaning the on-campus site or real home turf of the opponent rather than a neutral setting (like Jacksonville for Navy or San Anto- nio for Army this month). The Irish lost both such outings this year — to Texas in the Sept. 4 opener (50-47 in double overtime) and then at North Carolina State Oct. 8 (10-3). Second, in each of the first 10 games for the Irish in 2016, the win- ning team rushed for more yardage. Much publicity surrounds the passing skills of Notre Dame's De- Shone Kizer and USC's Sam Darnold … but which team can grind out the yards on the ground likely will be more telling. ✦ GAME PREVIEW: USC Heading into the final two regular-season contests this fall, Clay Helton had a career record of 13-7 as USC's head coach. PHOTO BY KIRBY LEE/COURTESY USC Predictions Corey Bodden: USC 38, Notre Dame 27 USC has a three-headed monster on offense with Sam Darnold, Ronald Jones II and JuJu Smith- Schuster, and it also has playmakers Adoree' Jackson and Iman Marshall in the secondary. The Trojan defense will make a couple more stops than Notre Dame. Bryan Driskell: USC 37, Notre Dame 28 USC is not a perfect team, but it is talented in all the right places. Notre Dame could have a hard time keeping up with USC's dynamic skill players are on offense. Matt Jones: USC 44, Notre Dame 17 In somewhat of a repeat of the 2014 matchup, USC's late-season momentum will roll over Notre Dame, and the Trojans will easily come away with a victory. David McKinney: USC 30, Notre Dame 24 USC is one of the hottest teams in the country right now. It could be closer than some might expect, but it's usually wiser to go with the hot hand. Lou Somogyi: USC 35, Notre Dame 24 If the Irish lose to Virginia Tech, this could be a 2014 repeat. Either way, a trip to the Los Angeles Coliseum usually has not been a positive experience for the Fighting Irish contingent.