Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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GAME PREVIEW: USC Brian Kelly's first trip to the Coliseum two seasons ago. They will likely try to pound their way to an- other win this year. Sophomore quarterback Everett Golson has The Irish ran for 147 yards in a winning effort on NOTRE DAME RUNNING GAME VS. USC RUN DEFENSE opened up the playbook for running plays during the past couple of weeks. His ability to run out of an empty set keeps defenses unsettled. He ran for five crucial third-down conversions against Boston College Nov. 10. Golson's emergence gives running backs Theo Riddick, Cierre Wood and George Atkin- son III a little more room with which to work when they get the ball. Riddick has morphed into the team's No. 1 option, carrying the ball 154 times for 714 yards and four touchdowns through 10 games. USC's defense is built with speedy linebackers that lack size. They have held their own in the Pac-12, giving up 148.3 rushing yards per game, but stopping the run has haunted them in their first three losses. Stanford, Arizona and Oregon all ran for more than 200 yards against the Trojans. Advantage: Notre Dame Sophomore linebacker Dion Bailey has recorded four of USC's 18 interceptions through 10 weeks, a team total that ranks second in the nation, one behind Fresno State. PHOTO COURTESY USC veloped much better chemistry in November. Eifert now leads the team with 34 catches (for 470 yards and three touchdowns), and 12 of the 26 that Gol- son has thrown to him came in games in November. That's important because the Irish will be without sophomore wide receiver DaVaris Daniels (broken collarbone), who appeared to be finding his rhythm in the second half of the season as well. Daniels had 25 catches for 375 yards before land- Golson and senior tight end Tyler Eifert have de- NOTRE DAME PASSING GAME VS. USC PASS DEFENSE ing hard on his shoulder in the end zone against Boston College. His absence should provide a chance for fifth-year senior John Goodman to end his career on a high note or freshman Chris Brown to end his rookie season with promise. The USC secondary is led by All-American safety