Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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GAME PREVIEW: USC beyond anyone's expectations on the nation's No. 1 scoring defense entering the weekend of Nov. 17 versus Wake Forest. Lee and Woods probably can com- maker connected, he wore out Fore- man and knocked him out in the eighth round. It worked to a tee in Norman, Okla. bine for at least 15 to 20 catches against the Fighting Irish for well more than 200 yards, and it wouldn't be a sur- prise if the numbers even get into the 25 catches for 300 yards range. The Oklahoma tandem of Jalen Saunders (15 catches for 181 yards) and Kenny Still (seven catches for 86 yards), snared 22 passes for 267 yards against Notre Dame Oct. 27. However, the Sooners managed to cross the goal line only once in their 30- 13 setback against the Fighting Irish. It was the epitome of Notre Dame's bend-but-don't break principles that center on: • Stop the run and control the line of scrimmage, first and foremost, be- cause USC running backs Silas Redd and Curtis McNeal (24 carries for 118 yards at Notre Dame last year) average 136.5 yards rushing per game and 5.6 yards per carry between them. • Keep everything in front of you with the pass. • Minimize the YAC (yards after catch). • Force field goal attempts. This could be called the "rope-a- Can it succeed in Los Angeles, too? WRONG LANE? head coach Lane Kiffin, while achiev- ing much as an assistant, is often per- ceived nationally as in over his head as the USC head coach. Many might compare it to Mike Fair or unfair, USC's 37-year-old Shula serving as the head coach from 2003-06 at Alabama, where he was fired after posting a 26-23 record. Both Shula and Kiffin come from strong pedigrees and took over powerhouse programs that had fallen into turmoil and NCAA sanctions. "For all his star-studded recruiting classes and creative ways he's handled USC's scholarship restrictions, Kiffin lacks the coaching acumen to match his recruiting prowess," wrote Sports Illustrated's Pete Thamel in a scath- ing article on SI.com following USC's 62-51 loss to Oregon Nov. 3, which dropped the Trojans to 6-3 after they were the preseason No. 1 choice. "When asked by SI.com how much dope" defense, the boxing principle Muhammad Ali used to win the world heavyweight boxing title from George Foreman in 1974. While leaning most of the match against the ropes, Ali al- lowed Foreman to swing and swing and swing away while playing sound defense … and finally, when no hay- of the blame is on him and his coach- ing staff, a subdued Kiffin said, 'All of it.' To be fair, Kiffin and his staff did fine work while leading USC to a 10-2 finish last season (Shula also had a 10-2 seat at Alabama), including the 31-17 win at Notre Dame and a 38- 35 upset of Oregon. However, among the negatives are an 0-3 record against Stanford, senior quarterback Matt Bar-