Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 133 BY BRYAN DRISKELL One would think that going 21-6 over a two-year span, capturing the 2017 Pac-12 Championship and winning the 2017 Rose Bowl would make USC head coach Clay Helton a popular man in Los Angeles, but that is not the case. USC is coming off an 11-3 season and a Pac-12 title, but Athlon Sports lists Helton as a coach whose seat is "warm" heading into 2018. "Locals don't seem convinced he's the right coach for the long term," the publication noted in its 2018 preview. "Lopsided losses to Notre Dame (49-14) and Ohio State (24-7) over- shadowed an otherwise solid 2017 season." USC has a roster loaded with highly ranked players, but there are enough holes that could make repeating as Pac-12 South champions difficult. Quarterback is the most talked about one, with USC likely turning to true freshman J.T. Daniels in the fall, but the defense also remains sketchy. A front that struggled for much of the 2017 season could once again be a problem. "The USC defensive line was up and down last season and struggled with inju- ries," TrojanSports.com publisher Chris Swanson said. "… There's young talent and a few guys who have proven something that are returning, but USC typically runs with a two-man defensive line and both [Josh] Fatu and [Rasheem] Green left. "The defensive line is a huge question mark. If some of the young talent steps up in a big way it could become a strength. I just don't expect that to happen for a year or two. I think the USC defensive line might struggle this season." USC's secondary was supposed to be a strength, with Phil Steele's ranking the Trojans as the third-best unit in the country. The sum- mer dismissal of cornerback Jack Jones was a huge blow to a unit that ranked 82nd nationally in passing yards allowed last season. "The secondary could be a huge problem for USC," Swanson stated. "Jones was USC's best cornerback and [graduated senior] Chris Hawkins was its best safety. … I expect USC's secondary to struggle, at least early. I'm not sure USC fans have that same expectation, though." ✦ 2018 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2017 Result Sept. 1 UNLV — Sept. 8 at Stanford W, 42-24; W, 31-28* Sept. 15 at Texas W, 27-24 (OT) Sept. 21 Washington State L, 30-27 Sept. 29 at Arizona W, 49-35 Oct. 13 Colorado W, 38-24 Oct. 20 at Utah W, 28-27 Oct. 27 Arizona State W, 48-17 Nov. 3 at Oregon State W, 38-10 Nov. 10 California W, 30-20 Nov. 17 at UCLA W, 28-23 Nov. 24 Notre Dame L, 49-14 * Pac-12 Championship Game QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Notre Dame leads 47- 37-5 Last Meeting: Notre Dame 49, USC 14 (Oct. 28, 2017; South Bend) Head Coach: Clay Helton, 27-10 at USC and overall (4th year) 2017 Results: 11-3 overall, 8-1 Pac-12 South (1st); beat Stanford 31-28 in the Pac-12 cham- pionship game and lost to Ohio State 24-7 in the Cotton Bowl Returning Starters: 12 (6 offense, 6 defense) 2018 Preseason Rankings: No. 15 by Street & Smith's and ESPN Football Power Index, No. 16 by Phil Steele's, No. 19 by Lindy's and No. 21 by Athlon Did You Know?: Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly is 5-3 against USC, but has lost the last two in Los Angeles … Senior center Toa Lobendahn was named a second-team preseason All-Amer- ican by Lindy's and Athlon … Junior defensive end Christian Rector was named a preseason first-team All-Pac-12 selection by Lindy's, Athlon and Street & Smith's … Senior safety Marvell Tell was named a preseason first-team All-Pac-12 player by Lindy's, Athlon, Phil Steele's and Street & Smith's … Junior wide receiver Tyler Vaughns was named a first-team All-Pac-12 player by Lindy's, Street & Smith's and Phil Steele's. Prediction: USC 31, Notre Dame 30 STRENGTH: Linebacker USC linebackers Cameron Smith, Porter Gustin and John Houston all signed together as part of the Trojans' 2015 class. Heading into the 2018 season they comprise one of the nation's premier linebacker groups. Smith is a preseason first-team All-American according to Athlon Sports, Lindy's Sports, Phil Steele's and Street & Smith's. Gustin played only four games last season, but he's back to health heading into his final season and expectations are high. Gustin led the Trojans with 13 tackles for loss in 2016 and was on pace for another standout season before a toe injury cost him 10 games last year. Smith is a heady player up the middle, while Gustin is a physically imposing edge figure. Hous- ton is a former five-star recruit that hasn't quite lived up to his prep billing, but he still managed 84 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and four passes broken up last season. USC will have to replace All-Pac-12 performer Uchenna Nwosu at outside linebacker, but his successor — junior Jordan Iosefa — made 31 tackles last season. CONCERN: Quarterback Former USC quarterback Sam Darnold led the Trojans to a 20-4 record and the 2017 Pac-12 championship, while throwing for 7,229 yards and accounting for 64 total touchdowns in just two seasons. The New York Jets made him the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Replacing him is going to be a challenge. Redshirt sophomore Matt Fink and redshirt freshman Jack Sears battled during the spring and, according to TrojanSports.com publisher Chris Swanson, both struggled mightily. Sears was ranked by Rivals as the No. 117 over- all player in the country in the 2017 class, but he failed to push past Fink during the spring. Sears needed a strong spring if he was going to not only surpass Fink, but also to hold off incoming freshman J.T. Daniels. At this point, it is almost assumed that Daniels will emerge as USC's starting quarterback. In fact, Lindy's Sports and Athlon Sports both list Daniels as the first-team quarterback in their preseason magazines. Daniels — Rivals' No. 4 overall player in the 2018 class — reclassified in order to enroll at USC in the fall. He is a gifted passer that threw for 12,014 yards and 152 touchdowns for Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei, but he is still just a freshman. USC TROJANS NOV. 24 • LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL COLISEUM • LOS ANGELES RETURNING LEADERS Rushing: RB Stephen Carr (363 yards, 3 TD) Passing: QB Matt Fink (43 yards, 0 TD) Receiving: WR Tyler Vaughns (809 yards, 5 TD) Tackles: LB Cameron Smith (112) Sacks: DE Christian Rector (7.5) Interceptions: S Marvell Tell and CB Ajene Harris (3) X-FACTOR: In the four games outside linebacker Porter Gustin played in, the USC defense gave up 355.5 yards per game. In the 10 games he missed with an injury, the Trojans surrendered 411.7 yards per game. That is not a coincidence; Gustin is USC's most disruptive front seven player, and get- ting the senior healthy is instrumental to its 2018 defensive success. PHOTO COURTESY USC