Preview: No.1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish versus USC Trojans

Prediction: Notre Dame 25 USC 20

It’s a make or break game for the Fighting Irish and their national title hopes.

The newly minted best team in the country, Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11-0) will put it all on the line for all the marbles this Saturday as they travel to the West Coast to play rivals USC Trojans (7-4). Kickoff is at 8 PM EST and the game will be broadcast on your local NBC affiliate.

The Fighting Irish blanked The Wake Forest Demon Deacons 38-0 at South Bend last week. USC lost to fellow Californian school UCLA Bruins 28-28 in a high-scoring affair. Notre Dame was at the losing end of a 31-17 meeting with the Trojans in week 6 of last season. 

These teams are certainly no strangers. Saturday will mark the 84th meeting between Notre Dame and USC in a rivalry dating back to a historic 1926 game that legendary Fighting Irish coach Knute Rockne claimed was the best game he ever saw. More than 74,559  (the largest crowd to attend a football game in California history) watched Fighting Irish quarterback Art Parisien lead his team to victory on a two-minute scoring drive. Rockne in fact was approached by USC in 1924 to become their head coach.

Notre Dame owns the overall series lead  over USC 43-35-5.  Each team has gone on hot and cold streaks over the decades. Fighting Irish coach Brian Kelly stopped a recent 8 game USC winning streak 21-16 in 2010. USC has has held upperhand of recent winning 9 of the last 10.  Coach Kelly hopes to put and end to the current USC domination over the Fighting Irish to remain undefeated, win a national championship, and to take home the spoils of the venerated jeweled shillelagh awarded to the victor since 1929.

Here’s a look at how the No. 1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish and USC Trojans stack up against each other this week 

Notre Dame Offense

On a day celebrating seniors last week in South Bend it was the red shirt freshman QB Everett Golson who quietly stole the day. Throwing for a career-best 346 yards along with three touchdowns and one interception, Golson seems to be playing his most mistake-free and confident football as of late.

Senior RB Cierre Wood made the most of his final game at home with 150 yards rushing on 11 carries and a touchdown. Along with fellow RBs George Atkinson III and Theo Riddick the trio averages more than 200 yards a game on the ground.

The Notre Dame passing attack has averaged 219 yards per game this season paced by All-American TE Tyler Eifert (555 yards, 4 TDs, 40 receptions) and WR TJ Jones (40 receptions, 519 yards, 4 TDs). WR John Goodman has been a touchdown specialist for the blue and gold converting his total 6 catches into 3 scores.

The Fighting Irish averages a pedestrian 27.2 points per game sitting at 74th in the nation in this category. It has scored 21 points or less in six contests this season.

Notre Dame Defense 

The Fighting Irish defense is the engine that has driven this remarkable team to its first BCS number one ranking this season. They are ranked first nationally in scoring defense, fifth in rushing defense and 11th in passing efficiency. The scary blue and gold defense has only given up 14 plays of 25 yards or longer and for a period of 17 consecutive quarters from September 8th to October 20th it did not allow an offensive touchdown. The front seven led by All-American and Heisman-hopeful Manti Te’o should feast on rookie quarterback Max Wittek this week.

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Nster.com