Preview: University of Southern California Trojans v Notre Dame Fighting Irish

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Michael Floyd

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The probable return of Linebacker Carlo Calabrese should give the Irish a big boost. Brian Smith will likely get the start here however.

The USC offense will prove to be a challenge against the Notre Dame defense as the Trojans have put up impressive numbers against schools like Stanford (35), Oregon (32), Arizona (24).

USC Offense

Starting QB Matt Barkely (2,593 yards, 63%, 25 TD, 10 INT) will likely sit this game out with a high ankle sprain suffered against Oregon State. He will be sorely missed. His back up Mitch Mustain (165 yards, 59%, 1 TD, 0 INT) will not make anyone forget Barkely having thrown 8 of 17 passes for 60 yards in the whopping loss last week. The 36th passing offense in the country will suffer a blow with the Mustain starting.

The Trojan backfield is anchored by RB Marc Tyler (820 yards, 5.6 yards per carry, 9 TD) who also suffered a high ankle sprain and is doubtful to see action against Notre Dame. Allen Bradford (582 yards, 7.1 yards per carry, 4 TD) will pick up the slack along with freshman Dillon Baxter (248 yards, 4.4 yards per carry, 1 TD) and senior C.J. Gable. (216 yards, 4.9 yards per carry, 1 TD) Also look for Fullback Stanley Havili to be a threat on the ground and receiving.

WRs Ronald Johnson (616 yards, 8 TD) and Robert Woods (648 yards, 6 TDs) are two stars for USC. They are also adept at punt and kick off returns.

USC Defense

This is a sore spot to say the least. The Trojans have one of the worst pass defenses in the country (114th) and are not much better on third down. The rush defense is average in surrendering 141.1 yards per contest.

The Trojan defense is led by safety T.J. McDonald, defensive tackle Jurrell Casey, linebacker Malcolm Smith and cornerback Shareece Wright.

Prediction

The Trojans have very impressive weapons on offense. They are useless however if you can not/do not know how to use them. Its also a problem when the other team just takes them away. The Fighting Irish spread offense will exploit the weak USC passing defense. Plus the Notre Dame defense will continue its dominance against the Trojan back up starter.

It also comes down to motivation. The Fighting Irish know that another win brings the squad to 7-5 and will greatly improve its chances in playing in the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando. USC, due to NCAA violations, have zero bowl aspirations. This will be reflected in their apathetic play.

Notre Dame 37 USC 10

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