USC/Notre Dame Preview
| 10
|
by user The Beast
Storylines
Finally the long wait is over. This weekend the eyes of America will fixed upon the 78th meeting of the University of Southern California and the University of Notre Dame.
For a full year America has been waiting for this game which features the number #3 USC Trojans at home against the #5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Not only does the game carry national championship implications, but its is also steeped in rich tradition for these two rivals.
The nation vividly recalls the Trojans magical final drive comeback last season which spurred the Trojans into the National Championship.
However that was last year and this is a brand new year. It’s a completely new USC team with 97% of their offensive production gone.
This is a year in which Notre Dame under head coach Charlie Weis was predicted by many to capture the national title. This is a year in which the Trojans were to be re-building not re-loading as they had done in the past. Yet this is a year that has been nothing as expected. Notre Dame has struggled throughout the year with an inconsistent offense and a below average secondary. USC on the other hand has continued to dominate the west coast spotlight and has positioned itself to play in the Rose bowl and possibly another National Championship Game.
Both teams enter the game with one loss on each of their schedules. Notre Dame was throttled early in the year by #2 Michigan and USC lost to unranked Oregon State when their valiant comebacks failed.
What happens…
If the Trojans win.
If the Trojans are to beat the Irish soundly than a BCS national championship appearance is likely.
If the Irish win.
With a Notre Dame win, more controversy pertaining to the BCS is likely to arise. The Irish would make a strong case for a National Championship bid. They could argue that their loss to Michigan was early on where they didn’t become a full team yet. The Irish would also be the hotter team at the season’s end. However, their argument appears rather shallow. It seems more likely that they would end up in the Sugar Bowl.
Rushing game: USC features many running backs while Notre Dame uses mainly one. For the Trojans, they already have three fullbacks injured, Emmanuel Moody won't play, and Chauncey Washington is still hurt but will probably play. While USC is losing running backs fast, they still maintain an excellent offensive line. On the other side, the Irish also boast an experienced offensive line with well-seasoned Daurius Walker behind them. Walker is healthy and experienced compared to USC's tailbacks. Edge: Notre Dame
Passing game: Brady Quinn is a Heisman candidate and looks great against many teams. He puts up monster numbers against teams like Navy, Army, and North Carolina, but struggles against good teams like Michigan, Georgia Tech, and UCLA. If he can play well the Irish most certainly can win. However, he tends to play poorly when pressured, and USC certainly can do that. On the USC side, John David Booty struggled against California, but he has played well for the majority of the year. What really helps Booty is the number of options that he has, Dwayne Jarrett, Steve Smith, Patrick Turner, and Fred Davis are all excellant receivers. Jarrett and Smith are particularly explosive. Quinn has struggled mightily in big games so I am reluctant to give him the nod Edge: Draw
Rushing Defense: Practically nobody rushes over one-hundred yards against USC. They have been stuffing the run as of late. In the past two games the Trojans' defense dominated the line of scrimmage, limiting the yards of Jonathan Stewart and Marshawn Lynch to under one hundred yards each. Notre Dame does a decent job stuffing the run allowing just 126.8 yards a game Edge: USC
Passing Defense: Notre Dame’s secondary sucks! Sorry there is no other way to put it. Mario Manningham and Chad Henne scorched the irish secondary. I don’t think that Henne and Manningham are far superior to Booty and Jarrett. In fact I think that the Irish will have more of a problem containing Booty, Jarrett, and Smith than they had against the Wolverines, which is hard to believe. USC’s secondary has come on strong as of late, especially Taylor Mays and Kevin Ellison. USC’s secondary is not world class, but solid and much better than ND’s. Edge: USC
Special Teams: It's pretty even as USC and Notre Dame both have average kicking games. However, I gave the edge to the Irish as they have a better return game featuring Tom Zbikowski. USC has not returned a punt of kick for a touchdown and haven't been very explosive in the return game. Edge: Notre Dame
Coaching: Pete Carroll is undefeated in November. However, Charlie Weis is no pushover, literally. Weis typically has a solid game plan and many people felt that he out coached Carroll last year. However, Carroll is chomping at the bits to get back at Weis. Whether he may admit it or not, Carroll wants to prove that he can beat Notre Dame and that it wasn't all luck last year. Slight Edge: USC
Home Field Advantage: USC hasn't lost at home since 2001. With 92,000 Trojan fans how can you take them? Duh! However, Notre Dame always brings a strong crowd Major Edge: USC
Bold Prediction: USC 49 Notre Dame 17
It’s not a bold prediction for nothing. This game is really easy to pick. Point 1: USC’s passing game will dominate a weak Irish secondary, allowing for more points. Point 2: Brady Quinn has failed to win a big game and he struggles against a strong pass rush. USC will certainly blitz all night. Point 3: USC hasn’t lost a home game since 2001. I have been to the last two games and the crowd has been louder than ever before. I expect it to be even louder giving USC a major edge.
It should be fun! Fight On!
Also viewable at http://socalsportsblog.blogspot.com/.
