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USC Morning Buzz: Who Blinks First In South Bend?

This is usually the time of week when you can find reasons to pick USC or Notre Dame on Satuday.

For example, Joel Klatt says USC is one of only three offenses that could score at least 20 points on Ohio State’s defense.

“If they play the way they did on Saturday in the rest of these games, there’s a good chance that they go 10-2,” Klatt said about USC.

Never mind that before the season he said if USC lost to Illinois, it would be a bad sign.

Here’s another factor: USC’s pass efficiency defense ranks No. 100 nationally.

Notre Dame QB C.J. Carr ranks No. 7 nationally in pass efficiency.

Something has to give in South Bend.

Will USC’s defense or Carr blink first?

15 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: Who Blinks First In South Bend?”

  1. It may be difficult for our defense to stop ND. They have a really good running back in Jeremiah Love as well as a quarterback in Carr. I think we may have to outscore them. It can be done. Texas A&M beat ND 41 to 40. We will probably need to win the turnover battle as well.

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    1. Purdue scored 30 on the domers, so there is a chance…

      Ramsey, Bishop, and Gentry need to have their best games, and Maiava needs to continue to make those 5-12 yard passes against zone coverage.

      I am assuming ND plays a lot of zone, the stats show Makai and Ja’Kobi torching man coverage.

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  6. KAM: Looks like a tough ‘go for SC at Notre Dame, and now it is supposed to rain which the Trojans are not used to

    DON: They have lost 6 in a row back there, and with ND out of the Playoff race with a loss, I’d be surprsed if SC pulls it off

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    1. KAM: Well, some people have actually said I was the most qualified candidate ever to run for president.

      DON: LOL – so qualified that she didn’t get one primary vote.

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    2. From a confidence standpoint it’s important we score on our opening drive. Usually I think it’s crucial we stop their first drive too —but this time it’s mainly up to the offense…. we need to score and score and score. Use tight ends as fullbacks, run Longstreet inside the red zone, get Miller some short throws on the positive side of scrimmage — prove you’re the offensive genius they say you are, Lincoln!

      #BeCoachOfTheYearOnSaturday

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  7. IT’S NOTRE DAME WEEK! THIS IS WHEN WE NEED THE RETURN OF GEORGE TIREBITER! GEORGE, WE NEED YOU!

    #COME BACK TO US, GEORGE!!

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  8. On paper, this looks like a tough matchup for our defense. ND has a solid QB and receivers, and our secondary has performed in a less than stellar manner to date, as the cited ratings can attest. And ND has a running back much like Michigan’s Justice Haynes in Jeremiyah Love, who it should be noted we did not see play the full game due to his injury last week. But before departing, Haynes was averaging over 5 yards a carry in early action, and as their stronger and more dynamic runner, could have become more dangerous as the game went on. And with LR on the sideline, we seem to always give up noticeably more points on the road than we would at home.

    That said, the gameplan for ND should be remarkably similar to the Michigan game for USC on both sides of the ball, and could yield very similar results. The ND O-line will not be much different. USC needs to stop the ND rushing attack at the line of scrimmage, and create effective pressures. On offense, as long as we keep our running game going, we will be very difficult to stop. If we become predictable, especially if we abandon the run and become reliant on our passing game, which is always a latent concern with LR calling the plays, we will trend toward ineffectiveness.

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    1. A balanced offense is TOTALLY up to efficient, mistake free football by Miller & Jackson —Lane, Lemon and Maiava have the rest covered.

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