Written by Garin Turner
This week, we see one of the better rivalries in college football take place as the No. 13 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-1) host the No. 11 USC Trojans Saturday night at 6:30 pm central time on NBC. The winner gets the jeweled Shillelagh. The Trojans had to come from behind and then hold off the Utah Utes 28-27 in its last outing. The Fighting Irish handled North Carolina on the road 33-10. Notre Dame leads the all-time series against USC 46-37-5 including 25-14-1 at home. Last year USC won 45-27. The last time USC played in South Bend, it was the Fighting Irish who came away victorious 41-31. It's not all bad news for the Trojans however, having won 11 out of the last 15 meetings.
Between the two teams, there's 22 national championships along with 14 Heisman Trophy winners. This is the first time since 2009 that both teams are ranked going into the game which could serve as a College Football Playoff elimination game.
Quarterback Sam Darnold will lead his Trojans into battle Saturday night against a Notre Dame defense that's only allowed 16.8 points a game. Darnold on the season is 163-260 for 2,063 yards with 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions. The Fighting Irish are averaging 231.2 yards allowed in the passing game.
At running back, Ronald Jones II has 102 carries for 640 yards and eight touchdowns. He'll look to help take some of the pressure off of Darnold. Stephen Carr will also try to contribute. Carr has 309 yards rushing on 52 carries with three touchdowns.
Darnold's primary target is wide receiver Deontay Burnett. Burnett has 49 receptions for 626 yards and six touchdowns. Steven Mitchell Jr. has 333 yards on 23 receptions and two touchdowns. As a team, USC has 164 receptions for 2,075 yards and the 15 scores.
The Trojans know that they'll have to slow down the rushing attack of the Fighting Irish if they want to come away with the victory and bragging rights. Josh Adams has 86 carries for 776 yards and five touchdowns. Brandon Wimbush also has good numbers with 68 carries for 402 yards with a team high eight touchdowns. Notre Dame has 23 touchdowns on the ground as well as 1,848 yards on 268 carries.
In addition to his running ability, QB Wimbush has good numbers in the passing game as well. He's 68-131 for 783 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions. Equanimeous St. Brown and Alize Mack lead the way for the Irish receivers with 17 (Mack) and 15 (Brown) receptions. Brown has 211 yards receiving with two scores while Mack has 154 yards but hasn't found the end zone yet.
Between the two teams, there's 22 national championships along with 14 Heisman Trophy winners. This is the first time since 2009 that both teams are ranked going into the game which could serve as a College Football Playoff elimination game.
Quarterback Sam Darnold will lead his Trojans into battle Saturday night against a Notre Dame defense that's only allowed 16.8 points a game. Darnold on the season is 163-260 for 2,063 yards with 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions. The Fighting Irish are averaging 231.2 yards allowed in the passing game.
At running back, Ronald Jones II has 102 carries for 640 yards and eight touchdowns. He'll look to help take some of the pressure off of Darnold. Stephen Carr will also try to contribute. Carr has 309 yards rushing on 52 carries with three touchdowns.
Darnold's primary target is wide receiver Deontay Burnett. Burnett has 49 receptions for 626 yards and six touchdowns. Steven Mitchell Jr. has 333 yards on 23 receptions and two touchdowns. As a team, USC has 164 receptions for 2,075 yards and the 15 scores.
The Trojans know that they'll have to slow down the rushing attack of the Fighting Irish if they want to come away with the victory and bragging rights. Josh Adams has 86 carries for 776 yards and five touchdowns. Brandon Wimbush also has good numbers with 68 carries for 402 yards with a team high eight touchdowns. Notre Dame has 23 touchdowns on the ground as well as 1,848 yards on 268 carries.
In addition to his running ability, QB Wimbush has good numbers in the passing game as well. He's 68-131 for 783 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions. Equanimeous St. Brown and Alize Mack lead the way for the Irish receivers with 17 (Mack) and 15 (Brown) receptions. Brown has 211 yards receiving with two scores while Mack has 154 yards but hasn't found the end zone yet.