klionpick.blogg.se

• #THE JEWELED SHILLELAGH UPGRADE#

1 team in the country.Īfter three months of football, there’s no reason to be nervous. Storylines be damned, the Irish need to treat this like any other road test, and not let themselves succumb to the expectations that are heaped on the No. But don’t expect it to come from Brian Kelly. That’s one of four bedrock run plays for the Irish, and what Cierre Wood does very well, so it’s a match-up that Notre Dame absolutely needs to exploit.Ĭan Notre Dame capture the moment? There’s a lot of room for a “Win one for the Gipper,” pregame speech tonight. The Trojans have struggled mightily against spread running teams, with the outside zone giving USC major problems. Wittek has decent feet for a big man, but Notre Dame will get after him with pressure, challenging the young quarterback to read a defense designed to bring confusion.Ĭan Notre Dame’s running game break the Trojans defense? Simply put, the Irish have the ability to break the backs of the Trojans by getting their power running game on track. And don’t expect Stephon Tuitt, Prince Shembo and company to afford him much time. In his first start, you can’t expect Wittek to make the snap decisions that Barkley did so well last year in picking apart the Irish defense. And while the Trojans are certainly the most explosive passing game the Irish have seen, there’s no better solution to stopping an aerial attack than a suffocating pass rush.

#THE JEWELED SHILLELAGH UPGRADE#

That said, expect Lane Kiffin to take his shots down the field anyway, with Max Wittek’s big arm an upgrade over the injured Matt Barkley. The Irish will keep two safeties deep throughout the evening, giving away the underneath throws to prevent the vertical attacks down the field. Will Notre Dame’s pass rush help out the secondary? Nobody is asking KeiVerae Russell and Bennett Jackson to run one-on-one with Marqise Lee, Robert Woods, or Nelson Agholor. Expect Dan Fox to see the field quite a bit tonight, and Fox and outside linebacker Danny Spond will be key in pass coverage. While Manti Te’o has done a tremendous job improving in the pass game, Carlo Calabrese is still a work in progress. In Bob Diaco’s system, Notre Dame’s linebackers have given up yards through the air, caught moving downhill in anticipation of the run. But that hasn’t helped the Irish solve anything, with the Trojans routinely putting up big numbers through the air, with playaction passing providing huge chunks against Irish secondaries over the years. If he can be judicious with the football, and rely on the Irish ground game to create passing opportunities, then things should work out just fine for Notre Dame.Ĭan the Irish figure out USC’s playaction passing attack? USC has been running the same offense since Pete Carroll took over Troy. This will likely come down to Everett Golson and his decision making. On the flip side of the equation, Monte Kiffin might be the current scapegoat for the Trojans’ problems, but he’s a great game-planner, and does a terrific job forcing turnovers, where USC is a top ten team taking away the football, with 29 of their own. Sure, Notre Dame doesn’t have much tape of Wittek, but they did recruit him when he was at Mater Dei, where he threw 15 interceptions in 13 games during his senior season. Winning the line of scrimmage will be imperative for Notre Dame, and it’ll also allow Bob Diaco to commit man-power to stopping the Trojans passing game.Ĭan Notre Dame win the turnover battle? This will likely be the story of the evening, with redshirt freshman Max Wittek piloting an offense that already ranks 113th in turnovers with 29. But Curtis McNeal, who ran for 118 yards last year against Notre Dame, is averaging better than six yards a carry again this season. While Lane Kiffin usually doesn’t discuss injuries, Silas Redd is still limited by a high-ankle sprain, a good break for the Irish. Will Notre Dame’s defense stop the run? The Irish defense has stopped just about everybody running the football, but USC has plenty of talent in the backfield. But before we head into South Los Angeles for the year’s most high-profile football game, let’s run through some final questions before the Irish battle the Trojans not just for the Jeweled Shillelagh, but for a chance at the crystal ball. Notre Dame is playing for its shot in the national title game.Īs usual, we’ll host a live blog tonight. The Irish have invaded Southern California.Ī biennial pilgrimage that usually doubles as a short vacation for Midwesterners looking for one last long weekend of sun before winter, there’s a different feel to this year’s game, and for good reason.