On Saturday, the USC football team will travel to South Bend, Indiana, to face archrival Notre Dame. It is a highly-anticipated matchup, with both teams ranked in the top 20 and looking to remain in the mix for the College Football Playoff.
In the latest edition of our Southern California College Football Roundtable, we asked our writers: What is the biggest key to the USC-Notre Dame showdown? Here is what they had to say:
Matt Zemek, Editor, Trojans Wire and UCLA Wire
“Defensive line. Okay, USC handled Michigan. Know what? Michigan doesn’t strike me as being very good. Michigan scored just 24 against a really bad Wisconsin team. I’m not convinced USC’s defensive line — like the defense generally — has figured everything out. This line needs to sack CJ Carr and get in his face. If it can do that, USC has a great chance, but I am skeptical about this defense against a Notre Dame offense which has played well.”
Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire
“The same as last week—the lines of scrimmage. USC was flat-out the more physical football team against Michigan—which was extremely impressive. Can the Trojans repeat that on the road in a hostile environment against an even better opponent?”
Ethan Inman, Trojans Wire
“The biggest key for both teams will be running the football on offense and stopping the run on defense. Notre Dame’s pass defense has been opportunistic recently, totaling 8 interceptions and allowing only 1 touchdown in their last 3 games. To make Jayden Maiava comfortable and keep the USC offense running on all cylinders, the run game needs to be a consistent threat. Similarly, USC’s defense has performed at a serviceable level when they can stop the run. USC can survive in South Bend if CJ Carr has a good game, but they cannot win if the defense is struggling to stop both the run and pass.”
Micah Huff, Trojans Wire
“USC can win this football game if it replicates the success it had against Michigan with its run defense. Notre Dame’s offense is extremely tough to stop when you let Jeremiah Love run wild on you. Make this game as difficult as possible for CJ Carr. If the Trojans can stop the run and get after CJ Carr, it would make for a successful day for USC. USC should have no issues even if it is just King Miller running on Notre Dame’s defense. The passing attack for the Trojans could give the Irish their toughest test since Miami. D’Anton Lynn and this defense will need to show up in this game once more.”
Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire
“USC’s defense must look how it did last week against Michigan, instead of how it looked over the season’s first five games. Notre Dame’s offense has had more success than the Wolverines but if the Trojans’ can keep the Fighting Irish’s running game under wraps then they’ll have a chance at beating Notre Dame for the first time since 2022.”
Ryan Lorenz, UCLA Wire
“The Trojans defense will have to stop the Fighting Irish’s run game. If the defense can keep junior running back Jeremiyah Love in check, then they can lock away another win and end Notre Dame’s winning streak.”
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: What is the biggest key for USC football against Notre Dame?
