USC Football: Notre Dame Coach Discusses Challenge Of Defending Reigning Heisman Winner

Containing the best quarterback in the game is no small task.

USC will travel to South Bend on Saturday for their toughest game of the season so far when they take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the 94th edition of the rivalry matchup.

Notre Dame is 5-2 on the season, having lost to Ohio State and Louisville. After starting the season on a scoring streak, the Notre Dame offense has struggled to get in the end zone, averaging 15 points per game in their last three contests.

But it is Notre Dame's defense that will face the biggest challenge Saturday, as they take on 2022 Heisman-winning quarterback Caleb Williams and the explosive Trojan offense.

Williams has been compared to Patrick Mahomes for his ability to extend plays and escape a collapsing pocket. When a play breaks down, he is elite at using his feet to give his receivers more time to get open or pick up yards with his legs.

"You gotta continue to trust your pass lanes, trust your rush lanes and know that the play is never over," Freeman said. "There's a lot of times when you're playing quarterbacks if you can get them to step up or force them into a lane, sometimes you feel like he's going to take off and run or throw it out of bounds, but Caleb Williams finds a way to extend plays."

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With USC's talent at receiver, it can be challenging to play man coverage. However, rushing four defensive linemen could create too much time for Williams to make a play.

"We have to be controlled, but aggressive," Freeman said. "Controlled aggression is what we talk about in our rush lanes, but understand the play is never over with Caleb Williams. You have to continuously play through the whistle. The minute you think he's running one way, you have to be alert because he can turn around and run the other. We can't play prevent defense. I told those guys we have to be aggressive, but we have to understand the rush lanes that we're rushing in and understand some of his escape routes."

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WeAreSC

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The Trojans will take on the Fighting Irish at 4:30 p.m. PDT on Saturday.

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