USC Football: How Notre Dame's Biggest Strength Could Attack Trojans' Biggest Weakness

We should be in for a great matchup this weekend!

The USC Trojans face their biggest challenge of the season this weekend as they head to South Bend to take on Notre Dame. It will be a good test to see how far this Trojans team has come and how they match up against some of the better teams across the country.

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Their defense has been a problem in recent weeks, and it has started to come to a head lately. Notre Dame will test this defense, and if the Trojans aren't careful, it could be a long day for them again.

“USC’s depleted defense will match up against a physical Notre Dame offense desperate for a bounce back. After piling up 46 points per game in its first four games, Notre Dame averaged 18.3 in its last three, all against ranked opponents.”

Per Thuc Nhi Nguyen of The LA Times

Notre Dame will certainly need to put up more than 18 points if they want to take down the Trojans, so USC must be ready. Their defensive struggles have caused them to be in close games the last few weeks, taking its toll on things.

"Notre Dame is the only Football Bowl Subdivision team with two tight ends posting 100-yard receiving games this season, with Mitchell Evans’ career-best 134 yards against Duke and Holden Staes’ 115 yards against North Carolina State"



Per Thuc Nhi Nguyen of The LA Times

The Fighting Irish will want to spoil their long-time rivals' perfect season, and doing so in front of the Notre Dame crowd in South Bend would be the cherry on top. It's going to be a very hostile environment, and USC can't come in the same way they did against Arizona.

“One of the greatest rivalries in college football,” quarterback Caleb Williams said.

Per Caleb Williams via The LA Times

If they go down 17-0 to Notre Dame, it could be curtains on the undefeated year for USC. The key will be to start this game fast and get an early lead to quiet the crowd down.

We will learn a lot about this Trojans team after this game, no matter the outcome. However, if the Trojans want to grab the victory, discipline will be the answer this weekend.

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