The USC Trojans had another misstep on Friday, losing to unranked Washington. The preseason favorites to win the Pac-12, USC fell to fourth in the South Division with a 3-2 record. The Trojans have a pretty tough outing in Week 7 next against the No. 14 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Irish dominated Navy, 41-24 last week on the strength of running back C.J. Prosise.
Read on as we take a look at one of the hottest matchups in the upcoming week. If you’re up for more college football, then you can check out the complete previews for No. 10 Alabama vs. No. 9 Texas A&M and No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 12 Michigan.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]USC Trojans vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish Preview
Where: Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame
When: Saturday, October 17, 7:30 PM ET
Line: USC Trojans at Notre Dame Fighting Irish – view all NCAA Football lines
TV Broadcast: NBC
Betting on the USC Trojans (3-2)
After a big Week 5 game with 375 yards and five touchdowns, it would’ve been understandable if quarterback Cody Kessler had much tamer numbers this time around. But he had his worst performance all season long, completing 16 of 29 passes for 156 yards and two interceptions in a 17-12 to unranked Washington.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]Kessler may enjoy a more favorable matchup against Notre Dame, who has just three picks all season long. His wide receivers will need to step up. Sophomore wide receiver JuJu Smith –Schuster, who leads the team with 619 yards and six touchdowns, had a tame game with just 82 yards against Washington. He had three-straight 100-yard games, including two with over 150 yards, beforehand.
While USC’s passing offense couldn’t get going, they had a pretty solid game on the ground against Washington. Leading running back senior Tre Madden, who has 333 yards and four touchdowns, ran roughshod for 120 yards on just 17 carries. His backup Ronald Jones II ran for 65 yards and a touchdown on eight carries.
Madden and Jones should be able to find the gaps in Notre Dame’s front seven, which has allowed 152 yards rushing per game and seven total touchdowns in the first five games of the season. Notre Dame allowed a whopping 318 yards and three touchdowns against a one-dimensional Navy squad in Week 6.
Balancing Kessler’s strong arm with the Trojans’ pair of capable running backs should help USC keep Notre Dame’s solid defense, which allows 334 total yards of offense per game.
The Trojans have won their last four trips to Notre Dame.
Betting on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-1)
Senior running back C.J. Prosise made up for a 50-yard dud last week, rushing for 129 yards on 21 carries, including three touchdowns. It’s his third multi-score game this season, and fourth 100-yarder in six games played. But Prosise could slow down against USC’s rushing defense. The Trojans are allowing a little less than four yards per carry against their opponents this season.
Quarterback DeShone Kizer was pretty solid too, completing 2 2of 30 passes for 281 yards, including a 30-yard scoring pass to Will Fuller. He’ll have plenty of chances to make more big plays against USC’s passing defense, which ranks 81st in the nation. Kizer will have a reliable receiver in Fuller to help tear up USC’s secondary. Fuller leads the Irish with 571 yards receiving and seven touchdowns.
The Irish could also force some turnovers against a USC team which has averaged one giveaway per game this season. Cornerback Devin Butler and linebacker Jaylon Smith recovered fumbles, which led to two of Prosise’s touchdowns against Navy. Meanwhile, safety Elijah Shumate intercepted a pass.
The Irish are 4-0 SU/ATS in their four home games this season.
Writer’s Prediction
USC rebounds to score a big win on the road. Create a betting account now and cash in on some heated college football games.
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