Oct 17 | Southern Cal

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rtrn2glory

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not sure if it's been addressed and sorry if it has, but the front page countdown to kickoff has us playing navy with USC's logo?

SIAP
 
Luckylucci

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greyhammer90 said:
Serious question for those in the know: Who else besides Hayes are we in position to steal from USC? I have to imagine their recruiting class is ripe for picking right now.
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Not really matched up directly against USC in these recruitment but I do think it goes a long way for all Cali kids if we can kick USC's butt. S Brandon Burton, DE Wole Betiku, and WR Javon McKinley are a few.
 
PANDFAN

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we aren't going up against usc for anyone unless javon is a take later on at usc...otherwise according to loy we won't likely look to any of their current commits

burton isn't considering usc unless a new coach comes in and shows interest
 
Irish#1

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Wild Bill said:
I agree. I just don't think Sark will be a huge loss with respect to game planning/game management. ND losing Kelly under any circumstances would be a big hit to the team. You could argue it'll be a distraction for USC but it can't be any more of a distraction than knowing your coach is under the influence during practice, meetings and games. I think they come in to SB and give us everything they have.

The whole situation is just brutal for SCum. I loathe them but can't help but feel bad for their players. They deserve better than what they got.
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I politely disagree. Knowing your coach is drunk is a distraction, but at least you know who the coach is and what's going on. Not knowing the future and its uncertainty is a bigger issue.



ACamp1900 said:
The interim could throw a lot at ND they haven't gamed for... If he can get through to the players this week it could hurt ND, at least in this first game.
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NDdomer2 said:
he still was "under" sark, while being the playcaller. Just like BK has final say on whats being called for us, I am sure Sark got to set the game plan and veto anything he didn't like.

This guy has free reign now, and as mentioned they don't have much to lose. He won't be holding back on the play calling.
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I don't think we'll see a dramatic or significant change. With Sark being under the influence most of the time, I can see him basically giving a quick approval to the game plan without a lot of changes. OC's and DC's are creatures of habit. They tend to stick with what they are comfortable with. I can't see Helton going into the lab creating this new monster. Besides, he now has HC's duties, so he has less time to prepare.
 
GoldenDomer

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Power Hour is recorded and loaded. Lots of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NDvsUSC?src=hash">#NDvsUSC</a> talk.

<a href="http://t.co/aw7Y7GLCI1">http://t.co/aw7Y7GLCI1</a></p>— Irish Sports Daily (@ISDUpdate) <a href="https://twitter.com/ISDUpdate/status/653957128877682688">October 13, 2015</a></blockquote>
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Whiskeyjack

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From OFD's Five Factors USC Preview:

Reasons for pessimism (pessimism first, because Notre Dame fans):

  • The USC offense is loaded with skill position talent and overall that talent has produced. USC is 4th nationally in both offensive efficiency and finishing drives, where they've averaged 6.03 points per trip inside the 40.
  • The Trojans have been very good running the ball, leaning on the lethal combination of Tre Madden (6.2 YPC) and freshman Ronald Jones (8.1 YPC!). They're a Top-5 rushing offense in Rushing S&P+ (#3) and Rushing Success Rate (#2 at 57%).
  • The passing offense barely trails USC's rushing attack, ranking #8 overall in Passing S&P+. They've been the third most explosive offense on successful passing downs thanks to weapons like JuJu Smith-Schuster, who you may remember from last year's matchup, an Adoree Jackson, who has the nice advantage of being faster than everyone he plays against.
  • Overall USC is #21 in offensive explosiveness. Notre Dame's defense is 105th in giving up explosive plays.
  • They've been just as good stopping opponents' scoring opportunities as they have finishing on their own, allowing just 3.11 points per opponent drive inside the 40, good for 8th nationally.
  • USC shredded Arizona State when they constantly blitzed Cody Kessler. Blitzing is high among Brian Van Gorder's list of favorite things.

Reasons for optimism!

  • What's the easiest way to stop USC's running attack? When they call passing plays. USC has run on just 52% of standard downs and 25% of passing downs, which puts them toward the very bottom (103rd) nationally in their preference for running. It could change Saturday, but Clay Helton has been calling the plays all year, so no difference there.
  • USC hasn't protected Kessler very well, with high sack rates given up on standard downs (5.2%, 75th) and even worse on passing downs (12.5%, 116th). This isn't Notre Dame's strength, but there's likely more defensive line talent in South Bend than any USC opponent so far outside of Stanford.
  • Surprise Stat of the Week: On passing downs (2nd and 8+, 3rd and 5+), the Irish defense is ranked fourth. That's in the country, not out of independents. Opponent success rate in those scenarios is only 17%, 2nd nationally. Those successes have gone a very long way, but they haven't happened often.
  • Notre Dame isn't far behind USC offensively, ranking #6 in S&P+, and maybe surprisingly has a defense ranked better than the Trojans (32nd vs. 36th in Defensive S&P+).
  • USC's defensive line will face a big challenge in the trenches, and they have not produced this year. The Trojan run defense hasn't been good in power situations (#81), are 108th in stuff rate, and 124th in overall havoc rate (which measures TFLs, sacks, passes defensed, forced fumbles).
  • The Trojans' 77th ranked sack rate means DeShone Kizer could have lots of time on his hands if USC only rushes four.
  • On passing downs, the Irish have been excellent on offense (#9 overall) and USC has been pretty terrible defensively (#83).
  • USC's numbers limiting opponents in scoring opportunities were a little inflated thanks to Washington's offensive ineptitude early last week.

My number one concern would be limiting big plays in the passing game - if Notre Dame can get pressure bringing only four or five guys, they'll be in great shape. Blitzing frequently against Kessler leaves a somewhat shaky secondary one on one against some of the fastest receivers in the nation. Concern number two would be USC's identity shifting more towards the run, because their offensive line is much better run blocking than pass blocking and they have two great backs.

It will be interesting to see how USC approaches the game defensively - how many bodies will they devote to stopping the run when their defensive line hasn't gotten much of a push? DeShone Kizer's ability to find open receivers underneath and adjust plays when the defense loads the box will be something to keep an eye on.
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Ndaccountant

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tko said:
Dude, Hammond is 2-0 this year. Bring on the man.
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Without makeup:
bb_082JohnLithgow.jpg


With makeup:
209706.jpg
 
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NotreDame?src=hash">#NotreDame</a> (5-1) hosts USC (3-2) Saturday. Two-loss USC teams are 2-16 all-time at Notre Dame Stadium.</p>— Pete Byrne (@PeteByrneWSBT) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteByrneWSBT/status/653963626726998016">October 13, 2015</a></blockquote>
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Luckylucci

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Whiskeyjack said:
From OFD's Five Factors USC Preview:
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Bullet points 1, 4, and 6 scare the heck out of me.

1. Our red zone D has continued to be poor, even against poor competition.

4. We've been acceptable to big plays against inferior talent. Navy FB, UVA QB, UMASS early on, etc.

6. I don't think BVG can call a different game against more traditional offenses. Though I'd really like to be wrong this weekend.

Outside of Texas our D hasn't played a complete game yet and USC has the potential to put up points those other teams couldn't in one half of football.
 
Black Irish

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How has USC been with penalties this season? That usually tilts in the Irish's favor (well, not last season). Their players tend to be overly aggressive and undisciplined, so the Trojans wind up spotting our boys a lot of penalty yards. I hope that trend keeps up.
 
Folsteam_Ahead

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Luckylucci said:
Bullet points 1, 4, and 6 scare the heck out of me.

1. Our red zone D has continued to be poor, even against poor competition.

4. We've been acceptable to big plays against inferior talent. Navy FB, UVA QB, UMASS early on, etc.

6. I don't think BVG can call a different game against more traditional offenses. Though I'd really like to be wrong this weekend.

Outside of Texas our D hasn't played a complete game yet and USC has the potential to put up points those other teams couldn't in one half of football.
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They missed one...weather. It's going to be cold. Last time I checked, it was forecast to be in the 30's for kickoff. That is a huge advantage for us.
 
Luckylucci

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Folsteam_Ahead said:
They missed one...weather. It's going to be cold. Last time I checked, it was forecast to be in the 30's for kickoff. That is a huge advantage for us.
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Good point, I'm hoping we can win the trenches early and enforce our will.
 
ACamp1900

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Folsteam_Ahead said:
They missed one...weather. It's going to be cold. Last time I checked, it was forecast to be in the 30's for kickoff. That is a huge advantage for us.
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30s!! No way! I thought is was supposed to be in the mid 50s or some such...
 
Folsteam_Ahead

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ACamp1900 said:
30s!! No way! I thought is was supposed to be in the mid 50s or some such...
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The high is 50. It's a night game, so the temp should plummet as the sun sets and the game progresses later into the night. I'll temper my slight exaggeration by saying it'll be in the mid to low 40's during the game. Possibly into the 30's depending on how fast the temp drops.
 
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