Oct 12 | Southern Cal

[BobbyMac]

Slovis is a freshman, so it will be interesting ti see how he handles a prime time road game in a loud environment. Looks like they also get Safety Hufanga and CB Griffin back.

Besides 3 Int's, he played great at a packed BYU. They lost and those 3 obviously cost them. Besides that he was 24-31 / 281 yds / 2 TD.

Hard to believe he's the starting QB at SC as a freshman. I'd put him as the #5 QB I saw last year in Phoenix. That's not a knock, it's just Phoenix metro has become the Valley of the Quarterback.

 

[calvegas04]

I think their WRs, St Brown in particular, are going to play with their hair on fire. Same with Marquis Stepp.

Stepp won't be a difference maker, he hasn't done much of anything at usc

 

[Irishize]

This could be a game that falls on the shoulders of Ian Book. I like the chances of our defense containing the SC WR corps but if there was ever a game that could be a shoot-out, this would be the game. I AM NOT SAYING IT WILL BE A SHOOTOUT...I’m just acknowledging that if any opponent could get ND in a shootout, it’s SC.

If the D can adversely affect the young SC QB, then it shouldn’t be a shootout. Just pointing out that Book has a huge opportunity this week to put the offense on his back and win this game.

 

[BobbyMac]

This could be a game that falls on the shoulders of Ian Book. I like the chances of our defense containing the SC WR corps but if there was ever a game that could be a shoot-out, this would be the game. I AM NOT SAYING IT WILL BE A SHOOTOUT...I’m just acknowledging that if any opponent could get ND in a shootout, it’s SC.

If the D can adversely affect the young SC QB, then it shouldn’t be a shootout. Just pointing out that Book has a huge opportunity this week to put the offense on his back and win this game.

The key is getting some TO's vs SC. Slovis has been very good in both games EXCEPT he had 3 INT's @ BYU. Take away those INT's and he was very good as I shared on the last page. He's gonna get the ball out quick to neutralize ND's rush an let his WR's move the sticks and work for bonus YAC. Get a couple of takeaways when he's pressing will be key. Otherwise he's quick and accurate.

 

[IRISHMAN]

I like the chances of our defense containing the SC WR corps but if there was ever a game that could be a shoot-out, this would be the game.

I think USCs WRs have a big advantage over NDs DBs. ND will need the DL to get constant pressure on the freshman QB to help out the secondary. I like NDs DL over USCs OL, ND just cant let the USC receivers come off the line clean and with big cushions like they did in the 1st half of last years game.

 

[arrowryan]

The key is getting some TO's vs SC. Slovis has been very good in both games EXCEPT he had 3 INT's @ BYU. Take away those INT's and he was very good as I shared on the last page. He's gonna get the ball out quick to neutralize ND's rush an let his WR's move the sticks and work for bonus YAC. Get a couple of takeaways when he's pressing will be key. Otherwise he's quick and accurate.

It’ll be interesting to see what the SC offense tries to do. Last year it was short passes and lots of YAC until we adjusted. The guys at II don’t think that kind of offense is in Graham Harrell’s or Slovis’ DNA. They think they’re gonna want chunk plays every time, which will take 4-7 seconds. If that’s the case, I think the pass rush could have a big game.

 

[BobbyMac]

It’ll be interesting to see what the SC offense tries to do. Last year it was short passes and lots of YAC until we adjusted. The guys at II don’t think that kind of offense is in Graham Harrell’s or Slovis’ DNA. They think they’re gonna want chunk plays every time, which will take 4-7 seconds. If that’s the case, I think the pass rush could have a big game.

I saw him a ton last year and he's very capable of going short and taking what he's given. His OL was often WAY over matched and he did just fine.

 

[Irishize]

The key is getting some TO's vs SC. Slovis has been very good in both games EXCEPT he had 3 INT's @ BYU. Take away those INT's and he was very good as I shared on the last page. He's gonna get the ball out quick to neutralize ND's rush an let his WR's move the sticks and work for bonus YAC. Get a couple of takeaways when he's pressing will be key. Otherwise he's quick and accurate.

Absolutely. I think a lot of ND fans are assuming that Slovis will throw multiple picks which is dangerous to assume. He could just as easily play out of his mind. This is ND vs SC and crazy stuff happens.

One would think a true freshman (albeit EE) who grew up in Arizona’s arid weather and who has shown a propensity to throw picks would be just what Notre Dame loves to see. But if the history of this rivalry has taught me anything...expect the unexpected.

Notre Dame is the better team
The media expects an ND win

 

[drayer54]

Looks like it’s going to be cold, miserable, windy, and zero fun. Some of you guys should stay home and I’ll wear green in your seat for you so you won’t have the guilt of leaving empty seats. No need to thank me. #TeamPlayer

 

[Henges24]

“It’s going to be cold. But it’ll be fun when we’re running up the score.” - Michael Pittman

USC WR

SIAP

https://247sports.com/Article/USC-Football-Michael-Pittman-Jr-on-Notre-Dame-game-Itll-be-fun-when-were-running-up-the-score-136713670/

 

[arrowryan]

Looks like it’s going to be cold, miserable, windy, and zero fun. Some of you guys should stay home and I’ll wear green in your seat for you so you won’t have the guilt of leaving empty seats. No need to thank me. #TeamPlayer

Nah this is REAL football weather! Separates the men from the boys.

 

[RDU Irish]

Every year I realize how much I dislike USC the closer we get to this game. Can't spell suck without USC.

 

[Irish#1]

The key is getting some TO's vs SC. Slovis has been very good in both games EXCEPT he had 3 INT's @ BYU. Take away those INT's and he was very good as I shared on the last page. He's gonna get the ball out quick to neutralize ND's rush an let his WR's move the sticks and work for bonus YAC. Get a couple of takeaways when he's pressing will be key. Otherwise he's quick and accurate.

3 INT's equals playing well? They may go to the quick throws, but I would imagine Lea will either press their WR's or drop an extra body into coverage to try and confuse him. Elston has probably been working with the line to get their hands up quickly if they can't get to him. I can also see us using 5 or 6 DB's at certain times. Hamilton gets #3.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

3 INT's equals playing well?

Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln... how was the play?

 

[Irishize]

3 INT's equals playing well? They may go to the quick throws, but I would imagine Lea will either press their WR's or drop an extra body into coverage to try and confuse him. Elston has probably been working with the line to get their hands up quickly if they can't get to him. I can also see us using 5 or 6 DB's at certain times. Hamilton gets #3.

Agreed. I think the II guys posited that Lea will drop Gilman to the slot & put Hamilton back there w/ Jalen.

 

[Dizzyphil]

I feel like this is all we've seen this year sans BGSU...

You know what I mean brother, more planned not emergency running

 

[Polish Leppy 22]

Looks like it’s going to be cold, miserable, windy, and zero fun. Some of you guys should stay home and I’ll wear green in your seat for you so you won’t have the guilt of leaving empty seats. No need to thank me. #TeamPlayer

Beautiful. Those pussies were miserable in 2017 before kickoff and things got progressively worse bundled in jackets.

 

[greyhammer90]

Beautiful. Those pussies were miserable in 2017 before kickoff and things got progressively worse bundled in jackets.

Only downside is all the recruits, but I'll take the W if that's how we get it.

 

[irishtrain]

This must be said-THIS IS THE RIVALRY GAME-they will come in here expecting to play well and win/ southern cal must be shown not in this stadium-make no mistake about it they expect to win. You cannot let the rival feel like they have any chance to win this game. It is the greatest cross sectional rivalry in college football. PLAY LIKE A CHAMPION!

 

[Crazy Balki]

The key is getting some TO's vs SC. Slovis has been very good in both games EXCEPT he had 3 INT's @ BYU. Take away those INT's and he was very good as I shared on the last page. He's gonna get the ball out quick to neutralize ND's rush an let his WR's move the sticks and work for bonus YAC. Get a couple of takeaways when he's pressing will be key. Otherwise he's quick and accurate.

You can't just ignore those picks. They happened. That was part of BYU's strategy, as they put 7/8 in coverage and basically gave Slovis all day to throw. BYU doesn't have a good DL or pass rush, so Slovis was just sitting in the backfield, but because so many were in the pocket, he struggled to read the coverage and that resulted in those costly interceptions.

To ignore it doesn't give BYU's defense the proper credit they deserve. Slovis was not good against BYU at all.

Not to mention ND is a MUCH better defense across the board than BYU. They can put 7/8 in coverage and those guys will be a lot better at keeping pace with USC's receivers than BYU. In addition, ND has the luxury of just rushing 4 and still getting consistent pressure on the QB, because guys like Okwara, Kareem and the lot are far more disruptive than anybody on BYU's defense.

So perhaps Slovis does miraculously ball out of his mind, but I'll stick with conventional wisdom here. ND is far and away the strongest defense Slovis and USC has faced to date and will face all season. Slovis is going to be facing one of the top groups of edge rushers in the country and a very good defensive backfield, as well as some fast playing, athletic linebackers. It's also a night game, in the cold, on the road, where Helton teams have struggled immensely, not just winning but being competitive. This isn't the kind of game you want a true freshman QB in for, especially when he hasn't played or practiced in a few weeks.

 

[BobbyMac]

You can't just ignore those picks. They happened. That was part of BYU's strategy, as they put 7/8 in coverage and basically gave Slovis all day to throw. BYU doesn't have a good DL or pass rush, so Slovis was just sitting in the backfield, but because so many were in the pocket, he struggled to read the coverage and that resulted in those costly interceptions.

To ignore it doesn't give BYU's defense the proper credit they deserve. Slovis was not good against BYU at all.

Not to mention ND is a MUCH better defense across the board than BYU. They can put 7/8 in coverage and those guys will be a lot better at keeping pace with USC's receivers than BYU. In addition, ND has the luxury of just rushing 4 and still getting consistent pressure on the QB, because guys like Okwara, Kareem and the lot are far more disruptive than anybody on BYU's defense.

So perhaps Slovis does miraculously ball out of his mind, but I'll stick with conventional wisdom here. ND is far and away the strongest defense Slovis and USC has faced to date and will face all season. Slovis is going to be facing one of the top groups of edge rushers in the country and a very good defensive backfield, as well as some fast playing, athletic linebackers. It's also a night game, in the cold, on the road, where Helton teams have struggled immensely, not just winning but being competitive. This isn't the kind of game you want a true freshman QB in for, especially when he hasn't played or practiced in a few weeks.

Nobody ignored the int's. Brought it up twice in two different posts. Shared his stats besides the 3 picks to demonstrate the game he had minus the picks. Said the 3 picks is what cost him and SC the game. Didn't say Slovis had a great game even when you add in the three INT's. Said he had a very good game EXCEPT the 3 Int's that cost them the game. It's not a good game when you have 3 Int's and lose. I didn't say otherwise.

 

[Irish#1]

Only downside is all the recruits, but I'll take the W if that's how we get it.

Manti

 

[greyhammer90]

Manti

Everyone else

 

[NDohio]

Add it to the board.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Michael Pittman Jr. was asked what advice he gave to younger players vs. Notre Dame: "I told them to embrace the suck,” he said. "It’s going to be cold. But it’ll be fun when we’re running up the score."</p>— Ryan Kartje (@Ryan_Kartje) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ryan_Kartje/status/1181747576732708864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Pittman on Saturday night...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFmuO6xJ36g

This is great news...they are already discussing the weather...South Bend is already in their heads...

 

[Irish#1]

I'm lurking on the Trojans 247 forum and came across this. It made me laugh.


Do you know what scares me most about ND's Brian Kelly?

The fact that there is so much chatter concerning his possibly or probably leaving ND soon for the No Fun League, because ya'll realize what THAT could mean. Well, sirs, that could mean Urban Meyer to Notre Dame INSTEAD of USC necause it seems obvious to me that coaching at ND has been a sort of long time dream for Meyer. This concerns like nothing else in the world of college football. Whom then could we hope for to replace Gomer? Well, personally, I can only think of James Franklin of Penn State as a semi-satisfactory SECOND OPTION because I recall so vividly what he amazingly did while at Vanderbilt. He's yet another of that small club of coaches that has won big everywhere he has been, just like Meyer, only Meyer stands head and shoulders ALONE above every other coach or prospective coach in college football...EXCLUDING OF COURSE NICK SABAN.

I don't know whether Kelly has become burnt out while at ND, which figuratively has a reputation of eating coaches alive and making their time lonely and miserable while at the Helm of the Domers. But I think Urbs would be drawn towards that fate hypnotically like a moth towards a flame, his enthusiasm for that job immense in the beginning but what about his delecate health issues? Would the ND job crreate a melt down in Urban Meyer? Who knows, but THIS I think I know, that the Domer job is pretty certainly the roughest, most challanging gig in all College Football.

One of the most successful Domer coaches ever was Ara Parseghian, who, after guiding his charges to many great things in his time, seemed to retire from ND head coaching like a man dreained of his very blood from so many years of intense pressure. Lou Holtz is another odd story. Perhaps the greatest college head coach of his time, he seemingly could have stayed at ND for at least another decade, but instead resigned suddenly and, some thought, prematurely, others thought INEXPLICABLY. Why? Why was he willing to keep his college head coaching job going ELSEWHERE at South Carolina for years after resigning so precipitously from ND? Brian Kelly has from time to time spoken of the ND job as one you not stay at for too long a time, or else. Or else what. though? You tell me.

 

[Henges24]

I'm lurking on the Trojans 247 forum and came across this. It made me laugh.

Poster seems to be uninformed...

 

[zelezo vlk]

I have no doubt that Urban would be extremely successful at ND. I harbor serious doubts that he would be hired though, particularly after his last year with Ohio State played out.

 

[IrishLax]

It is pretty much accepted that ND will never hire Urban Meyer given what people within the program know about his ethics. The dude has zero moral compass, and that's putting it lightly.

 

[ACamp1900]

It is pretty much accepted that ND will never hire Urban Meyer given what people within the program know about his ethics. The dude has zero moral compass, and that's putting it lightly.

The dialogue on this site the day of his hiring (at this point) would be very interesting... every. box. checked.

 

[Irishize]

It is pretty much accepted that ND will never hire Urban Meyer given what people within the program know about his ethics. The dude has zero moral compass, and that's putting it lightly.

Additionally, I don’t think Meyer has any true interest of coaching there. My recollection is that while it was a dream school of his (he was named after a Pope wasn’t he?) to attend, I think he realized it had too many things going against it for a HC to be as successful as he could be at UF or tOSU. He saw first hand the limitations of recruiting and living in the South Bend area. Didn’t his wife reportedly hate living there?

This is and will continue to be a non-issue for the reasons you stated & Meyer’s own disinterest in coaching “his way” w/ one arm tied behind his back.