USC's offense entered last night's matchup averaging 45.5 points per game (No. 3 in the country), 552.3 yards per game (No. 2 in the country), 8.3 yards per play (No. 1 in the country), 226.5 rushing yards per game (No. 16 in the country and 6.4 yards per rush (No. 4 in the country). Notre Dame's defense held them to 24 total points, 396 total yards, 5.6 yards per play, 68 rushing yards and 2.3 yards per carry. Chris Ash's defense came to play last night under the lights in South Bend and physically dominated USC's offense. They allowed some big plays, but held the Trojan's to field goals in some crucial moments and kept them off the scoreboard in the fourth quarter. Here are my key takeaways from the Fighting Irish defense against USC.
Defensive Line Dominated
USC's offensive line came into this matchup considered one of the better units in the country in both phases of the offense. Last night, Notre Dame's defensive line put in work against the large Trojan offensive line. The Irish finished the game with 25 total pressures, four hits plus sacks on the quarterback and 21 hurries; 18 of their 25 pressures came from the defensive line according to PFF. Quarterback Jayden Maiava was never able to get fully comfortable last night which resulted in him only completing 52 percent of his passes. The Irish defensive line's performance in the pass game was flashy, but where they truly shined was in the run game.
The Trojans were held to 68 total rushing yards and averaged 2.3 yards per carry as a team. Their leading rusher, running back King Miller, rushed for 70 yards but on 18 carries. For reference, Notre Dame's Jadarian Price rushed for 17 more yards on five less carries. Miller finished the night averaging 3.9 yards per carry; backup running back Bryan Jackson finished the night with 22 yards on six carries and averaged 3.7 yards per carry. Notre Dame has yet to allow a 100-yard rusher this season, a testament to their defensive line's success in the run game.
Secondary Showed Resiliency
Going into this matchup, it wasn't a secret that Lincoln Riley and Maiava, USC's quarterback, would target cornerback Christian Gray, and that's exactly what they did. Gray was targeted last night 15 times, allowed seven receptions, a touchdown, a two point conversion and a couple of explosive plays. With that being said, Gray came away with a momentum swinging interception like he did last season. In the last two seasons against USC, Gray has been targeted 27 times according to PFF, but has shown resiliency in both games and came away with impactful interceptions.
The game plan for Makai Lemon, USC's biggest threat on offense, was sound. They had standout sophomore cornerback Leonard Moore shadow him the majority of the game. When the game was over, Moore had only allowed three receptions for 36 yards against Lemon, 97 yards shy of his total output last year against the Notre Dame defense. The safeties played well; Adon Shuler allowed a receiving touchdown on the first drive on a terrific throw and catch, but became one of their most impactful defensive players the rest of the matchup. True freshman Dallas Golden has his best game of the season at nickel as well. This unit has came a long way since the start of the season.
Second Half Defense Remains A Strength
Notre Dame's defense allowed USC to score on their first two possession of the second half, a field goal and a touchdown with a converted two point conversion. After their final touchdown of the game, the Irish defense stiffened and forced four straight turnovers to finish the game. They came away with an interception, a fumble recovery, a turnover on downs and an interception to seal the game 34-24 in Notre Dame's favor. The defense now has 10 turnovers in their last three outings and nine of those turnovers gave came in the second half. This defense has turned this around from their abysmal start to the season.
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