With one win against a rival under their belts, the Trojans turned their attention to a Saturday match up with Notre Dame.
Head coach Clay Helton updated the state of injuries on the team. Josh Fatu, Adoree' Jackson and Jonathan Lockett returned to practice. The team continued to be cautious with both Stevie Tu'ikolovatu and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Chad Wheeler continues dealing with a wrist sprain and "Pie" Young is still under concussion protocol.
- USC is preparing for a big rivalry game against the Irish, but it'll also have Senior Day on Saturday, as some Trojans will play their last home game at the Coliseum. Darreus Rogers reflected on his upcoming final game at home after practice.
- "My last one in the Coli means a lot. I'm trying to leave a legacy for my last game," said Rogers. "It's a sad moment for me, but I'm looking forward to it. I'm trying to have fun." Seniors like Rogers will have a chance to cement great careers by ending the year with wins against both UCLA and Notre Dame.
- Underclassmen, like Ronald Jones II, are also looking forward to the game, to not just keep up the win streak but also for the older guys on the team. "We want to get this win for the seniors, guys like JD, Zach, all the seniors. We want to have not just the Victory Bell, but the Shillelagh too."
- The Trojans will be facing a Notre Dame team that is under .500, but Helton emphasized that they must stay focused. "Their record does not match the personnel that's on the field," said Helton. "When you look at the full story you see a very dangerous team. You see a team that's 4-7, but you also see a team that's lost six games by seven points or less."
- Even though USC cannot control its own destiny in the race for the Pac-12 South - they'll have to await the result of Colorado's game against Utah - Helton stressed how important this game is. "We have so much to play for in this game. We had set a goal to be remembered in November. Now we look up and we could have an undefeated October and November," said Helton. "I don't think that's been done here since 2008."
- Watch Helton's full press conference here:
