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Photo by: John McGillen
No. 11 USC Football Visits No. 13 Notre Dame For Intersectional Clash
October 15, 2017 | Football, Features
*No. 11 USC takes a break from Pac-12 play to visit No. 13 Notre Dame for the 89th edition of the greatest intersectional rivalry in college football.
*The game is a battle between schools with perhaps the country's most glorious gridiron heritages. The winner gets year-long possession of the jeweled Shillelagh.
*The Trojans have won 11 of the past 15 meetings with the Irish, but all 4 losses have been since 2010. Troy has won 6 of the past 10 in South Bend, but has dropped the past 2, including in 2015 just 6 days after Clay Helton was installed as USC's interim head coach.
*It's the first USC-ND meeting since 2009 that both squads are AP ranked. Although the Irish hold an edge in such meetings, USC holds a decided advantage when Troy comes in as the higher-ranked team.
*This is just the fourth Trojan night game ever at Notre Dame Stadium (2011 was the first) and also ties for the latest USC-ND kickoff ever.
*This will be USC's first look at recently-renovated 77,622-seat Notre Dame Stadium. The game is sold out (the 259th consecutive sellout in Notre Dame Stadium), but will be shown live nationally on NBC-TV.
*USC posted a crucial comeback 1-point victory at home over Utah this past weekend, rallying from a 14-point halftime deficit and then thwarting the Utes' last-minute 2-point attempt. Head coach Clay Helton's Trojans control their destiny in the Pac-12 race. USC's offense, which is averaging 477 yards of total yardage to rank in the national Top 20, is guided by QB Sam Darnold, who is 15-2 as a starter and is coming off his second straight 300-yard, 3-TD outing. Dynamic TB Ronald Jones II, soon to be in the USC all-time Top 10 in rushing, has scored a TD in his last 13 games and had his ninth career 100-yard rushing effort last week against the Utes. WRs Deontay Burnett, with 115 career catches, and emerging Tyler Vaughns are Darnold's favorite targets, with TE Tyler Petite catching a pair of TDs versus Utah. The Trojan defense, which has 10 interceptions to date and has been stingy to foes who get a USC turnover, is led by the likes of tackle leader ILB Cameron Smith (16 stops last week), disruptive OLB Uchenna Nwosu, DL Christian Rector (the Pac-12 leader in sacks and recovered fumbles) and CBs Jack Jones (4 picks this year) and Iman Marshall.
*Head coach Brian Kelly's Notre Dame squad is rested after having a bye following its win at North Carolina. The Irish ground-based offense, which is in the national Top 25 in rushing offense, scoring offense and total offense, is led by dual threat QB Brandon Wimbush (a foot injury sidelined him versus North Carolina, so QB Ian Book capably filled in). RB Josh Adams is seventh nationally in rushing (129.3) and has 2,544 career rushing yards. Leading receivers are TE Alize Mack and WRs Equanimeous St. Brown and Chase Claypool, although none has more than 17 receptions. ND's defense, allowing just 16.8 points a game, features ILBs Nyles Morgan, Te'von Coney and Greer Martini and ROV Drue Tranquill.
*The game is a battle between schools with perhaps the country's most glorious gridiron heritages. The winner gets year-long possession of the jeweled Shillelagh.
*The Trojans have won 11 of the past 15 meetings with the Irish, but all 4 losses have been since 2010. Troy has won 6 of the past 10 in South Bend, but has dropped the past 2, including in 2015 just 6 days after Clay Helton was installed as USC's interim head coach.
*It's the first USC-ND meeting since 2009 that both squads are AP ranked. Although the Irish hold an edge in such meetings, USC holds a decided advantage when Troy comes in as the higher-ranked team.
*This is just the fourth Trojan night game ever at Notre Dame Stadium (2011 was the first) and also ties for the latest USC-ND kickoff ever.
*This will be USC's first look at recently-renovated 77,622-seat Notre Dame Stadium. The game is sold out (the 259th consecutive sellout in Notre Dame Stadium), but will be shown live nationally on NBC-TV.
*USC posted a crucial comeback 1-point victory at home over Utah this past weekend, rallying from a 14-point halftime deficit and then thwarting the Utes' last-minute 2-point attempt. Head coach Clay Helton's Trojans control their destiny in the Pac-12 race. USC's offense, which is averaging 477 yards of total yardage to rank in the national Top 20, is guided by QB Sam Darnold, who is 15-2 as a starter and is coming off his second straight 300-yard, 3-TD outing. Dynamic TB Ronald Jones II, soon to be in the USC all-time Top 10 in rushing, has scored a TD in his last 13 games and had his ninth career 100-yard rushing effort last week against the Utes. WRs Deontay Burnett, with 115 career catches, and emerging Tyler Vaughns are Darnold's favorite targets, with TE Tyler Petite catching a pair of TDs versus Utah. The Trojan defense, which has 10 interceptions to date and has been stingy to foes who get a USC turnover, is led by the likes of tackle leader ILB Cameron Smith (16 stops last week), disruptive OLB Uchenna Nwosu, DL Christian Rector (the Pac-12 leader in sacks and recovered fumbles) and CBs Jack Jones (4 picks this year) and Iman Marshall.
*Head coach Brian Kelly's Notre Dame squad is rested after having a bye following its win at North Carolina. The Irish ground-based offense, which is in the national Top 25 in rushing offense, scoring offense and total offense, is led by dual threat QB Brandon Wimbush (a foot injury sidelined him versus North Carolina, so QB Ian Book capably filled in). RB Josh Adams is seventh nationally in rushing (129.3) and has 2,544 career rushing yards. Leading receivers are TE Alize Mack and WRs Equanimeous St. Brown and Chase Claypool, although none has more than 17 receptions. ND's defense, allowing just 16.8 points a game, features ILBs Nyles Morgan, Te'von Coney and Greer Martini and ROV Drue Tranquill.
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