Notre Dame Football: First Thoughts on USC

By Bobby Norell | May 31, 2016

Oct 17, 2015; South Bend, IN, USA; USC Trojans kicker Alex Wood (39) attempts a field goal in the second quarter against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium. The kick missed. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /

By the time Notre Dame plays USC, the Trojans could be in bad shape.

USC is like most other traditional powerhouse programs in that they always have talent. This year’s team is no different as they are loaded with the likes of Juju Smith-Schuster, Adoree Jackson and Cameron Smith.

We all know what Smith-Schuster can do as he torched the Irish defense last season at the tune of six catches for 139 yards and one touchdown. Jackson is stud two-way player that either lines up in the slot on offense, or as a cornerback on defense. Smith was the team’s leading tackler last season as a freshman before going down with a season ending knee injury.

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This is Clay Helton’s first full season as head coach after taking over for Steve Sarkasian midseason last year. Helton guided the Trojans to a 5-4 record and a spot in the Pac-12 title game last season. This season could be a trying one for Helton as he has to replace a couple key producers and face one of the nation’s toughest schedules.

USC has to replace one of the program’s all-time prolific passers in Cody Kessler. The favorite to win the job is redshirt junior Max Browne. Coming out of high school Browne was rated the No.1 quarterback, but has yet to make any type of impact. The other guy that could vie for the job is Sam Darnold.

Not only does USC have to replace it’s top offensive producer, they also have to replace it’s top defender in linebacker Su’a Cravens. Cravens was the Trojans leading tackler last season and was drafted in the past April’s NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins.

At running back the Trojans bring back Ronald Jones II. The former Notre Dame target had a standout freshman season in 2015 as he ran for 987 yards and eight touchdowns. USC also brings back Justin Davis. Jones and Davis will form a formidable 1-2 punch in the Trojan backfield.

USC has one of, if not the toughest schedule in the country. In the first four weeks of the season the Men of Troy play Alabama, Stanford and Utah, all of which are away from the confines of the LA Coliseum. All of that is before they have to play Oregon, UCLA and Arizona State. There is a chance USC has 4-5 losses before they even play Notre Dame.

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