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Notre Dame Football: 3 Things Learned From Irish-Trojans

By Andrew Hall

CHAPEL HILL, NC - OCTOBER 07: Head coach Brian Kelly of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish watches his team play against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the game at Kenan Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC - OCTOBER 07: Head coach Brian Kelly of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish watches his team play against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the game at Kenan Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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Brian Kelly’s overhaul of the Notre Dame football program looks to be working to perfection.

Notre Dame stunned the No. 11 USC, 49-14. The Irish declared unequivocally that they belong in the discussion for the College Football Playoff. Here are three things learned from Notre Dame’s victory over Southern California.

Josh Adams Belongs In Heisman Race

The Junior Running Back carried Notre Dame to victory on Saturday night. Adams finished the night with 191 yards on 19 carries with 3 touchdowns. He also may have ran directly in the Heisman race.

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Currently, names like Saquon Barkley and Bryce Love top any Heisman Watch list. But, Notre Dame’s leading rusher belongs on that list. Through seven games, Adams has rushed for 967 yards and 8 touchdowns. Sure, Love has run for more yards. However, in several games this season, Adams has made himself comfy on the bench due to huge Irish leads.

Brian Kelly Can Win On A National Stage

Yes, we did predict that USC would beat Notre Dame. We were clearly very, very wrong.

In the past, Notre Dame failed to seize the moments recently. Against Clemson, Stanford, Florida State and Georgia, the Irish almost came through with a victory.

Tonight, Kelly proved that he can win in these big spots. The Irish emphatically showed that they have put the 4-8 season in the rear view mirror.

Kevin Stepherson Will Really Help Notre Dame’s Offense

Recent doghouse resident Kevin Stepherson featured more frequently in Notre Dame’s offense tonight. Stepherson ran and caught the ball under the lights of Notre Dame Stadium.

He finished with 3 receptions for 58 yards and 2 rushes for 24 yards with a touchdown.

One of the biggest issues with Notre Dame’s offense was the lack of production from the Wide Receivers. Equanimeous St. Brown definitely is a top Wide Receiver but teams were double covering him. He was being taken out of the game. Now, with Stepherson (along with Claypool), the Irish should have a more productive receiver group.

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