Notre Dame Football: Key Defensive Matchups vs. USC

USC Wide Receivers vs. ND Secondary

A lot was made of the Notre Dame secondary after the playoff show two weeks ago. Many “experts” felt Syracuse could expose the Irish passing defense, but it ended up being quite the opposite — highlighted by the three interceptions.

USC will pose another tough test for the Irish secondary with four receivers over more than 20 catches on the year. Led by two former five-star recruits, freshman Amon-Ra St. Brown and sophomore Tyler Vaughns, the USC wide receivers can definitely provide some fits for any secondary. Also in the mix is junior and former top 100 recruit Michael Pittman Jr. and junior Velus Jones Jr..

All four athletes offer their own little twist to the Trojan offense.

St. Brown is all-around player and the scariest of the bunch. As a true freshman, he leads USC in catches and is tied for yardage.  He can beat you deep, he can take a screen to the house, and he make contested catches. As a former Notre Dame recruit, I am very interested in watching him up close. Pittman Jr. is a physical specimen in the form of a Miles Boykin or Chase Claypool, but also averages nearly 20 yards per receptions – which is insane. He’s tied with St. Brown for the team lead in receiving yards on 17 less receptions.

After a breakout freshman season, Vaughns has continued his success as a sophomore. He is second on the USC team in receptions (47) and also second in receiving touchdowns (5) — just another threat to worry about. Lastly, Jones Jr. is clearly fourth in the pecking order with 21 catches and one touchdown. With that said, USC has found ways to get the ball in his hands on jet sweeps and screens. He is very dangerous in open space.

Although USC is not a good football team, they have plenty of weapons on offense that are cause for concern. Many weapons that Notre Dame also wanted during the recruiting process.