Notre Dame: Compliments and Conclusions vs USC
By Matt Clark
On Saturday night, Notre Dame squared off with their rival, the USC Trojans, for the 91st time. While the final score would be a meager three-point victory by Notre Dame, USC never seemed to genuinely threaten the Irish.
While the game was much closer than Vegas oddsmakers and college football experts predicted, the Notre Dame played a fundamentally sound game across all facets of the game and made it extremely difficult to pick out any major criticisms. One would think that the fact that USC was able to keep the game this close would indicate that the Irish would have had sloppy play somewhere.
Instead, it is a testament to how well the young, talented Trojans played against the Irish. As a result, for the second consecutive week, there will be no criticisms and a doubling of compliments for the Irish. Here are the compliments and conclusions following the Irish 30-27 victory over USC:
Compliments
Ian Book turns in his best performance of the season
Ian Book had arguably his best game of the season against USC. While he was able to put up better statistical games against lesser opponents New Mexico and Bowling Green, USC is on a different level than those two teams.
Book looked comfortable in the pocket throughout the game and made the solid decisions and crisp passes Irish fans became used to seeing last season. In addition, this was the first game against a tough opponent this year where Book looked more like the dual threat quarterback that was so dominant last season.
When Book is a threat to take off running, it adds another dimension to the Irish offense. When the defense is forced to respect Book’s running ability, it allows for receivers to get more separation against the defense, opening up the passing game. Despite being backed up deep on a number of the Irish offensive possessions, Book was able to lead the offense down the field for scores. He would finish the night completing 17 of 32 passes for 165 passing yards and one passing touchdown. He would add 12 carries for 49 yards and a rushing touchdown.
It was a solid all around game from Ian Book and was extremely encouraging, given some of the struggles he has had against tougher opponents this year.
Tony Jones Jr. continues to excel in the running game
Tony Jones Jr. had a career game against USC, compiling a career high 176 rushing yards on 25 carries. Jones consistently gashed the Trojan defense, picking up critical first down runs seemingly at will. This marks the third straight game for Jones Jr. with over 100 yards rushing, after gaining 102 yards against Bowling Green and 131 yards against Virginia. It was the fourth time in six games that Jones Jr. has rushed for over 100 yards.
Prior to the start of the season, Jones Jr. was not viewed as a three down feature back, but rather a change of pace back to be complimented by the run style of fellow running back Jafar Armstrong. However, when Armstrong went down with an abdominal tear, the Irish were forced to lean heavily on Jones Jr. as their feature back and he has not disappointed.
The Irish offensive line dominates the line of scrimmage
One cannot mention the successes of Ian Book and Tony Jones Jr. without talking about how dominant the Notre Dame offensive line was against an extremely talented defensive front of USC. The line was able to consistently get a good push in run blocking situations, allowing Notre Dame to pound the football on the ground for an impressive 308 yards on 48 carries. That is an average of 6.4 yards per carry against a very good young defense.
In the passing game, the Irish offensive line was able to give Ian Book time in the pocket and kept him relatively clean, limiting USC to one sack and one quarterback pressure on the game. It was a solid effort by a line that seems to improve each week.
Jonathan Doerer puts to rest any concerns about Notre Dame’s kicking game
Any time a team loses its all time scoring leader who has been rock solid in the kicking game for the better part of four seasons, it is bound to generate concern that the replacement will not be able to live up to the standards set in previous seasons. Thus was the case for junior placekicker Jonathan Doerer coming into this season.
Doerer has quickly quelled any concerns about the Irish kicking game by consistently hitting critical kicks all season. The game against USC was a continuation of Doerer’s excellent play, as he was able to make all three of his field goals, hitting from 45 yards, 52 yards and 43 yards respectively, bringing his total to 6 for 7 on field goal attempts for the season.
Doerer would also make all three of his extra point attempts, keeping him at a 100 percent made rate on the season. Doerer has not only been able to put to rest any fears about the Irish kicking game, he has emerged as a special teams weapon.
Braden Lenzy has the ability to be a game-changing player
Braden Lenzy had his number called by Chip Long in a designed counter run play, which Lenzy exhibited his insane speed, leaving the Trojan defense in his wake and taking it 51 yards to the end zone.
If this seems like deja vu, it’s because it was an almost identical play to what the Irish ran with Lenzy against New Mexico. Lenzy would take it 52 yards for the touchdown against the Lobos.
A former track star in high school, he put his elite speed on full display for the Irish. He appears to possess the elite game-changing ability that the Irish have lacked on offense this season. Look for Chip Long to draw up more plays to try to utilize Lenzy’s speed advantage going forward.
Opposing defenses will have to be cognizant of Lenzy’s ability to break plays for big gains and will have to game plan for him going forward. This should further open up the offensive capabilities for Notre Dame.
The Irish pass rush continues to thrive
After a quiet start to the season, the much hyped Notre Dame pass rush has come to life the past few weeks. They continued to have success against USC, sacking freshman Trojan quarterback Kedon Slovis four times and hurrying him seven times on the night. The continued pressure that the Irish defense put on Slovis would prevent him from getting into a rhythm with his elite receiving corps for most of the game.
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Khalid Kareem and Jamir Jones would each tally one sack, while Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa and Kurt Hinish would be credited with half sacks in the game. Jones has filled in admirably for Daelin Hayes since Hayes was lost for the season with a torn labrum. The Irish pass rush is deep and talented and will likely continue to wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks the remainder of the season.