Notre Dame: Jahmir Smith was the Unsung Hero vs. Southern Cal

Smith was key for Notre Dame on Saturday.

Notre Dame came away with a victory Saturday night against rival Southern Cal in what seemed like it was heading toward a comfortable win until the 4th quarter.

Offensively, they did enough and had a few statement drives that really propelled the Irish to a win and the defense played pretty good until late in the game where it seemed like they weren’t going to be able to stop USC. from scoring when they got the ball. In the end, the running game and kicker Johnathan Doerer was what won Notre Dame the game.

I think it would be an easy choice if I picked Doerer as the “unsung hero” but to be honest, he was the player of the game in my eyes. That turns my attention to the running game. Tony Jones Jr. absolutely dominated USC’s defense Saturday night, and he could also be the MVP of the game. But the guy that came in and kept the running game moving along when Jones needed a breather was running back Jahmir Smith. He’s this weeks Unsung Hero.

Jahmir Smith only saw 17 snaps this game, but they were really important ones. He carried the ball 5 times for 32 yards (6.4 yards per carry). The majority of his yards came on the most important drive of the game, where he accounted for 23 of his rushing yards, leading to the game-winning touchdown run by Ian Book.

Smith has exceptional burst up the middle, and can also pound you without shying away from contact. That really showed Saturday night when he got the opportunity. I’d love to see more of it, and that will definitely come with more trust from the coaches.

My guess is he earned that trust Saturday night, as one of the biggest things he did that went unnoticed by many was his pass blocking. That hasn’t been his strong suit leading up to the season, but he delivered when his number was called and was really solid protecting Book in the backfield with timely pick ups.

Yes, it’s hard to take Tony Jones Jr. off the field right now — nearly impossible with the way he’s playing in all phases of the game — but Smith definitely earned some more snaps from the staff this weekend.

This was also a career-high game in rushing yards for Smith and it couldn’t have come during a bigger game for him. That’s why Smith earned the unsung hero against Southern Cal.