Notre Dame Football: Irish need to establish physical identity against USF

Notre Dame football certainly would like to forget the last time that South Florida came to South Bend. The Irish should redeem themselves Saturday.

The last time Notre Dame football played the University of South Florida, things didn’t exactly go well for the Irish. They get a chance to redeem themselves Saturday when the Bulls of USF roll in to South Bend in what should be an easy win for the Irish.

We’ve already talked a little bit about this game when it was first put on the schedule for the Irish. Let’s suffice it to say that Notre Dame should have little to worry about in terms of winning or losing come Saturday.

In what was a somewhat lackluster performance for the Irish against Duke, Notre Dame was able to achieve a little bit of a rhythm on offense and settled in on defense nicely after Duke moved the ball well on its first two possessions.

For Notre Dame, Saturday’s game with USF is nothing more than building on its identity, whatever that may be. The Irish simply need to worry about playing their game and building on what they do best. For Notre Dame, that likely means establishing dominance and physicality from the opening kickoff.

If Notre Dame is going to compete at a high level — and maybe, just maybe win a conference title in its only season as a member of a conference — the first quarter can’t just be a feeling out period. The Irish can’t afford to go three and out on its first three possessions against good teams.

Last Saturday, the Irish were fortunate enough to have a defense that held the Duke offense in check while righting the ship. A stout defense is good, but the Irish need to play better complementary football from the opening kickoff.

So that’s it. That’s the preview. This Saturday’s game has nothing to do with the opponent and everything to do with Notre Dame establishing dominance and physicality against an opponent that does not begin to hold a candle to the Irish in the talent department.

Let’s hope that this game can serve as a barometer for the Irish and an indication that Notre Dame is taking the next step to becoming a dominant force in college football. That’s what I’ll be looking for.