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Notre Dame football vs. USC: 3 Studs and 3 Duds in Week 8

By Daniel Morrison

Oct 23, 2021; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Kyren Williams (23) runs the ball as USC Trojans cornerback Isaac Taylor-Stuart (6) defends in the first quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 23, 2021; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Kyren Williams (23) runs the ball as USC Trojans cornerback Isaac Taylor-Stuart (6) defends in the first quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
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BLACKSBURG, VA – OCTOBER 09: Isaiah Foskey #7 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in action against the Virginia Tech Hokies during the second half of the game at Lane Stadium on October 9, 2021, in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
BLACKSBURG, VA – OCTOBER 09: Isaiah Foskey #7 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in action against the Virginia Tech Hokies during the second half of the game at Lane Stadium on October 9, 2021, in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

Notre Dame football vs. USC: 3 Studs and 3 Duds in Week 8

2nd Stud: Isaiah Foskey

Isaiah Foskey doesn’t get enough credit for how great a player he is. That’s probably because broadcasts tend to focus on Kyle Hamilton from the defense, and the rest of the defensive line is strong too, so it’s easy to group him into that unit. Still, Foskey is a stud defensive end all his own and he dominated against USC.

Foskey would have five total tackles, not a massive number, but what’s important is that two of those were sacks. They weren’t just sacks, though, they were both strip sacks. More than that, Foskey forces you to spend extra effort in slowing him down, which creates opportunities for other defensive linemen. It was a dominant effort.

2nd Dud: Jonathan Doerer

Alright, let’s talk about the kicking.

Jonathan Doerer has simply not been a consistent enough kicker. He was 1/2 kicking against USC, highlighting his inconsistency. His kickoffs were also an issue, hardly going past the five yard line and often being easy to return line drives. That could have really hurt the Irish if USC knew how to take advantage of the situation.

That all needs to change going forward, but the fact is that by now it hasn’t. So, it probably won’t change but it could cost Notre Dame a win along the way.

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