Notre Dame Football: USC could be down top weapon

As Notre Dame football prepares for a big matchup against one of its oldest rivals, there is a chance that the USC Trojans could be without one of their best assets.

The Notre Dame football team is reeling a bit as it heads into its matchup against the USC Trojans. The Irish just lost to the Louisville Cardinals.

Marcus Freeman’s squad dropped from 10th in the country to 21st. They went from having an outside shot at the playoffs to having an outside shot at a New Year’s 6 bowl.

Despite the Notre Dame football team struggling more than a little bit the last few weeks, the Irish are the favorites heading into the USC game. It appears that the Trojans’ defense is a big culprit as to why. But on Thursday, a tidbit of news was released that might make it more likely that the Irish could have a chance to win on Saturday.

Freshman USC receiver Zachariah Branch has been dealing with an injury all week and hasn’t been “full go” at practice yet. Trojans beat writer Ryan Kartje reported that Branch is progressing, but it doesn’t appear he has a very good chance of playing on Saturday night.

Considering that Notre Dame football has had its own series of injuries over the last few weeks, the Irish likely can feel USC’s pain. On the other hand, it’s a real hand up for Freeman’s squad.

Notre Dame football opponent missing big weapon

In his first season with USC, Branch has already made quite the impression. While his numbers are eye-popping, that’s in part because of how many weapons Caleb Williams has at his disposal.

Branch has 13 catches for 178 yards and two touchdowns. The worst news for USC is that Branch was starting to really come into his own. He had his best game of the year on September 23 when he had four catches for 68 yards, as well as a carry and 17 yards.

Branch didn’t play against Colorado or Arizona and now he’ll be out against Notre Dame football.