College Football Game of the Week: No. 10 USC vs. No. 21 Notre Dame

Another chapter will be added to the storied rivalry between the USC Trojans and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday night. This game marks the 93rd meeting between the two schools, the first one dating back to 1926.

The Fighting Irish lead the all-time series 50-37-5.

No. 21 Notre Dame looks to bounce back after last week’s 33-20 loss to No. 14 Louisville. This loss being their second in the last three games.

While No. 10 USC barely escaped fellow Pac-12 member Arizona in last week’s 43-41 overtime win. The Trojans' explosive offense started slow against Arizona and had to climb out of an early 17-0 hole.

USC relies heavily on its offense to lead the way. Through six games, the Trojans are No. 4 in total offense across college football. USC has averaged 523.3 yards per game thus far.

The Trojans’ offense is led by last year’s Heisman winner and arguably the best player in college football, Caleb Williams. Williams is having another great season, despite his somewhat shaky start last week.

USC’s success on offense is in large part due to its passing game. The Trojans are No. 3 in passing offense. Wide receivers Tahj Washington and Brenden Rice lead the team in receptions, total yards and receiving touchdowns.

However, Notre Dame has the No. 3 passing defense, so USC might have to incorporate its run game a little more than they would like.

USC will rely on starting running back MarShawn Lloyd to carry its run game. Lloyd has four rushing touchdowns along with 519 yards on 67 carries over six games.

Although this won’t be an easy feat, Notre Dame has one of the best defenses in the nation. They have talent at each position.

Defensive lineman Howard Cross III leads the team with 42 total tackles and two forced fumbles. Along with the linebacker duo of JD Bertrand and Jack Kiser and the stacked secondary that has safeties Xavier Watts and DJ Brown, USC will have its work cut out for them.

On offense, Sam Hartman seeks a massive rebound game against USC’s defense. Hartman threw three interceptions in last week’s loss to Louisville. All three were Hartman’s first interceptions thrown this season.

Audric Estime is another player to keep watch on Notre Dame’s offense. After not getting much going last week, when Estime ran for 20 yards on 10 carries, look for Notre Dame to try to take advantage of USC’s poor run defense.

USC’s defense has shown little improvement between the start of the season until now. They have allowed on average 157 rushing yards per game and their total defense is not even close to the top 50.

This game holds high stakes for each team. A win for Notre Dame against a top-10 opponent salvages their season, which already has two losses. USC remains in the top 10 with a win and would also remain undefeated.

The winner hoists a jeweled shillelagh, the trophy for this rivalry.

Tune in to watch this tight battle on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on NBC.

Ashley Beres is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, please email akb6783@psu.edu.