Notre Dame at No. 5 USC (Minus 32)

This could be Charlie Weis’ last game as Notre Dame’s head coach. Over the last 25 games the offensive guru has led the Irish to an uninspired 9-16 record. In the last 17 games against teams with a winning record the Irish are 2-15.

Weis’ genius will be put to the test against Southern Cal’s defense. The Trojans (9-1) are holding opponents to a nation’s best 8.3 points per game and also rank first in pass defense. Notre Dame (6-5) will lose its seventh straight game to USC. Irish fans will probably want to lose their coach as well.

USC 52, Notre Dame 7


Random Notes
Notre Dame
The Good
The defense ranks 22nd in the nation against the pass.

The Bad
Notre Dame only gains 119.2 yards of rushing offense a game which ranks 91st in the country.
The Irish have a negative-five turnover margin which ranks 88th in the nation.
The defense ranks 113th in tackles for loss and 85th in sacks.
Notre Dame is 9-16 over the past 25 games.

USC
The Good
The defense leads the nation only allowing 8.3 points per game.
The Trojans have the nation’s best pass defense.
Southern Cal is second in the nation in total defense.
USC has the Pac-10’s best rush defense and is fifth in the nation averaging 8.1 TFL per game.
The offense is ranked 18th in rushing (208.8 ypg) 16th in total and 12th in scoring (38.4 ppg) offense.
The Trojans lead the nation averaging 30.1 yards a kickoff return.


Players
Quarterback
ND- Jimmy Clausen 235/392 (.599), 2,730 yards, 20 TD, 15 INT

USC- Mark Sanchez 173/267 (.648), 2,258 yards, 26 TD, 7 INT

Rushing-
ND- Armondo Allen 569 yards, 4.5 ypc, 3 TD
ND- Robert Hughes 320 yards, 3.6 ypc, 3 TD

USC- C.J. Gable 571 yards, 6.5 ypc, 7 TD
USC- Stafon Johnson 569 yards, 5.6 ypc, 7 TD
USC- Joe McKnight 484 yards, 7.5 ypc, 0 TD

Receiving
ND- Golden Tate 888 yards, 50 rec., 17.8 ypr, 7 TD
ND- Michael Floyd 702 yards, 46 rec., 15.3 ypr, 7 TD

Receiving
USC- Damian Williams 553 yards, 38 rec., 14.6 ypr, 6 TD
USC- Patrick Turner 503 yards, 34 rec., 14.8 ypr, 8 TD

Defense
ND- Harrison Smith led the team with 3.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss.

USC- Rey Maualuga averages 7.33 tackles a game.
USC- Kyle Moore Kyle Moore leads the team with 8.5 tackles for loss.

Team Stats
Notre Dame
Rushing- 119.2
Passing- 248.7
Total- 367.9
PF- 24.5
PA- 20.8

USC
Rushing- 208.8
Passing- 242.2
Total- 451
PF- 38.4
PA- 8.3