Notre Dame team preview

This weekend will mark the 209th consecutive sellout at Notre Dame Stadium and those rowdy Irish fans are sure to try to make life difficult for true freshman quarterback Matt Barkley and his Trojan offense.

Offense

Scoring offense – 32.6 points per game, 27th nationally
Total offense – 470 yards per game, 10th nationally
Rushing offense – 148 yards per game, 60th nationally
Passing offense – 322 yards per game, 8th nationally

The Irish offense has been clicking through the first five games this season.  They’ve scored at least three touchdowns in each contest and have posted more than 30 points in four games.  Though head coach Charlie Weis’ offense can accurately be described as pass-happy, the Irish will do everything they can to get the ball into the hands of playmakers Golden Tate and Armando Allen, including lining them up in what Notre Dame’s official website is calling the “Leprecat” formation.

Notre Dame has also done a fantastic job holding onto the ball this season.  With just five turnovers (three interceptions and two fumbles), the Irish are eighth in the country in terms of fewest giveaways.

Quarterback – #7 Jimmy Clausen (6-3, 223)

Jimmy Clausen is putting together a tremendous season through five games.  Though his performances have come against mediocre defenses, it’s tough to argue against 1,544 yards and 12 touchdowns against two interceptions while completing 100-of-148 passes.  Clausen currently ranks first in the country in pass efficiency and has shown a knack for delivering in the clutch, crafting comeback wins over Michigan State, Purdue and Washington this season.

Clausen is coming off a career-best 422-yard performance against Washington and needs just 30 passing yards against USC to reach 6,000 for his career.  But what Clausen hasn’t done this season is face a defense anywhere as competent as the Trojans’.  He’ll be looking to throw the ball all over the field against USC, but if the Trojans can pressure him (as they’ve done to every quarterback on their schedule), Clausen could be in for a long day.  He’s not very mobile to begin with, but after suffering from a turf toe injury that will linger throughout the season, Clausen is basically a statue in the pocket.  Last season, Clausen had almost no time to read his progressions and deliver the ball on time.  If the same is true this year, it could be another long day for the junior quarterback.

But if the Trojans aren’t able to generate pressure, Clausen will assuredly be able to move the ball down the field.  He’s tremendously accurate with the ball and has a handful of playmakers to distribute it to.  If Clausen is going to be taken seriously in the Heisman Trophy discussion, he absolutely needs a win over USC this weekend. 

Running Back – #5 Armando Allen (5-10, 200), #33 Robert Hughes (5-11, 234), #34 James Aldridge (6-0, 225)

The Notre Dame rushing attack is improved from last season, but still pales in comparison to what the Trojans saw two weeks ago at California.  The Irish are averaging just over four yards per carry and have just six rushing touchdowns this season.

But No. 1 tailback Armando Allen has been limited by an ankle injury in the past two games (missing the Purdue contest and slowed by it against Washington).  Allen should be back to full speed against the Trojans and has performed well when fully healthy this season.  He’s the speed threat in the backfield and should receive a majority of the carries.  Allen has rushed for 365 yards and three touchdowns on 71 attempts this season.  He’s also a likely candidate to take direct snaps in the wildcat formation.  The Trojans saw the wildcat a few times against California and will likely see it again against the Irish.  Against Michigan State, Allen rushed for a 13-yard touchdown and completed a five-yard touchdown pass out of the wildcat.

Behind Allen, both Robert Hughes and James Aldridge are big backs who excel in short-yardage situations.  Aldridge was injured in the season-opener against Nevada, which forced Hughes to shift into the fullback spot.  But Aldridge will return against the Trojans, which will allow Hughes to move back to his big tailback spot and give the Irish their complete backfield for the first time this season.

Hughes has been an asset this season, rushing 30 times for 158 yards and two touchdowns.  He also has a team-best, 37-yard scamper to his credit this season.

All three backs are a threat in the passing game as well.  Notre Dame won’t hesitate to throw screen after screen at USC in order to slow down the Trojan pass rush.  Allen ranks fourth on the team with ten receptions for 75 yards.  Hughes has added five grabs for 33 yards.

Wide Receiver – #23 Golden Tate (5-11, 195), #18 Duval Kamara (6-5, 219), #82 Robby Parris (6-3, 205)

Perhaps no player on either team will have more say in the outcome of the game than Golden Tate.  He’s become a star this season, lining up at four different positions (wide receiver, tailback, fullback and quarterback) and putting up huge numbers each week.

He has 33 receptions for 602 yards and four touchdowns this season, and has added 93 rushing yards and another touchdown in 13 rushing attempts.  Tate was having a great season even before Michael Floyd’s injury, but since Floyd went down, Tate has gone off.  In his last game against Washington, Tate hauled in nine receptions for 244 yards (second most in school history) and a touchdown.  Currently, Tate ranks fourth nationally in terms of receiving yards per game.

Against the Trojans, Tate will be all over the field.  He’ll certainly be the focal point of the Trojan defense, but it’ll be up to all 11 defenders to keep him in check.  Not only will Tate line up out wide, he’ll take snaps in the wildcat and will also serve as the motion man in that formation.  He’s a terrific route runner, but his strength is getting under the deep ball.  Down either sideline, Tate makes tremendous adjustments to the ball in the air and is very difficult for cornerbacks to shut down completely.  If Tate is limited this weekend, the Irish could have a tough time moving the ball through the air.

Floyd’s injury really hurt this team in that it took away one of the top-five receiving threats in the country (Floyd had 13 receptions for 358 yards and five touchdowns), and it also now allows opponents to double and triple-team Tate, because the rest of the wide receivers on the roster aren’t nearly as talented as that duo.

Robby Parris and Duval Kamara will likely step in as the No. 2 and 3 receivers, but each have just seven receptions this season.  Like Tate, Parris has the speed to stretch the field vertically and will likely be used to keep the Trojan defense from loading the box to stop the run.  Perris is also certainly qualified as a possession receiver going across the middle.  Kamara hasn’t been much of a receiving threat this season, but he does serve as the best blocking receiver on the roster.

Tight End – #9 Kyle Rudolph (6-6, 260)

Kyle Rudolph is easily the most dynamic tight end the Trojans will face this season.  His 21 receptions are good for second on the team, as well as 267 yards and three touchdowns.  He’s a tremendous red-zone threat for the Irish and has grabbed late-game scores in each of the past two games.  More of a pass catching threat than a blocker, Rudolph will receive support from Mike Ragone and Bobby Burger in the run game.  Burger will also be used at the fullback spot in goal line situations.

Offensive Line – LT #72 Paul Duncan (6-7, 315), LG #59 Chris Stewart (6-5, 330), C #55 Eric Olsen (6-4, 305), RG #78 Trevor Robinson (6-5, 305), RT #74 Sam Young (6-8, 320)

If Notre Dame is going to put an end to USC’s seven-game winning streak in this series, it’s going to start along the offensive line.  After being completely dominated last season, the Irish have talked all week about how prepared and confident they are for this game.  The line entered the season with 100 combined starts and none of the five starters has missed a game this season.

Neither Paul Duncan nor Trevor Robinson saw significant action along the line against the Trojans last season (Duncan was sidelined due to hip surgery, Robinson was not a starter).  As a whole, the line has allowed nine sacks in five games, and neither Eric Olsen nor Sam Young has allowed a sack.  Although, seven of those sacks have come in the past two games, and the Trojans will bring a defensive line that ranks first in the country in terms of sacks.

The matchup between the Irish front five and the Trojan front four should go a long way toward determining the outcome of the game.  If USC can generate pressure with just four rushers (as they should be able to), Notre Dame’s offense could have a tough time staying on the field.

Defense

Scoring defense – 23.8 points per game, 59th in the country
Total defense – 403.2 yards per game, 100th in the country
Rushing defense – 139.6 yards per game, 68th in the country
Passing defense – 263.6 yards per game, 110th in the country

Defensively, it’s the same story for a Charlie Weis coached team.  Against some pretty substandard offenses, the Notre Dame defense has been gouged for big numbers and plenty of points this season.  The one aspect where they’ve had success is in red zone defense, which could show up against the Trojans’ unsuccessful red zone offense.

Overall, the Irish has allowed just nine touchdowns in 17 trips inside the 20-yard line.  They’ve also allowed just 11 scores in those attempts, which ranks fourth in the nation.

Defensive Line – #89 Kapron Lewis-Moore (6-4, 270), #9 Ethan Johnson (6-4, 280), #95 Ian Williams (6-2, 295), #90 John Ryan (6-5, 255)

The Irish defensive line has been pretty average this season, registering just four of the team’s nine sacks.  The last time out, Washington piled up 176 yards on 39 carries, and for the season, the Irish are allowing just over 4.4 yards per carry. 

Kapron Lewis-Moore leads the line with 17 tackles and a sack, but defensive tackles Ethan Johnson and Ian Williams are the strength of the line, registering 16 and 12 tackles, respectively.  John Ryan has 11 tackles and a sack this season.

Linebackers Kerry Neal and Darius Fleming will line up as defensive linemen as well.  Outside linebackers with good pass-rushing skills thanks to Notre Dame’s stint with the 3-4 defense, Neal has a sack and three tackles for loss, while Fleming leads the team with two sacks and seven tackles for loss.

Linebacker – #45 Darius Fleming (6-1, 240), #49 Toryan Smith (6-1, 244), #58 Brian Smith (6-3, 240)

As a whole, the linebackers have been underwhelming this season.  Brian Smith leads the group and ranks third on the team with 26 stops, but no other linebacker has more than 16 tackles this season.

The group spent a ton of time blitzing the quarterback early this year, but has just three sacks to show for it.  Defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta slowed the linebacker rush down over the past two games and the big plays have slowed as well.  But if the Irish sit back against the Trojans and allow Barkley time to throw, it could be a long day for the Notre Dame defense.  It’s likely that Notre Dame will bring heat from all angles in order to keep Barkley guessing.  But if the linebackers can’t handle the USC running game, it might not matter.

One player that Trojan fans will surely have their eyes on at this spot is Manti Te’o.  The five-star recruit who seemed destined for cardinal and gold received his first extensive action against Washington and responded with ten tackles.  He’ll certainly see plenty of time against the Trojans, and could even be granted a starting assignment.  But regardless of how much he plays, USC will certainly target him on plenty of plays.  Though he did have those ten stops, head coach Charlie Weis said that Te’o missed several assignments as well and showed all the signs of a true freshman.

Cornerback – #12 Robert Blanton (6-1, 185), #2 Darrin Walls (6-0, 190)

The Notre Dame cornerbacks have struggled this season.  Neither Robert Blanton nor Darrin Walls has the ability to shut down the Trojan receivers and both have been beaten repeatedly this season.  Blanton ranks fourth on the team with 22 tackles and both he and Walls have an interception this season, but neither are sure tacklers and both can be thrown against.  The fact that the Irish rank 110th in the nation in terms of passing yards allowed begins with the cornerbacks.  With the Trojan passing game rounding into shape, and the return of receiver Ronald Johnson, USC should be able to keep the Irish from putting eight in the box and ganging up on the running game.

Safety – #22 Harrison Smith (6-2, 207), #28 Kyle McCarthy (6-1, 210)

Kyle McCarthy has been one of the highlights defensively this season.  He leads the team with 49 tackles, leads all defensive backs across the country in tackles per game, and has added three interceptions this season.  He’s also coming back from a 2008 season in which he set a school record for tackles by a defensive back.

Harrison Smith spent time at linebacker last season, and currently ranks second on the team with 32 tackles. 

Special Teams

Kicker – #40 Nick Tausch (6-0, 190)

After missing his first field goal attempt this season, freshman Nick Tausch has converted ten-straight kicks, with a long of 46 yards.  He’s tied for 27th nationally, scoring nine points per game.

The Irish led the nation in kickoff coverage last season, but has slipped to 60th in 2009, allowing just over 21 yards per return.

Punter – #35 Ben Turk (5-11, 193)

Ben Turk took over punting duties last week and has just two kicks this season.  He’s averaging nearly 40 yards per punt.  Notre Dame has gone to a spread formation on punts this season, and has allowed just two returns in 16 kicks.  But both returns have gone for big yardage, and the Irish rank 119th in the nation in punt coverage.

Kick Returner – #32 Theo Riddick (5-10, 195), #21 Barry Gallup Jr. (5-11, 190)

Theo Riddick has returned 16 kickoffs for 378 yards this season, averaging nearly 24 yards per return.  But the Irish kick return numbers received a big boost from Barry Gallup Jr., with his three returns for 95 yards.

Punt Returner – #23 Golden Tate

Golden Tate hasn’t broken the big one yet this season, but it’s only a matter of time.  Currently, he’s averaging 9.2 yards on four returns, but the Trojans must either keep the ball away from Tate or tackle him immediately to prevent the big return.