Notre Dame-USC: Numbers, Turning Point & More
By The Numbers
3-0 Record for Notre Dame this season when not committing a turnover — after going a head-scratching 0-3 last season. Entering 2016, the Irish had been 19-0 under head coach Brian Kelly in games where they had no turnovers. Through seven-and-a-half seasons at Notre Dame, Kelly is now 22-3 in such contests.
4 Trophies Notre Dame now owns from its five competitive trophy games after winning the Jeweled Shillelagh from USC, which debuted in 1952. Earlier this year the Irish retained the Frank Leahy Memorial Bowl versus Boston College and recaptured the Megaphone versus Michigan State. Notre Dame also holds the Shillelagh Trophy against Purdue after winning their most recent meeting in 2014.
To make a clean sweep and own them all at the same time, Notre Dame needs to win at Stanford on Nov. 25 for the Legends Trophy, which debuted in 1989.
5 Victories in a row by Notre Dame by 20 points or more, dating back to the 49-20 win at Boston College on Sept. 16. That is the longest such streak at the school since the seven straight by the 1966 national champs prior to the 10-10 tie with No. 2 Michigan State.
8 Consecutive games won by Notre Dame the week after a bye while improving to 9-1 under Kelly, with two of the victories against USC. The other came in 2013 (14-10). The last time the Irish lost the week after a bye was Oct. 22, 2011 — 31-17 to USC.
10 Rushing touchdowns by junior quarterback Brandon Wimbush this season after scoring two more against the Trojans. That already tied the single season school record by quarterbacks that predecessor DeShone Kizer set in 2015.
12-5 Record for Notre Dame in night games at home, with a 3-1 ledger against USC (it is a perfect 5-0 versus Michigan). The victory against the Trojans also snapped a three-game losing streak under the lights at home (Michigan State and Stanford last year, and Georgia this Sept. 9).
Notre Dame is 24-15 in night games overall under Kelly.
17-14-2 Record for Notre Dame against USC when both teams are ranked coming into the game. This year’s victory ended a four-game winning streak by the Trojans in such contests, with those conquests occurring in 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2009.
22 Years to the day — Oct. 21, 1995 — that Notre Dame last defeated a ranked USC team, 38-10 versus the No. 5 Trojans who would go on to win the Rose Bowl. This was against a No. 11-ranked team in the Associated Press.
24-26 With Wimbush at quarterback in his six starts, Notre Dame has scored an astounding 24 touchdowns in 26 opportunities in the red zone (the opponent’s 20-yard line), including all four chances versus USC. His threat as a runner off the zone read has allowed the Irish to play off their strength and physicality.
28-0 Halftime lead for Notre Dame, the second largest in the 89-game history of the series. Only the 1966 national champions held a greater advantage at the intermission at 31-0, on their way to a 51-0 victory versus the Pac-8 champions to clinch the national title.
377 Yards rushing by Notre Dame, which is believed to be the most by the Irish against the Trojans since a check of the records back to 1950. The closest was 373 yards during a 23-17 victory in 1954.
2,735 Career yards rushing by junior running back Josh Adams, which moved him past Jerome Heavens — who had 2,682 from 1975-78 — for No. 6 on the all-time Irish chart. Adams’ new target is reaching 3,000, where Julius Jones (1999-2003) is next at 3,018.
Turning Point
One could argue that junior linebacker Te’von Coney’s sack, forced fumble and fumble recovery on USC’s first play from scrimmage from the Notre Dame 43 set the game’s tone. However, we felt the most demoralizing play for the Trojans occurred with 8:19 left in the first half.
Although trailing 14-0, USC was far from out of the game, and had driven to the Irish four-yard line the previous series before missing a short field goal attempt. The backbreaker then occurred when USC punt return man Jack Jones fumbled a pooch punt by senior Tyler Newsome that senior rover Drue Tranquill recovered at the Trojans’ nine-yard line. Junior quarterback Brandon Wimbush scored three plays later to up the lead to 21-0, and the floodgates had opened. It continued to uplift the Irish and dishearten USC.
Stats Of The Game
Notre Dame won the turnover battle 3-0, with all three of the Trojans miscues occurring in the first half, and one of them on their first play from scrimmage. This resulted in setting up first-half touchdown drives of 51, nine and 59 yards for the Irish while building a 28-0 cushion by halftime.
Through seven games, Notre Dame has out-scored its opponents 94-10 off turnovers. Of the 17 turnovers caused in 2017, the Irish have converted 13 takeaways into touchdowns and one into a field goal.
Honorable mention to four of the five sacks against USC credited to Irish defensive linemen. Through the entire 12-game 2016 season, the defensive line totaled three quarterback sacks.
Brian Kelly On What Is Different About This Year’s 6-1 Irish And Last Year’s 4-8 Crew:
“The fundamentals of football are where we've made our biggest adjustment. Fundamentally we cup the football better, we're in better run support fits, and we're tackling and getting in a position to strip it. And then we're getting pressure on the quarterback. Flat out, we're getting pressure in four-man rush.
“And so for those that watched us last year compared to this year, we didn't trade for anybody. There was nobody on the waiver wire. These are guys that have developed within the program that are getting pressure on the quarterback and it's making a big difference.
“…I wrote on my card tonight in my locker room, and I said if we didn't win really big, I would be disappointed. And I did that because I would then reevaluate some of the things that maybe we did relative to our preparation."
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