Quick-hitters: Brian Kelly on USC, injuries, team growth
The preeminent intersectional rivalry in college football returns after its first hiatus since World War II.
Notre Dame and USC did not play each other last year for the first time since 1945 due to COVID-19 scheduling changes, ending a 73-year streak. They resume the series for meeting No. 92 Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC) following an off week for both.
USC is 3-3 and has alternated wins and losses each week. The Trojans fired head coach Clay Helton after a 42-28 home loss to Stanford Sept. 11. Their most recent game was a 42-26 home loss to Utah Oct. 9.
“Talented as a football team,” Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said of USC. "If you go with win-loss, win-loss, this should be their best version of themselves this weekend against us.”
Notre Dame (5-1) moved up a spot to No. 13 in Sunday's updated Associated Press top 25 poll. The Irish had a few key players return to full health during the off week. They also lost a player to a season-ending injury.
Freshman tight end Cane Berrong will miss the season with a knee injury, Kelly confirmed. Junior defensive tackle Jacob Lacey suffered an ankle sprain Oct. 9 at Virginia Tech. His status for Saturday isn't settled.
Meanwhile, sophomore tight end and top pass-catcher Michael Mayer (adductor strain) "looks to be 100 percent" after missing the game at Virginia Tech. Freshman quarterback Tyler Buchner (unspecified injury) and sophomore running back Chris Tyree (turf toe) returned to practice last week after leaving the 32-29 win over the Hokies in the second half.
Kelly also said junior Andrew Kristofic will start at guard. He played all but two series at left guard at Virginia Tech after taking over for junior Zeke Correll in the first quarter. Freshman Joe Alt and sophomore Tosh Baker are listed as co-starters at left tackle, even though Alt started vs. Virginia Tech. Sophomore offensive lineman Michael Carmody is listed at tight end on this week’s depth chart.
Here are some other topics Kelly addressed in his 30-minute Monday media session.
On USC wide receiver Drake London
“This is a really, really good football player. You have to have a plan for him, just as we had one for [former USC wide receiver Michael] Pittman [Jr. in 2019]. If you just line up and say, ‘We’ll live with what the consequences are’ — it’ll be like [defensive end] George Karlaftis at Purdue.
“We couldn’t line up and say, ‘George, rush the passer.’ We had to have a plan for him. We’ll have a plan for him as well.”
On Notre Dame’s running game with Jack Coan at quarterback
“It’s a process for us we feel better about right now. We made some changes on the offensive line. We think personnel makes a difference. Tyler adds a little more balance there, because when you have to defend the quarterback, it gives you more diversity.
“I think you’ll see an uptick in terms of the running game and its consistency. That’s what we’re looking for.”
On freshman RB Logan Diggs’ college debut at Virginia Tech
“We liked what we saw. His poise, his ability to block and pick up some blitzes in a late-game situation was one thing that gave us some confidence in him. They’re all coachable traits, but some are not teachable.
“You either have it or you don’t. Those came to the forefront in an action-packed environment.”
On Notre Dame’s overall growth
“We’re a pretty resilient, tough team mentally. Our guys will battle. We’re still learning in many ways. We have a lot of young players. We had five or six freshmen on the field the last game we played late in the game. That’s a never-ending process for those guys to continue to grow, but they know how to win.
“As we stand here today, they have a great way about themselves in terms of they believe they’re going to win, they’re confident, they keep playing. But they have to understand they don’t have much margin because they don’t have much experience. If they keep that in mind and stay focused on the details, they could win every game they play.”
On Notre Dame’s sense of urgency
“We’d take bits and pieces of how we’ve looked — the first drive at Florida State, the first drive against Cincinnati. I could give you a lot of examples of the first drive where that’s a pretty good indication this team has really turned a corner. Then it’s one mistake here and one mistake there.
“I still think it’s just maturation and 11 players pulling together as one. We had that, more or less, in the second half against Virginia Tech. We’re hoping that was a turning point for us offensively that we can get more of it on a consistent basis.
“This is about being more consistent running the football and being balanced on the offensive side.”
On his memories of coaching in Notre Dame-USC games
“I’ve had a couple that have been amazing. I don’t know if I could pick one. We’ve had two undefeated seasons [clinched] at USC. Those were pretty special. It’s hard to separate those two.
“The first victory for me in the rain at USC [in 2010] was pretty special too. The most special would be beating them Saturday.”
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