Should USC Be Worried About Notre Dame?
Notre Dame needs a signature win. An upset of USC would be that. Desperate teams are dangerous.
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SOUTH BEND, IN - OCTOBER 20: John Sullivan #78 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish gets ready to hike the ball during the game against the University of Southern California Trojans at Notre Dame Stadium October 20, 2007 in South Bend, Indiana. USC defeated Notre Dame 38-0. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
The most dangerous football team is a desperate football team. And despite being 4-1 and having a newfound confidence, Notre Dame is a desperate football team.
They need a big win, a defining win that says the program is all the way back. That means USC had better bring its best game Saturday, On paper, this should be a USC victory, but that ancient stadium in South Bend has seen more than its share of upsets over the years. Beating USC would be another in that long list that Touchdown Jesus has watched.
Notre Dame fans may be the only ones in the nation harder to please than USC fans — they almost expect their team to win two national championships a year. And they haven’t won any since 1988. Charlie Weis was supposed to change that, and he did change the attitude around the team when he arrived in 2005 and he has recruited quality talent. But the development of that talent has been slow and there is pressure to win now.
And that means getting a big time, signature victory. Such as knocking off a rival and sixth-ranked team that has a seven-year winning streak over the Irish (five of those wins by 31 or more points).
What’s more, there is a buzz on the Notre Dame campus and a confidence the team has that has not been seen in years. The fans believe. The players believe and their quarterback Jimmy Clausen believes — as evidenced by three wins in the final minutes or overtime. A confident team desperately in need of a big win is a dangerous thing.
But USC has been there before. A lot. There is always a target on their back, that is part of coming to USC. There was one on their back in Columbus but the Trojans were able to run the ball up the gut of Ohio State and get the win. It was on their back in Berkeley a couple weeks ago when they routed the Cal Bears. USC quarterback Matt Barkley may be a freshman, but he has ice water running through his veins. And he is plenty confident, too.
Notre Dame’s defense has been unimpressive this year, particularly in stopping the run. The Trojans strength is running the ball. USC should be able to control the tempo of the game and wear down the Irish defense. They should be able to outscore Irish.
But beware of confident but desperate teams. Especially ones that play in South Bend.
